RETURN TO PARADISE (DVD)

In the Seventies I bought all the Styx albums but despite some delicate symphonic prog tendencies, no album can be found in my current progrock collection. So I never would have bought this DVD for the full price but for five bugs price I was prepared to have a look on the sound of my favorite Styx compositions like Suite Madame Blue, Grand Illusion and Miss America. On this DVD you can enjoy the very professional performance of a reunion Styx formation who turn out to be a kind of musical chameleon: polished rock in Rockin' The Paradise, romantic ballads in Lady, Show Me The Way, of course the huge hit Babe and the final song Come Sail Away, hardrock in Lorelei, an unplugged session during Boat On The River (featuring Tommy Shaw on the mandoline) and symphonic prog in the compelling Suite Madame Blue (lots of tension, Tommy Shaw on a twin-neck guitar, fat Oberheim synthesizer flights and a biting guitar solo in the exciting bombastic eruption), Grand Illusion (bombastic with fat synthesizer runs and propulsive guitar riffs) and Miss America (wah-wah guitar, biting guitar play, again fat Oberheim sounds and raw vocals). A surprising piece is Crystal Ball with Tommy Shaw solo on a 12-string acoustic guitar, he looks like the more handsome but less skillfull younger brother of Steve Howe! The music on this DVD is not always my cup of tea but I am impressed by the enthousiastic (especially James Young as a versatile frontman, from singer to keyboards and guitar), professional and tasteful performance of Styx, including the great sound and plaesant visuals. Personally I go for 3 stars but from an objective point of view this is a solid 4 star DVD!

4.5 realy

One of the best DVD's I saw since present. Styx was and is a band tht I'veenjoy listen constantly, everything they release is pleasent to my ears, and because of that I've decided to check something live from them and I choose this DVD from 1996 named Return to paradise, Live at Rosemont theatre. This DVd was filmed and is the return of the american giants after more then 10 years break. In that period each musician from Styx was involved in solo careers, untill one of the leaders Dennis de Young ask Tommy if he want to sing again like in old times on Lady. He was agree and the reunion was posible. It's clear that the band is in top form here, each musicians gives the best they have, maybe sometimes better then before, great musicianship, great sound, excelent play list, almost all their hits over the yers. But, one person is missing, John Panozzo, the drumer and the brother of bassis, who died in that year. About the music, Styx always knew how to make the listners to like their music, a cross between pomp hard rock with progressive elements, always with big orchestrations and solid arrangements. This DVd shows how great Styx was and is since that, they still playing big time today. It's clear that the musicians are playing for fun, not for money, each piece in this context is a winner. Dennis DeYoung on vocals and keybords is in top form like the rest of the members, Tommy Shaw is great, James "JY" Young is also both on guitars and some vocal parts, Panozzo is quite most of the time very serios, but did a great job. And above all the new drumer Todd Sucherman who is absolutly great, very energic drumer who realy integrate very good in Styx sound. Whole DVd is great for any Styx fan and not only. Pieces like Too Much Time On My Hands, Suite Madame Blue, Grand Illusion, Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man, Show Me The Way dedicated to John Panozzo, and all btw are great, the musicians are in top form and is showing with every tune they play. So a recommended DVD, belive me one of the best I've saw so far, I never thought will impress me so much, 4-4.5 stars for sure.

In the mid nineties the "classic" line-up of the band (Dennis De Young, Tommy Shaw, James Young, Chuck Panozzo, John Panozzo) was playing together again. Unfortunately, this didn't last for a very long time, because John Panozzo died in mid 1996. Anyway, since 1995 they had a new drummer, called Todd Sucherman, a very good drummer who became their official drummer after John died.

This concert video was recorded in the Autumn of 1996, a few months after John died. I really didn't expect to see STYX playing as well as they did in this concert video. They sound very well rehearsed, and they look very happy playing together. Dennis De Young is a very good lead singer and keyboards player, and he sings and plays with a lot of energy. Maybe his songs are in contrast to the more heavy musical style of the songs which are sung and composed by Tommy Shaw and James Young. This led to De Young to leave the band in 1999 after some musical differences with Young and Shaw, and also after some health problems which also forced him to leave the band. De Young was replaced with another very good singer and keyboard player (Lawrence Gowan). Anyway, the band wasn't the same anymore without De Young.

The set list of this concert video is very good. I'm not a fan of STYX, but in this concert video they played some very good songs for my taste ("Come Sail Away", "Crystal Ball", "Blue Collar Man", "Miss America", "Lady", "Boat on the River", "Snowblind"). Fortunately, no songs from the "Kilroy Was Here" (1983) album were included in this concert video. Their "Caught in the Act" concert video from 1984 had several songs from that album, an album which I don't like.

There is also a song called "Show Me the Way" which was dedicated in this concert by De Young to the late John Panozzo. It is a very good song.

This concert video is very good, with very good quality of images, camera angles and recording and mixing. It is much better than the "Caught in the Act" concert video, and it has the band playing and singing with a lot of energy to their fans. It is a good memory of the band with Dennis De Young, and also shows a very good drummer, Todd Sucherman, playing with a lot of energy, doing a very good job replacing the late John Panozzo.