Arch Allies (2000)
Disc One
1.Blue Collar Man
2.The Grand Illusion
3.Fooling Yourself
4.Lady
5.Brave New World
6.Edge Of The Century
7.Heavy Water
8.Too Much Time On My Hands
9.Renegade
10.Blue Collar Man
11.Roll With The Changes
Disc Two
1.Don't Let Him Go
2.Music Man
3.Take It On The Run
4.Can't Fight This Feeling
5.Time For Me To Fly
6.Back On The Road Again
7.Keep On Loving You
8.Roll With The Changes
9.Riding The Storm Out
10.157 Riverside Avenue
11.Blue Collar Man
12.Roll With The Changes
By the late '90s, things had shifted for Styx—both in sound and structure. Following Brave New World, an announcement came that Dennis DeYoung would be sitting out the tour “due to illness.” Fair enough, except the band soon pressed on without him—citing blessings and open invitations—neither of which, as it turns out, were particularly true. Enter Lawrence Gowan, a Canadian solo act of decent pedigree but zero familiarity outside his homeland. He was tasked with stepping into Dennis DeYoung’s rather oversized shoes. That’s a cruel ask, no matter how well you play the keys or sing the notes.
Meanwhile, Chuck Panozzo announced his retirement—later revealed to be due to his health—and former guitarist Glen Burtnik was pulled in once again, this time handling bass duties. What fans got was something resembling Styx, but only in the vaguest of silhouettes. Yes, Gowan hit the notes. Yes, he nailed the keyboards. But on pivotal DeYoung moments like Lady and The Grand Illusion, he simply wasn’t him. No amount of technical accuracy could substitute for the original heart.
Which leads us to the question: was this release even necessary? Just two years prior, the band had released the excellent Return to Paradise, a sprawling live album that more than did the job. What we get here is another live collection, except now, the band is a few men down, some miles removed from the top of the charts, and playing to mid-sized crowds in places like Duluth and Denham Springs. To their credit, they look like they’re having fun—and, by this point in their career, maybe that’s the only metric that matters.
But the issues pile up. This was a joint tour with REO Speedwagon, and so we’re treated to a “two-for-one” package deal: one disc of Styx, one disc of REO. Even more curious is the inclusion of the same joint jam session on both discs. And even more frustrating is that said jam includes songs already present earlier in the tracklist. Meaning, yes, you get Blue Collar Man three times. That’s not fan service—that’s testing loyalty.
A better idea might have been to dig up a vintage show from the late '70s and give us a true taste of classic Styx in their prime. Instead, we get a professional, competently delivered set that sounds fine, looks fine (a DVD was also part of the release), but feels unnecessary—more placeholder than product. Add to that DeYoung’s lawsuit against the remaining members (which, for a time, put the brakes on further recordings), and what you’re left with is a band in transition, trying to hold onto something that was already drifting out of reach.
This wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t Styx either—not really.
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