Styx: The Grand Illusion / Pieces of Eight—Live

Prog-rock band Styx performs two classic albums—1977's The Grand Illusion and 1978's Pieces of Eight (19 songs total)—in this live concert filmed November 9, 2010 at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, TN. A couple caveats: first, this is not really Styx—the most notable absentee here being distinctively-voiced lead singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, and second, Pieces of Eight is only a classic in one sense (old). Those big exceptions aside, two of the band's mainstays—guitarists/singers Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young—are on hand, while a third, original bass player Chuck Panozzo, guests on several songs. Déjà vu does not immediately kick in with the opening title cut of The Grand Illusion as Lawrence Gowan tries to do his best DeYoung impersonation. Many viewers, however, will feel the warm fuzzies when Shaw steps up to the mic for “Fooling Yourself” and “Man in the Wilderness,” or while Young belts out “Miss America.” But despite all the flashy behind-the-back keyboard playing, Gowan cannot replicate DeYoung's signature voice on songs like “Come Sail Away” and “Castle Walls.” And the less said about Pieces of Eight the better: from its bland opening song—“Great White Hope," which is essentially Young ripping off his own “Miss America”—to the blander instrumental closer “Aku-Aku,” Styx's much-anticipated follow-up to Grand Illusion had little to recommend it beyond two fine Shaw hits (“Blue Collar Man” and “Renegade”). Presented in DTS-5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and a short piece on “Aku-Aku.” Optional. (R. Pitman)