Just Another Live Album
Sean P. Byrne | Enid, OK | 01/09/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I watched the live concert on HDNet, and had really high hopes for the CD. Working with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra could have been a great addition to an already great band. The problem is, the band got in the way. If you're expecting this CD to be similiar to the Dennis DeYoung CD or the Kansas CD where they played with an orchestra, you're going to be out of luck.
Instead of Styx putting their instruments down (or even turning them down a little bit) and letting the Orchestra give old Styx songs a new, more powerful feel, the band drowns them out every time. With the exception of a few songs, you won't even notice that the Contemporary Youth Orchestra is there. Gowan's keyboards and synthesizers still do what could have been done much better by the orchestra, Sucherman's drums overpower the string instruments, and even Boat on the River, which would have been amazing in an orchestral version, is still basically the same exact sound it's always been.
I'm not sure if it was the band's egos (of which they are all famous for) that prevented them from utilizing the CYO to it's full extent, or just the constraints of a live performance. Two new songs are performed, but one isn't even the live version, but a studio recording. Sadly what we have is just one more live Styx CD with mostly old songs. All in all a missed opportunity."
I loved it!
Kevin W. Hall | Roanoke, VA | 01/18/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I also saw this concert first on HDNet and loved it. I will say that seeing it in HD is way better than the DVD...oh well, I guess I'll have to wait 'til I get an HD-DVD player...
I agree with the previous reviewer that Styx definitely upstages CYO most of the time, but I didn't really expect otherwise. I thought it was a good mix and I really enjoyed watching teenage kids get excited about music that wasn't hip-hop!!"