Customer Reviews

Styx - Caught In The Act: Live 1984

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, It's finally out. It's about time. I actually never thought this would ever be released on DVD. The concert itself was a fun show for it's time and any serious Styx fan should pick this up. The video looks pretty good although it just looks like it was just a simple transfer. No remastering or anything. The audio has been remastered in 5.1 as well as 2.0 stereo. Both sound pretty good but nothing that's gonna blow anybody away. The treat on this DVD, however, are the videos! Included on this DVD are 12 music videos from '77 to '84.

The Videos are:
1. Come Sail Away (1977 Promo video)
2. Borrowed Time (1979 Promo video)
3. Babae (1979 Promo video)
4. Boat On The River (1979 Promo video)
5. A.D. 1928 / Rockin' The Paradise (Music Video)
6. The Best Of Times (Music Video)
7. Too Much Time On My Hands (Music Video)
8. Mr. Roboto (Music Video)
9. Don't Let It End (Music Video)
10. Heavy Metal Poisoning (Music Video)
11. Haven't We Been Here Before? (Music Video)
12. Music Time (Music Video)

Most of these videos have never been released before so it's nice to have them included here. The only thing that would have made it better would be if they included the later videos from Edge of the Century as well. It's still a pretty good DVD for the price.

Originally released years ago on VHS, this release finally sees light on DVD. This is classic era Styx, the video and show are a bit dated, but the sound is incredible, this release makes this the essential Styx DVD concert purchase. The set list is heavy on the Kilroy material, which the band is promoting and touring behind, and you are in for a treat to hear Cold War, Haven't We Been Here Before and Heavy Metal Poisoning (even with all the cheesy stage antics / show). Also included are pretty much all the band's promo videos from the late 70's and early 80's. The Kilroy videos are cheesy, but classic and a hoot to watch. If I can make a small complaint, I would have liked to seen them include some more live footage of the band performing Crystal Ball, or Suite Madam Blue...I only say this because DVD track listing differs from the cd release track listing. Otherwise this is a great DVD to buy on what is included.

Styx released their first live album and its off-shoot concert film Caught in the Act in April of 1984.
This concert film (and its off-shoot double live album) was recorded and filmed in April of 1983 on the band's Kilroy Was Here tour in New Orleans, Louisiana. Most Styx fans want to compare this album to 1997's double live album and DVD Return to Paradise. Caught in the Act slightly has the edge as the band had more energy, were younger and were still an active touring band at the time.
The DVD kicks off with the Kilroy Was Here mini-movie. This was shown at shows to tell the story of the Kilroy album to prepare the show that was to come. Keyboard player/singer/songwriter Dennis DeYoung plays Kilroy, a rock star who was imprisoned for playing rock music by Dr Righteous (played by guitarist James "JY" Young) who had banned rock music. Then singer/guitarist/songwriter Tommy Shaw plays Jonathan Chance who is a rebel rocker who tries to help bring rock back and help Kilroy escape a prison ship run by Japanese robots known as Robotos.
The actual concert kicks off with "Mr. Roboto" which features DeYoung acting out and singing the song live (although the band used the backing track as the band's equipment was hidden thanks to the props on-stage during the track). You can hear see him struggle to take the Roboto mask off. Within Kilroy the song has meaning which many fans don't see.
The live album featured songs that are not on this DVD ("Babe", a spirited "Suite Madame Blue", "Miss America", "Fooling Yourself" and "Crystal Ball") and on this DVD you get to see JY act bad*ss as Righteous and the Panozzo Brothers (Chuck and John) as his henchmen on "Heavy Metal Poisoning" (John also played a prisoner in the Kilroy film), a superb extended "Cold War" (with extra verses and a long Tommy Shaw guitar solo), an excellent rendition of "Renegade" complete with band getting arrested and John Panozzo drum solo, a Shaw/DeYoung duet on "Haven't We Been Here Before" and the excellent finale of "Don't Let it End (Reprise)").
Other highlights on this film (that are also on the album) are "Too Much Time on My Hands", "Snowblind", "Rockin the Paradise", "Blue Collar Man", "Don't Let it End" (which is better than the studio version), "The Best of Times" and "Come Sail Away" (which some vocal parts and end drum solo are different than recording on the album).
Styx's Caught in the Act album turned out to be the final album the classic lineup of Styx would ever release and is a great testament to the classic lineup.
For years, this was overlooked for DVD release. Then in 2007, it finally was re-released with BONUS VIDEOS. You have the promo clips for "Come Sail Away" (the other two Grand Illusion promo films "Fooling Yourself" and "Miss America" aren't here and neither are the three promos from Pieces of Eight which were "Blue Collar Man", "Sing For the Day" and "I'm OK") and you do get all of Cornerstone's promo films ("Babe", "Boat On the River", "Borrowed Time"), all of Paradise Theatre's videos ("The Best of Times", "Too Much Time on My Hands" and "AD 1928/Rockin the Paradise"), all of Kilroy's videos ("Mr. Roboto", "Don't Let it End", "Heavy Metal Poisoning" and "Haven't We Been Here Before") and the video for the Caught in the Act album's single "Music Time".
Highly recommended!

I gave this four stars on the stength of the music, but it's hard to focus on the music with everything else going on. The break up of Styx has been pretty well documented and this video reinforces it. The theatrics and bad acting that open this DVD show that Dennis DeYoung was a frustrated Broadway performer. The embarassment on Tommy Shaw's face as he's forced to "act" with DeYoung's Kilroy character is obvious. It's fairly easy to see why this was essentially the end of the classic Styx lineup.

Having said all this, the music in the concert itself is very good. The playing and harmonies are great. The biggest musical downside is that too many of the songs on the DVD come from the Kilroy album as opposed to many of their earlier hits. Still, for $10 you get a good concert, plus all the old videos. That should make it worthwile for most Styx fans.

