WELCOME TO THE STAGE

This first live album from Arena contains decent live versions of all the major (ie, non-Crying For Help) tracks from Songs From the Lion's Cage, plus the better cuts from Pride and a mildly pop-leaning moment in the form of The Healer from The Cry EP (a collection the Crying For Help tracks with new lyrics). Fans of the band will dig these versions, particular since the release represents the debut of the lineup who would go on to record The Visitor, taking the Arena sound to a new level, though at the same time I don't think the renditions here are interesting enough to quite justify this one to a non-fan. If you were really into Arena's "stories from classical civilisations" phase and want a live album of that material it's your best bet though.