Rating: 
Summary: Surely will be a prized possession of any diehard REO fan
Review: "Plus" was brilliantly shot before an packed enthusiastic crowd in Kansas City, and shows the 5 guys of the current REO and how awesome performance musicians they are. Contains the same show on the Arch Allies CD with Styx, but this is REO on their own and That Ain't Love, Keep Pushin, and Tough Guys were added. They can't stop rockin, in fact they sound tighter live than many bands sound in the studio. It also contains interviews with Kevin and Neal (on the DVD they are separate from the performance), and the DVD also contains 5.1 Dolby sound, and a trivia game fun and challenging for even longtime fans. Highly recommended whether or not you've worn out your copy of the Wheels are Tourin video :-}
Rating:
Summary: Surely will be a prized possession of any diehard REO fan
Review: "Plus" was brilliantly shot before an packed enthusiastic crowd in Kansas City, and shows the 5 guys of the current REO and how awesome performance musicians they are. Contains the same show on the Arch Allies CD with Styx, but this is REO on their own and That Ain't Love, Keep Pushin, and Tough Guys were added. They can't stop rockin, in fact they sound tighter live than many bands sound in the studio. It also contains interviews with Kevin and Neal (on the DVD they are separate from the performance), and the DVD also contains 5.1 Dolby sound, and a trivia game fun and challenging for even longtime fans. Highly recommended whether or not you've worn out your copy of the Wheels are Tourin video :-}
Rating: 
Summary: REO still gets it done!
Review: ... Yes, it is true that the late 70's live album is awesome, and this performance cannot hold a candle to that one. But all one has to do is go to an REO (I have in the past 6 months), and you can see that they still can rock. This offering is solid.
Rating: 
Summary: Throw Away the ... Foreverrrrrrrrrr
Review: ...I've been a lifelong REO Speedwagon fan, and REO's LIVE PLUS gets my poorest review, ever. Period. End of story. First off, this is the third recording in a trilogy where the record label is trying to market the exact same concert that was recorded on June 9, 2000 at Riverport Amphitheater in St. Louis. The first CD, called Arch Allies, was a combo 2 CD set with Styx, where two of America's great classic rock bands sunk into the abyss and made rock & roll history by trying to pawn off six copies of the same 2 songs. That's right-- you'll pay ...bucks to hear 2 songs -- "Roll With the Changes" and "Blue Collar Man," recorded three times each on the same CD set. That would have been fine for a one-hit wonder band like Tesla, but not bands as prolific as Styx & REO. Glaring omissions: Golden Country, Like You Do, Only the Strong Survive, Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight -- and nothing from Good Trouble, one of the band's better selling albums. What either the bands or their label were thinking is a mystery, and it has cost them dearly in the credibility department with their fans. When people comment this CD was a "sell out," they're not talking about the crowds. REO's second CD from this same concert was called Extended Live, and it's not "extended" at all. It's a collection of just 10 songs, and the only thing the label did was add an additional version of "157 Riverside Avenue" (yes, that's right -- 157 appears TWICE on this CD as well) as a poor quality multimedia track. Few people are feeding CD's into their computer and raving about the superior sound, so this CD is bascially a waste... After two major fiascos and multiple complaints from fans out of the starting gate on the St. Louis recording, REO decided the third time might be a charm. Wrong. LIVE PLUS is basically Arch Allies with 3 more songs, and a couple of kiddie trivia games on the DVD thrown in that are frankly beneath the intelligence of most people who aren't even fans. But let's talk about the songs on this disasterous recording. They're almost exactly the same as REO's first album to strike Gold in 1978: LIVE: YOU GET WHAT YOU PLAY FOR. Unfortunately, LIVE PLUS doesn't begin to hold a candle to REO's first self-produced live recording. Gone is the superb lead guitar work of Gary Richrath, who's fire and showmanship added a kick to the band's live performances that hasn't been duplicated in REO's live show for a dozen years. Standing in for Richrath and imitating all his songs is Dave "Mr. Roboto" Amato, who earned the nickname for his emotionless and mechanical reproduction of Richrath's licks during the band's tour with Styx. On LIVE PLUS, Kevin Cronin turns in one of his worst live performances ever, with a helium-induced high pitched squeal that butchers REO's classic tunes. In some parts, he struggles to hit the high note and many times he fails. With all sorts of special gadgets layered on Cronin's voice through a vocalizer, the reverb is annoying. It's just painful to listen to these great songs tortured 25 years after they were originally written by a guy who should have thrown in the towel a few years ago when he started forgetting lyrics to songs like "Tough Guys" and "That Ain't Love." At 50, the decades of chronic cocaine and drug abuse Cronin revealed on VH-1's "Behind the Music" have obviously taken their toll on his voice. Cronin's hair, cropped and bleached