September 9, 2023: Let's Groove Tonight!

Chase Center
San Francisco, CA

When tickets went on sale for Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind, and Fire earlier this year, I thought "oooooh that would be a cool show to see!" However, I'd just bought a bunch of other tickets for other shows and my credit card was melting. Throw in buying a new car and some travel, I decided to wait a bit and see if I could get a ticket later on once my immediate expenses calmed down a bit. I went back and forth for a several months on whether or not I'd get a ticket and would periodically check availability and pricing. Tickets were still generally available and not too outrageous, so I'd wait and see.

About three weeks ago I finally bit the bullet. I wanted to go to the show and the only thing that was stopping me was money which I now had, so what the hell get the ticket! I am SO glad I did!

I took the train up to San Francisco after clocking out from work a little early. As has seemed to be the case every time I've gone to Chase Center directly from the CalTrain station, I missed the Muni light rail connection as the cars pulled in just as I was exiting the train station with no way to get across the street to catch the light rail. This time I actually missed TWO light rail trains because of timing and street lights! No matter, it's a relatively short walk from the CalTrain station to Chase Center and it was a pleasant evening, so I walked the 15-minutes or so it takes to get there.

The doors hadn't opened yet when I arrived, so I debated -- stand in line for something to eat at Gott's Roadside, or just stand in line to get into the arena and eat something there. The line for Gott's looked like it would take as long as getting in, so I just opted for arena food and waited on the doors. The wait for the doors was a bit longer than I anticipated, but soon enough I was in the arena and off to grab something to eat in the lounge area behind my seat.

Once I finished eating, I headed in to my seat which was in the last row of my section. That turned out to be a pretty good thing as there was more space between my row and the row in front of me than the other rows, and only two seats to my left before the next section which was designated for wheelchairs. That meant there was a lot of room to move around and the couple sitting next to me and I took full advantage of that once the show began.

Now, I can't say I was ever a huge Earth, Wind, and Fire fan, but I always enjoyed the songs I knew and figured it would be a fun, upbeat show. I wasn't wrong. They took the stage to "Shining Star" and I was up on my feet dancing along immediately and within a minute I thought "Oh I am SO GLAD I got this ticket!" I was rather surprised to see the entire section to my right was seated. Sure, this wasn't a young crowd my any means, but Earth, Wind, and Fire play music you dance to! Get up and dance dammit! You can sit when Lionel Richie comes out and plays all his ballads!

I knew I probably wouldn't know all of their set going in, but I knew about half of the set. An early highlight was the bass solo by Verdine White. The stage had been set up with a catwalk out to the middle of the arena and dang if he didn't dance on down to the secondary stage to play his solo! I don't think I've ever seen a bass solo before -- it was funky!

I loved their cover of "Got to Get You Into My Life" and I was reminded of hearing it as a kid. I may have actually heard the Earth, Wind, and Fire version before I heard the Beatles original (not totally sure on that one though.)

About half way through the show I got to wondering how many members of the band were still original members as the only one I could remember and recognize was Phillip Bailey and that was in part due to the fact he was a donor when I worked at the SETI Institute. Never fear, shortly after this thought crossed my mind, Phillip introduced the band. It turns out there are only three original members left - Phillip, Verdine White, and Ralph Johnson. I should have guessed they were the only three original members as they were all dressed in gold suits while the rest of the band was wearing black suits with gold embroidery. (Oh yeah, they still LOOK like Earth,Wind, and Fire with their costumes even if the platform boots have been replaced by sequined sneakers!)

Once the band got to "Boogie Wonderland" everyone was finally up on their feet and dancing through the end of the show. When "Let's Groove" followed "Boogie Wonderland" I was pleasantly surprised -- I had completely forgotten that it was an Earth, Wind, & Fire song! I appropriately danced along until the set ended a little over an hour after it had begun.

Time to sit and relax until Lionel took the stage, and I found myself really enjoying the between acts tunes playing over the PA. Lots of classic Motown and R&B. Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, and so on. It really fit the mood. (And, yes, duh, I know Lionel Richie and the Commodores were Motown acts.)

The lights went back down about 9:15 and out on the secondary stage, a trap door opened up and up came Lionel Richie on a rising platform and he immediately launched into "Hello." I laughed to myself and thought "I should have expected that to be the first song!" I also immediately noticed he was wearing a white tuxedo jacket with tails and laughed again -- someone has been taking fashion advice from Steve Perry!

Again, I was immediately delighted that I had decided to get a ticket for this show as Lionel went through hit after hit from both his solo and Commodores catalog. So many hits that I kept thinking "oh gosh, I forgot about that one!" But with the exception of a couple of Commodores songs I knew the words to every single one of the songs.

A couple of personal highlights -- "Three Times a Lady" which is probably the first Commodores song I remember hearing as a kid and being somewhat annoyed by it as a ten-year old. I forget exactly why it annoyed me then, but I laughed at the memory. "Sail On" got stuck in my head once the show was over, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear "Brick House" (which might be neck and neck with "Three Times a Lady" for first Commodores song.)

