The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live (2012)



 Disc One
  1. The Grand Illusion
  2. Fooling Yourself
  3. Superstars
  4. Come Sail Away
  5. Miss America
  6. Man in the Wilderness
  7. Castlewalls
  8. The Grand Finale
  
 Disc Two
  1. The Great White Hope
  2. I'm O.K.
  3. Sing for the Day
  4. The Message
  5. Lords of the Ring
  6. Blue Collar Man
  7. Queen of Spades
  8. Renegade
  9. Pieces of Eight
  10.Aku-Aku

 

As I’ve mentioned in more than a few of these write-ups, 21st-century Styx often came off like a band caught in limbo—still touring, still releasing things, but constantly searching for that missing link to connect with the fans who’d been with them from the start. With this release, they finally get something right.

Let’s face it—if you were to dig through the band’s long catalog and pick the two albums that a) sold like crazy and b) got the stamp of approval from both Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung, your list would probably stop at two: The Grand Illusion (1977) and Pieces of Eight (1978). So when the band went out on tour in 2011 and made the decision to perform both albums in full, start to finish, it wasn’t just a no-brainer—it was the smartest thing they’d done in years.

This live album was released as a companion to the DVD version of the show. I haven’t seen the video myself, but judging by the audio, it’s a solid listen. Sure, there are a few tracks that we probably didn’t need to hear *again*—songs that have made it onto every live album since the Clinton administration just because they’re JY or Tommy favorites. But credit where credit is due: the rarer cuts are the real highlight here. Hearing songs like Pieces of Eight or Lords of the Ring—songs I honestly can’t recall hearing live in decades (if ever)—makes this feel like something worth owning.

And now, a few words on Lawrence Gowan. No, he’s not Dennis DeYoung, and he never will be. But let’s be honest, the guy’s been in the band for over a decade at this point. He’s not “the new guy” anymore—he’s a fixture. Back in 1999, when he first sang the DeYoung tunes, it felt jarring. Now? He’s earned his spot. His vocals here are strong, respectful to the originals, and fans don’t seem to be cringing anymore when he takes the lead on the DeYoung classics.

One complaint—without having seen the DVD, the crowd on this release sounds... a little underwhelmed. Maybe they were just mic’d poorly, or maybe they were genuinely more sedate than past Styx audiences, but the energy doesn’t exactly leap out of the speakers. The banter in between songs doesn’t help much either. Instead of hearing the guys talk about the backstories behind these legendary tracks, we get random jokes about Popeye and Tommy yelling, “We’re done with side one! So let’s FLIP IT OVER!” Not once, but twice. Cute, I guess. But not exactly insightful.

And speaking of flipping records over—here’s a controversial opinion—I think it might’ve made more sense to shuffle the track order a little. As much as I appreciate the integrity of playing the albums straight through, closing a concert with Pieces of Eight followed by Aku-Aku feels a bit underwhelming. Both are beautiful songs, yes, but not exactly built to send a crowd into the night on a high note. A little surprise would’ve gone a long way here.

Still, in the end, it’s nice to see Styx roll the dice and finally hit a lucky seven. Not perfect, but far from the missteps of years past.



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