Styx and REO Speedwagon: Arch Allies - Live at Riverport (2000)

"I'm the captain, so climb aboard/ We'll search for tomorrow on every shore." It was the earnest mysticism of lyrics like these which put STYX on the radios of the 1970's. The proto prog rockers defined "stadium rock" for an entire generation of smiley face sporting teenagers. With their sweeping concept albums, ten minute long song epics, and virtuostic, overpowering guitar solos, STYX were everything that the raw, stripped-bare punk bands of the late Seventies were rebelling against. Still, they occupy an integral place in rock history and the poetic, metaphorical quality of their music continues to inspire and entertain millions. REO Speedwagon, contemporaries of STYX, are a prog-rock band with a similar sound and impact. Though they never achieved quite so massive a fan base as STYX did, they were still a staple of 1970's radio and rock arenas. ARCH ALLIES was filmed at a June 8, 2000 concert in St. Louis, Missouri. Though the bands never really stopped making music, this sold-out concert serves as evidence that progressive rock was no passing trend, but rather a rock genre that continues to have a huge audience decades after its emergence.