I saw this tour back in 1983 when Styx hit the Texxas Jam in Houston (along with Ted Nugent, Triumph and Sammy Hagar as I recall...), but unfortunately after a long day of really hard rock, the person I was with who drove pretty much demanded that we leave when Styx went into "Babe" and some of their softer stuff. Extremely disappointing to me because I love the Kilroy Was Here album (well, some of it) and am always up for a theatrical live performance.

So now, some 26 years later, I get to see what I missed. All in all, this is not Styx at their peak I wouldn't think. As many reviewers note and history has documented, most everyone in Styx apart from Dennis DeYoung hated going so heavily down the concept road, particularly when it came to the live shows. So this was the beginning of the end. I'd like to see a full-length concert from the Paradise Theatre tour a year or two before or even something from the late 70's but hey, this is what we got.

And all in all, it's still good, although as noted in many other reviews, the picture quality appears not to have been retouched in transfer from vhs. Still, the KILROY WAS HERE album and tour don't fully deserve the negative views so many fans seem to hold, and either way, it's a concert from the classic Styx lineup plus plenty of bonus videos, all for $10. How can you go wrong?

I love Styx but I was very hesitant about this period of their career because of all bad reviews. I like Kilroy was here (didn't in the beginning though) and this concert. Very nice concept and dialogue, one can see where Dennis was going. Tommy is a bundle of energy throughout and plays the attentive listener to Kilroy. Some great songs that were not on the double CD as well.

Looking back, it took guts for a major million-selling act to speak out against the emerging PMRC and Moral Majority censorship of rock music and computers replacing millions of jobs during the 80's while also embracing the MTV generation by creating a lengthy and expensive concept video (right before Michael Jackson got the idea - with better choreography!).

Styx were true trailblazers in doing this, but I wish the band (especially Tommy & JY) had taken their own message and performance for "Kilroy Was Here" far more seriously. The end result was a silly and cartoony concept video, a weak and disappointing album, tons of horrible reviews, old fans (like me) finally "jumping the shark" and the sad end of once was a outstanding classic rock band. About the only thing positive that came out of this mess was finally a Styx concert video and live album.

I just wish someone at A&M or their management had had the foresight to record and film a full concert during 1975-1978 while Styx was at their most powerful and hardest rocking peak (before "Babe").

The good news for old Styx fans is the excellent 5:1 remix on the concert and videos, its a big improvement over the weaker 2:1 mix. But the video quality is disappointing, it's 1984 vintage and as sharp as the old VHS tape. I wish the DVD compilers could have used the original concert film stock and created a new Hi-Definition widescreen transfer instead.

If you skip over some of the weaker songs (and bad acting too) from "Kilroy" the concert is a lot of fun. Though the band members weren't getting along at the time, they still could work together onstage and put on a great show. I just wish they could have included a few songs pre-"Grand Illusion" (especially from Styx II, Equinox and Crystal Ball). The original videos and low price make it a great deal for old Styx fans, so go get it.

Note: I love Styx, and this is a must have for Styx fans! I'm not here to bash Styx...but be warned - the concert is very cheesy. The in-between-song acting by DeYoung and Shaw as they play out the story of Kilroy will make you laugh and cringe with embarassment. And Tommy Shaw's outfit is like a wreck you can't look away from. Show this DVD to friends and watch their jaws drop! The whole "what were they thinking" element of the show and concept is a great conversation piece!
Musically it's a great performance! And the bonus videos are a great add-on. You won't be disapointed.

Caught In The Act is a DVD (originally available on VHS) live Styx from the last tour to feature the classic lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, JY, and the Panozzo brothers. The Kilroy Was Here tour told the story of Robert Orrin Charles Kilroy (Dennis DeYoung) who was arrested for performing and "purveying" that evil rock and roll music. In the world of Kilroy, rock music was outlawed by the MMM, kind of a fictionalized Moral Majority with an extra M (for mean-ness?). Doctor Righteous (James Young) had him imprisoned and young rebel Jonathan Chance (Tommy Shaw) and his unnamed friend (an uncredited Robert Romanus according to the Internet Movie Database) is on a mission to bring it back. The concert starts with a ten minute filmed segment that is shown in concert, and that leads to Dennis DeYoung singing Mr. Roboto as he takes his robot mask off. I mean, in order to escape from prison, Kilroy had to dress up as a robot. It (kind of) makes sense in the film. After a brief but awkward attempt to get Tommy Shaw to act, we are treated to a re-enactment of that fateful night at (where else) The Paradise Theater. JY starts off with a guitar solo. The concert is interrupted by Doctor Righteous who warns the audience members of that Heavy Metal Poisoning while his henchmen Col Hyde and Lieut. Vanish (John and Chuck Panozzo, respectively), run around the stage and look menacing, but otherwise do not have much involvement with the story. The concert continues until an extended Renegade with a drum solo and the aforementioned alleged murder occurs. Johnny gets another Chance at a final dialog scene, happy ending, huzzah! Oh, and Mr. Roboto was played by Thomas "T-Bopper" Guzman-Sanchez.

Other than all that, it's actually a good concert DVD for the non-Kilroy segments (which is actually most of it) and it features some rockin' performances when Tommy Shaw isn't trying to act. And some great vintage hairdo's too! Luke Skywalker killed it on Too Much Time On My Hands!

Added touch: vintage music videos.

OMG, What a wonderful and beautiful slice of Styx's Epic career this DVD provides. I especially LOVE Tommy Shaw's amazing, crowd-wandering guitar solo in the song "Cold War", and the sweet lady fan who levitates onto the stage to join Dennis and Tommy during the joyful rendition of "Come Sail Away"!!! Buy it!