[.ca] Arch Allies: Live At Riverport (2CD)

From Amazon.com:
OK, so maybe arena rock is now amphitheater rock, but beyond that, little has changed for two bands that epitomized the grandiose, hard-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside style. Recorded in June 2000 at St. Louis's Riverport Amphitheater, this double-disc set--one for Styx, one for REO--offers spirited versions of the old chestnuts that still delight their hardcore fans. There are a couple of drawbacks here: for one, both Styx's "Blue Collar Man" and REO's "Roll with the Changes" each appear three times on the collection--once each by the original band and once on each disc as a collaboration. Surely they could have dusted off a few more tunes. And while REO offers only tried and true material, Styx sticks in two cuts from 1999's Brand New World and one from 1990's Edge of the Century, which really can't be the tunes that convinced fans to pay seven dollars for parking. Those caveats aside, the tight performances and good sound quality should please longtime fans and the three newcomers alike. After all, where better to record arena rock than in an amphitheater? --Marc Greilsamer

Rockin' The Riverport:
Most of these reviews have been less about the album and more about how Dennis De Young is out of the band. Well, I can honestly say the Styx CD is the lesser of the two, but NOT for that reason. It's just that the choice of Styx material for the album is a bit sub-par. The only ones that stick out to me as excellent are Gowan's version of Lady (really!), Edge of the Century, Heavy Water, and Fooling Yourself. The real gem of this collection is REO Speedwagon's disc. Gary may be gone, and Kevin may be losing his voice; however, you can feel the energy of the concert through this. Music Man is the only song that falls short. Too bad they couldn't have had a live version of Golden Country or Son of a Poor Man. Hitt is good, and I'd give this album 5 stars, but, as Kevin put it best "Nobody plays the guitar the way Gary does."

2 of the 3 greatest bands ever!!:
Journey, REO Spedwagon, and STYX are my favorite bands. It is so hard getting good live recordings of them all. I was very displeased with REO's attempts at a live album until I found this CD. This is 2 cds of great music. I love hearing Arena Rock live and this album delivers it. And you not only get one band, you get both of them. On some of the tracks they jam together. If you are a fan of STYX, REO, or both, then this album is a musthave on your list. A lot of people think STYX lost it after Deyoung left but Tommy Shaw holds his own and truly keeps the band alive. I recently saw all three bands at the Joe Louis Arena and so far this is the closest sound to the greatest night of my life I had that day.

Why do we need a new Styx Live CD??? I'll tell ya why......:
Since the release of Styx World Live (2001) and Arch Allies, many Styx fans have been asking...."why another live cd? I now have 3 versions of "Too Much.." and 5 live versions of "Sail Away" and god knows how many of "Miss America" Here is my theory. Check it out and decide if you really want to purchase this CD. Every time a cd is sold, money goes to several people: The label, the publisher, the song writer, and the performer to name a few. Well, everytime someone purchases one of the original Styx cd's ,like Paradise Theatre, then all 5 guys get money for performance (including John's estate) and the writers all get a share also. BUT... when Styx sells a CD that does not have Dennis playing on it, then they don't have to pay him the performance cut. He just gets the 8 cents per song per cd that he wrote, but nothing else. So the NEW version of Styx puts out all the useless live cd's and hopes that the fans will purchase one. This is just a way to cut out Dennis. I am sure that the guys in the band now would be perfectly happy if the old CD's would all just disapear, never to be sold again. That way they can continue to sell new versions of the songs, and keep Dennis out of the loop. The answer to the big question is ..."GREED." So if you must hear "Too Much time" live or have to have the live version of Renegade, then purchase CITA or TRP, but stay away from this album.

