LiamABC

OK, first of all, let me say for the record - I DO LIKE this concert. Really, I do. It's a fair spread of hits from two of America's hardest rockin' bands. The performances are very good - especially the jam at the end with both bands on stage doing one of each of their hits all together.

This was actually the first time I saw anything of Styx live (although I had a couple of live CDs), and also my very first exposure to REO Speedwagon. So it's special in that regard.

HOWEVER - there's a few things that are worth pointing out. They don't as such detract from the show, but it's worth mentioning a few details:

1. Neither band is in its "classic" lineup.

This affected Styx more than it does REO Speedwagon (at least it did for me), as Styx are a band with multiple lead singer-songwriters. And, talented though Lawrence Gowan is, his voice just sounds wrong on "Lady".

2. The concert is incomplete.

Since seeing this on video for the first time I have managed to obtain on audio a complete record of the concert. But I had to get three separate CDs to do so: the CD of this, Arch Allies; Styx - At The River's Edge and REO Speedwagon Live Plus.

There's three songs by Styx and four of REO that are not included on this video/DVD. Actually, in the case of Speedwagon, I've already said this was the first I saw or heard of them, and it later transpired that two of the "missing" songs became two of my favourites of theirs (Keep Pushin' and That Ain't Love). So this show very nearly failed to convert me into an REO fan!

3. Alternate releases.

OK, this one needs a little more explaining. With reference to the two points I've already made, if you want a *really* amazing Styx show, you'd be much better off getting "Return To Paradise". Apart from Todd Sucherman on the drums replacing John Panozzo who had recently died, this is the classic lineup. As for REO, there are no other shows of theirs available on DVD, but it is possible to find the complete REO set of this show on their Live Plus DVD. Although it should be stressed here that the entire Styx portion of this show is NOT similarly available on video/DVD, and the two-band jam is not available anywhere else.

However, for all that, it's still an enjoyable show. Two bands for the price of one, performing a very good selection of songs. My favourites from this show would be (Styx): Brave New World and Blue Collar Man, and (REO): Ridin' The Storm Out and Back On The Road Again.

So, to sum up - this is strictly for completest. It's not a bad show by any means. It's just that there's better purchases out there.

When I saw Paul McCartney live a couple of years ago, I was very impressed - even more than I thought I would be. So, when I bought a DVD player last year, Back In The US was one of the first DVDs I got to go with it.

Sadly, it was also the first DVD I took back. Why? The concert atmosphere is amazing, the songs are great . . . but my problem is the fact that they insist on switching to the life-on-the-road footage after every couple of songs. Why can't this be a separate feature? When I get a concert DVD I want to see THE CONCERT! I don't want it interrupted by all this documentary stuff every five minutes. Just imagine if they did that live when you saw them! Going off-stage every five minutes and playing a video of some aspect of life on the road! The audience wouldn't stand for it! I have the same problem with his Red Square DVD - which I bought yesterday and just took back today.

It's a real shame, too. Because there is such a great live vibe running through it all, it's a shame it keeps getting interrupted. If it wasn't for that, this show would have pride of place in my DVD collection. Same comments for Red Square - Paul, when are you going to release a PROPER live DVD, that doesn't keep interrupting the concert with documentary footage all the time!!!!!

Well, what to say? For starters, I'm a die-hard Classic Star Trek fan, who had until recently been aware of B5 without ever having seen it. Then, about four months ago, my best friend lent me his B5 DVDs of season 1. And I have to admit, I'm impressed.

To be fair, it took a little while - I was a little wary at first, but it quickly grew on me. Once I got a feel for what was going on, and how the characters worked, yes. It grabbed me. I especially liked Jeffrey Sinclair as a leader-type - someone more thoughtful than your bog-standard action-hero.

Then, after a long wait, my friend lent me seasons 2-4. Again, I was a little wary at first; it had been a while since I'd seen season 1, and I knew that Sinclair had been replaced by John Sheridan. Out of the two leaders, I prefer Sinclair, and for the first few episodes of season 2, I was unconvinced. Then, about a third of the way in, the pace quickened up - considerably. And while I still prefer Sinclair as a leader, by about episode 8 of season 2, I found that I didn't have the time to miss him, things were moving that quickly, there were so many plots unravelling . . .

And therein lies the hook. The amount of detail is extraordinary, the way all the characters and plots became intertwined is amazing. The series is so intense - I was watching up to eight or nine episodes a day, for a week solid! And might I say again, I was a Star Trek fan who had never seen B5 before in my life! As many people before me have said, this show isn't a nice neat everything-gets-resolved-in-the-space-of-one-episode type. Details get carried over. There are long story-arcs. There are things happening all the time. Everything has a reason. You see an insignificant detail in season 1, suddenly it is explained in season 3 as being very relevant for reasons you didn't even know about back in the first season.

If there is one stumbling block for B5, I would have to say that some of the computer-generated images (CGI) are not always up to standard. This is especially true of planet surfaces, in particular Mars. But that's quibbling. The key to good science-fiction is believability. The characters have to act as if the basic premise of the series is perfectly normal to them. That's what makes it work. That's why in the original series of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry made a point of not explaining the workings of anything. For example, Captain Kirk picks up a phaser and fires it without stopping to explain what it was or what it did - after all, in a contemporary series, nobody goes out of their way to say how a gun. We know how it works - so by watching Kirk fire his phaser, we understand implicitly that it is a weapon. The same principle applies in B5 - although to a lesser degree.

Moving on to the acting - this show was blessed with some wonderful people. In particular, Mira Furlan as Delenn is worth watching; she is possessed of a presence and an aura most actors can only dream of. She is one of those people that when she is speaking, becomes the absolute centre of attention without really trying. Also, as stated above, I am a fan of Cmdr Sinclair - and I think Michael O'Hare's portrayal of him is wonderfully underplayed. It would have been so easy just to play him as an action-hero, but no. I really do miss that character. Another favourite would have to be Stephen Furst as Vir - DS9 fans just think Rom, and you're halfway there. Not to mention the "odd couple" of Peter Jurasik (Londo) and Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar) - wonderful.

Actually, that's another point - the aliens. The aliens in B5 are more real than the aliens in Star Trek. Their agendas are much better fleshed out. We understand the whys and wherefores much more than the stereotypes of so many Star Trek races (and remember I'm a longterm Star Trek fan). To use Trek parallels, the Minbari are like the Vulcans and Bajorans combined in temperament, the Centauri are probably most comparable to the Cardassians, and the Narns, well, I'd say Klingons, but that's selling them short. Klingon-Bajoran, perhaps. Any hardcore B5 fans offended by those descriptions - sorry, I'm just using them as guidelines to the uninitiated Trek fans. These B5 races are much more real, less stereotyped. (Although the less said about the Drazi, the better!) To summarise, then - I think this is the best sci-fi since Original Star Trek. Watch this show! Star Trek fans will not be disappointed!