to make a good impression on VH-1, makes the man virtually unrecognizable on the DVD version... The other members of the band -- keyboardist Neal Doughty and bassist Bruce Hall, along with drummer Bryan Hitt, are just going through the motions. Hitt's fingers were nearly severed in an unfortunate cattle roping accident a few years ago, and although he was probably a good drummer in his glory days with Wang Chung, his drum solo theatrics are long over. If you're looking for fantastic percussion on "Ridin' the Storm Out," you'll be sorely disappointed. Bruce Hall's histrionics on bass, while playing the same set of notes over and over again, is truly a lesson in rote repetition, as he huskily barks out "Back On the Road Again" for the 1,040,540th time before Cronin jumps in to keep him on pitch. The video is a documentary of Neal Doughty, the one original cast member of REO, taking 4 guys along for the ride and coasting into retirement on the REO gravy train of hits that were written decades ago. The band's most popular live concert tune and show closer, "157 Riverside Avenue," celebrates its' 31th birthday this year. So throw away this ..., forever, and enjoy a better produced and crisper version of REO's 1978 Live Debut album, that truly captures the spirit of the band. I'd only recommend this DVD for teenagers who enjoy Classic Rock performed by guys old enough to be their grandfathers, but too young to remember the band's original lineup when REO truly kicked [butt].
Rating:
Summary: I was there when they shot this - Great Show & Great Vibe
Review: I live about five miles way from Riverport Ampitheatre and often go to shows there. I had really good seats for this one (Third row - stage left) and it was probably one of the more interesting concerts I've ever been to. As you can see from this DVD and the "Arch Allies" DVD with Styx the crowd was really into it. St. Louis concert fans have a special place in their hearts for bands like REO, Styx, Van Halen,& Sammy Hagar. These artists will often mention early grass roots support in midwestern cities like ours as having helped establish their careers. This DVD really showcases that enthusiasm. The sound and picture quality are outstanding. The music, extra lights on the crowd, and the boom camera swooping over our heads had an unusual effect on the crowd because there were all kinds of ladies taking their shirts off for the cameras throughout both sets. It was great. ... REO's music has that kind of effect on people. The extra tracks that weren't on "Arch Allies" make it worth the buy if you already got it, so buy this DVD throw it in during a partyand maybe that magical REO / Riverport crowd vibe will come through your videosystem and put the Wammy on your guests!!!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome straight forward ROCK
Review: If you are from that Deep Purple ,Foreigner ,Rainbow ,Whitesnake,Bad Company... era,just go ahead and grab this one .Good Sound ,Picture and The band sounds really tight.
Rating:
Summary: you can still rock in america
Review: Reo is one of the few bands left that showcases what 70's and 80's rock is all about. They have not lost a step! The balads like "I Can't Fight This Feeling This Feeling Anymore" has never been better! The rockers such as "Back On The Road Again" is incredible. The guitar licks and energy shown by the band is possibly the best live show I've ever seen! I saw them live this year in Georgia, and this dvd is just as good as the show. The only dissapointment was how small the bonus material was. Oh well, the music made up for it!
Rating:
Summary: CUTTING-EDGE SOUND QUALITY
Review: This experienced band is known for pleasing the crowds and their performance on this DVD will keep that reputation intact. But the really amazing thing on this disc is the quality of the sound. It pulls off the difficult task of sounding crisp and clean, while still sounding live. And the Dolby Surround mix will make you think you're actually standing in the front row.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Rock
Review: This is great! I am glad to see the whole concert instead of the version where songs were cut to make room for Styx. The guys ROCK! The only thing I didn't like about this video was the fact that the interviews are intermingled within the concert footage. Personally, I would have prefered the interviews to be at the end, so that the concert could have flowed from beginning to end. Nevertheless, I love it and highly recommend it to anyone who likes REO Speedwagon as well as anyone who loves Rock music at its best!
Rating:
Summary: REO can still rock
Review: This is the first time I have seen REO live with the new line-up of Dave Amato and Bryan Hitt, (I guess they're really not new, they have been with the band for a decade at least) and the show is great. Based on the band's performance this DVD should get a 5 star rating, but the sound quality is not consistant on all songs. The most memorable of songs are "Back on the Road Again", (in which Dave Amato performs some excellent guitar work), "157 Riverside Ave.", and "Ridin the Storm Out". This DVD appears to the same show that REO did with Styx for the "Arch Allies" DVD, and includes some songs that were not on that disc. It's great to see some of the "Classic Rock" bands releasing DVDs of their live shows.
|
