Styx - Arch Allies - Live At Riverport (2000)

A live album celebrating the first joint appearance by the two undisputed kings of Midwestern rock in the '70s and '80s. Both groups feature crucial original members and sound exactly as they did in their commercial heyday.

In retrospect it's no surprise that they connected with audiences; critics may have derided their prog-rock pomp tendencies, but in their own way both bands were as resolutely populist as, say, Springsteen or Mellencamp (Styx's "Blue Collar Man" and "Too Much Time on My Hands," in particular). Fans will especially appreciate the three (!) versions of Styx's "Blue Collar Man," and REO Speedwagon's "Roll With the Changes"; each band does its own song solo, then joins with the other.