Styx Disc:
Well, about eight months after the original release, I finally broke down and made this purchase. Why the long wait? Well, I just couldn't really get enthused about the new version of Styx, you know, the one minus Dennis DeYoung.. Well, eventually, curiosity got the best of me, and I wanted to see how the new guy(Lawrence Gowan) managed to pull off DeYoung's material.. At first play, I was amazed how much better I liked the tracks from the "Brave New World" album.. They have so much more energy and life here. As for the other songs, Tommy still sounds in top form, J.Y's guitar work sounds as good as ever, Glen Burtnik adds some good energy, even though I've always felt "Edge Of The Century" was slightly generic, and then there is the man of the hour himself, Larry Gowan.. I've just recently had the chance to actually see Styx in person, first time in six years, and I must say, they might have more energy now, than they actually did then. It really is incredible, and a lot of this has to do with the antics of Mr. Gowan, a highly talented peformer, but.. I still don't feel that he is much of a match for DeYoung's vocals. If only Dennis could still do his powerhouse vocals, accompanied by Gowan's highly enthusiastic keyboard playing, a great combination, but will never happen.. Until that day(snicker), I am still looking forward to hearing Lawrence on his own material, and all the other guys on the brand new Styx record, due in Spring of 2003! All said, originally, I wasn't too thrilled about the live albums the current lineup has been putting out, but now, after seeing them for myself, I get the point.. They don't sound tired any longer, and it seems like they are really having fun, and doing what they want to do. I just hope it doesn't become all show, and no substance.. On a last note, I also recently had the chance to see Dennis DeYoung at a solo show in Kettering, Ohio. He was really good as well, and seemed to be in top notch shape.. The amazing thing is what different directions him, and the other guys have gone in over the years. I hate to say it, but I honestly don't ever see how they could all become one again, they just have simply grown too far apart. I can certainly understand Tommy and J.Y.'s frustration over the soft, theatrical direction DeYoung ended up taking, but I hope they also realize, it isn't all about rocking, and Tommy has written quite a few tracks himself, that wouldn't exactly be considered cool, or rocking.. If you are willing to give the new Styx a chance, and are not able to see them in person, give this CD a try, or maybe even "At The River's Egde" which is this exact concert, minus the REO portion(plus two extra Styx tracks, not included here), either one of these discs, combined with "StyxWorld", can give you a fairly good idea what a concert with the guys is like these days. I will probably always prefer the Styx of the "Paradise Theatre" days, but I'm happy to see everyone still going at it, including Dennis.

A Good CD from 2 Great Bands:
This double CD devotes 1 disc to each band. Recorded live during the summer 2000 tour, it contains all of the essential tracks from each band. On the Styx CD, we find such classics as "Too Much Time on my Hands" and "Renegade", while REO chimes in with "Roll With the Changes" and "Don't Let Him Go". I grew up with these groups while I was in high school, and it's nice to have a CD with both of them on it. I still think Dennis DeYoung is better than Lawrence Gowan, and the Styx disc was basically all Tommy Shaw's songs. There are a couple songs from their "Brave New World" CD which are very good, however. JY's "Heavy Water" is particularly good. Also included are a coupe of songs, "Roll With the Changes" and "Blue Collar Man", performed buy both groups together. Overall, this CD is good because it contains the good old-fashioned rock and roll sound that made both of these groups famous. There is also a VHS tape of this concert which I would recommend as well.

• Blue Collar Man - Styx
• Grand Illusion - Styx
• Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) - Styx
• Lady - Styx
• Brave New World - Styx
• Edge of the Century - Styx
• Heavy Water - Styx
• Too Much Time on My Hands - Styx
• Renegade - Styx
• Blue Collar Man - Styx
• Roll with the Changes - REO Speedwagon, Styx
• Don't Let Him Go - REO Speedwagon
• Music Man - REO Speedwagon
• Take It on the Run - REO Speedwagon
• Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
• Time for Me to Fly - REO Speedwagon
• Back on the Road Again - REO Speedwagon
• Keep on Loving You - REO Speedwagon
• Roll with the Changes - REO Speedwagon
• Ridin' the Storm Out - REO Speedwagon
• Riverside Avenue - REO Speedwagon
• Blue Collar Man \oJam Version\c - REO Speedwagon, Styx
• Roll with the Changes - REO Speedwagon, Styx
• Roll with the Changes - REO Speedwagon, Styx