This live disc from the latest lineup of Styx should please long-time fans, but it really does have a few flaws. The first flaw is the lack of Dennis DeYoung. Lawrence Gowan, a very renowned and potent vocalist in his own right, fills that void. The only problem is that for the most part, he really doesn't pull of f the style and presence that DeYoung had. The result is that the group really should seriously consider either convincing DeYoung to return to the fold or dropping the majority of those songs from their set.

The second flaw is the group's choice of material. Styx was a very prolific band and, even if they remove the DeYoung material from the list, they certainly have enough songs under their belt to put together a complete set. Why is it then that they choose to perform a Damn Yankees (Tommy Shaw's band) song, one by vocalist Lawrence Gowan and an unrelated cover. It seems that if fans are paying their money for Styx, they want to hear Styx songs.

Both of those issues aside, though, the group does put in a strong showing and this album holds up well. It is good to know that there is a Styx carrying the banner in the 21st century. The lineup of the group these days is longtime member Tommy Shaw, fellow veteran James "JY" Young, Todd Sucherman, Glen Burtnik, Lawrence Gowan and founding member Chuck Panozzo.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2001 Year Book Volume 3 at  garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2001-and-2002.