Caught In The Act (1984)
Disc One
1.Music Time
2.Mr. Roboto
3.Too Much Time On My Hands
4.Babe
5.Snowblind
6.The Best of Times
7.Suite Madame Blue
Disc Two
1.Rockin' The Paradise
2.Blue Collar Man
3.Miss America
4.Don't Let It End
5.Crystal Ball
6.Fooling Yourself
7.Come Sail Away
Curiously, it wasn’t until the band’s commercial peak had already begun to flicker that Styx finally released a proper live album. For a group that had, arguably, built its reputation on stunning arena performances, the lack of a live document until this late stage seemed a strange oversight. So when Caught in the Act hit the shelves in 1984, it served more as a parting gift than a crowning moment. The band was, for all intents and purposes, in limbo—perhaps even dissolved—by the time the record was issued.
Before compact discs expanded the rules, a double album was constricted to roughly 80 to 85 minutes—comparable to the length of a single CD. As a result, modern comparisons to live sets like Return to Paradise (released in 1997 and boasting over two hours of content) may not be entirely fair. But still, the earlier effort suffers—not from lack of sound quality or performance, but from limited scope.
The recordings come from four shows at the historic Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. The selection is largely representative, though with notable caveats. Because the Kilroy Was Here tour was equal parts concept musical and rock concert, some tracks (notably Renegade) were altered or truncated and thus are omitted entirely. In some cases, such as Mr. Roboto, what’s presented on the record isn’t truly “live”—the band performed to a backing track during the show, yet the song was still included, presumably to pad the album with hits. Additionally, all the dialogue-heavy theatrical interludes were stripped away from the audio release to maximize room for music. (An accompanying video—now something of a retro cult artifact—features the full narrative, for those inclined.)
Leading off the album is the lone studio track: Music Time, a DeYoung composition that sounds like it escaped from the wrong session entirely. Trapped in a particularly awkward ’80s aesthetic, it clunks along with little charm. Even Tommy Shaw later called it his least favorite Styx song—a telling sign, especially considering he had likely exited the band by the time it was even recorded.
Thankfully, what follows is of much higher caliber. Styx, even on a transitional night, remained a masterful live act. The renditions here are not carbon copies. Extended solos, rearrangements, and longer versions pepper the set, often pushing tracks past the six-minute mark—a move that, while rewarding, results in fewer songs overall. Still, the energy is undeniable. The band sounds tight, the vocals full, and the interplay between members refreshingly authentic.
Of course, all this was rendered largely moot a decade later when Return to Paradise arrived to fanfare and gave audiences a more complete picture of the band’s live prowess—without the narrative baggage. The only unique inclusion here, absent from the later release, is DeYoung’s Don’t Let It End, a sweeping ballad that may have been too close in sentiment and structure to Babe for the reunited band’s liking. Or perhaps the ghost of Kilroy was simply too bitter a pill to revisit in full.
In any case, Caught in the Act now feels like a historical curiosity—less definitive live album, more time capsule. For completists and die-hards, it still holds value. And the accompanying concert film, though dated and occasionally kitschy, offers a visually rich document of the band’s most theatrical era. Hoaky, perhaps. But undeniably Styx.
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