REO Speedwagon - Live at Rockpalast 1979
Part of the vaunted and long-running
Live at Rockpalast series from German label M.i.G. Music, this concert film captures REO Speedwagon just about at the end of being able to play medium-sized venues like the Markthalle in Hamburg, Germany as they were only a year away from releasing their massively successful
Hi Infidelity album that would make them kings of FM radio and arena-rocking headliners. The drive that that would take is on full display here, especially in the energy levels of vocalist and guitarist Kevin Cronin and the (now deceased) lead guitarist Gary Richrath. Considered the "classic" lineup of the band, REO here also features bass man Bruce Hall, keyboards player Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer. Many of the songs here are now rock 'n' roll chestnuts that garner lots of airplay to this day, like set opener "Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight" from the humorously-named 1978 album
You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish, with Cronin commenting about the album title later in the show, "I don't know if it translates here but back home it is really funny." After ripping through "Like You Do" from their excellent sophomore album
R.E.O./T.W.O. the guys play four songs from
Nine Lives, the album that was current at the time: "Heavy on Your Love," "Drop It," "Only the Strong Survive" and "Easy Money." The crowd reacts to the new material as if they know each song; at the least they show great appreciation for REO's brand of rock. Cronin, who mostly plays guitar alongside Richrath, who is phenomenal here, moves to keyboards for "Roll With the Changes" while Richrath gets back-to-back showcases with the instrumental track "The Unidentified Flyin' Tuna Trot" and a three-minute solo. Bass player Hall takes the spotlight for "Back on the Road Again," singing lead vocals on a lengthy version of the cut that he wrote, and the show finishes strong with favorites "Keep Pushin'" and the ultimate crowd-pleaser and REO signature tune "Ridin' the Storm Out." The group returns to the stage for two encores, first to play the Chuck Berry rave-ups "Little Queenie" and "Rock 'n' Roll Music" and then for an eight minute grand finale of deep cut "Golden Country." The camerawork here is good and catches lots of close-ups including shots of Richrath's hot fretwork and Doughty's impressive playing on grand piano but fans should not expect a fancy light show or effects here; having been shot in the '70s the film is very much a product of the era. And that's an era where REO Speedwagon were among the vanguard of bands defining the sound that shaped FM radio, as evidenced by this fine show.
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