Lionel also performed a bit of "Endless Love" after teasing the audience into thinking Diana Ross would be joining him to sing (despite opening with "I've been asking Diana Ross to come sing this with me for 37 years and she always says no.) So the audience took on the Diana half of the duet. It was quite fun.

Towards the end of the show, a piano came up on the secondary stage (in addition to the one that had been on the main stage all night) and Lionel sat down and played "Still" which I absolutely loved. 

The main set closed out with a song I did not expect at all -- "We Are the World" -- which he introduced by reminding the audience that "those people" are human beings and we all share family, love, and loss. I got quite teary-eyed as he sang the whole song through. (I simultaneously did a mental check off of who sang which lines in the original version, which was helped by recently being sent a video of a rehearsal take.)

The last song of the night was one I had expected much earlier -- "All Night Long" -- but it was a fun way to dance away the end of the show.

I made my way out of the arena fairly quickly and almost made the first Muni train back to CalTrain, but it was too full, so I waited a few minutes for the next one being too tired to walk all the way back. Of course, CalTrain has a weird schedule and there isn't a train between 10:45 p.m. and 12:05 a.m., so with the show ending around 11:00 it was a bit of a wait for the train back home. Thank goodness it was a Friday night! I think they actually added a second train after the 12:05 because the line was REALLY long by the time I got to the station (there had been a Giants game that night also, so some lingering folks from the game were also in line) but I was able to get a seat easily. Finally got home a little after 1:00. The long day rather blew up my plans for Saturday, but it was worth it!

Always buy the tickets.

Set Lists

Earth, Wind, & Fire

Shining Star
Let Your Feelings Show
Serpentine Fire
-- Verdine White bass solo --
Sing a Song
Got to Get You Into My Life
Departure
Reasons
After the Love Has Gone
That's the Way of the World
Fantasy
Boogie Wonderland
Let's Groove
September
In the Stone

Lionel Richie

Hello
Running With the Night
Easy / My Love
Truly
Stuck on You
Sail On
You Are
Dancing on the Ceiling (Snippet of Van Halen’s “Jump”)
Three Times a Lady
Fancy Dancer
Sweet Love
Lady (You Bring Me Up)
Just to Be Close to You
Zoom
Endless Love
Brick House / Fire
Still
Say You, Say Me
We Are the World

Encore:

All Night Long (All Night)

August 20, 2023 -- Oh It's 80s Night!

Concord Pavilion
Concord, CA

A few months ago my friend Barbara sent a message to our Mercy Girls group text -- she had a Groupon for tickets to see Culture Club with Berlin and Howard Jones at the Concord Pavilion, was anyone interested in joining her? It was a pretty good deal, so I said what the heck. Our friend Lora said she'd go too so long as she didn't have to drive. I volunteered to be the chauffeur for the evening, and the three of us made plans to go to the show.

I haven't been to the Concord Pavilion (current sponsor name "Toyota Pavilion") in over fifteen years. It is a major hassle getting there from the San Francisco Peninsula as it's over an hour-long drive without traffic, and there's always traffic. The absolute worst stretch is the last 8 miles through Concord on the one road that leads to the venue, and after a nightmare experience getting there for a Stevie Wonder concert, I swore I'd never go back unless it was my ONLY option for seeing someone I really wanted to see. Other than a show I already had tickets for that same year, I haven't been back. I've flown to Los Angeles and Las Vegas rather than drive to Concord to see a performer I really wanted to see. So, knowing it was a pain in the rear to get there, my friends and I set out early and arrived shortly after the parking lots opened and managed to get an excellent parking spot in the general parking area that was just the other side of the premiere parking. Score! However, we arrived so early we had to wait about 45 minutes for the gates to open! I can't remember the last time I was that early for a show (recent Matchbox Twenty pre-show event not included.) Eventually the gates opened and we got in with plenty of time to grab something to eat before the show.

One side effect of Barbara getting our tickets via Groupon was she wound up with extra lawn seats in addition to our reserved seats. After multiple attempts to get friends or family to take them, I was able to connect with my cousin Denise and she and a few of her friends took the lawn seats. While we were waiting for our food, I happened to see Denise walking past, so a quick hello and a hug before she headed off to get her spot on the lawn. 

While waiting for the show to start, I had to laugh at the various band t-shirts I spotted on fans in the crowd -- the Go-Gos, the Cure, Duran Duran, Human League -- yep, this was a night for us 80s kids!

Going in to the show, I figured I would know about half to two-thirds of the songs by each act. I enjoyed all of them back in high school, but none were a huge favorite. I was most concerned about Berlin because I could only remember the names of two songs off the top of my head, but knew I probably knew a few more, so I did something I seldom do -- looked up the set lists from earlier in the tour to see what they were playing. I remembered a few more songs after that and was looking forward to hearing them live.

Berlin took the stage right on time at 7:00 and launched into "Masquerade" which, once I heard it again, I remembered, so OK this was going to be better than I thought! Our seats were in the 200 section of the venue, so a bit further from the stage than I would normally get for myself and it meant looking at the video screens a bit more than I normally do. Not a huge problem except that during Berlin's set it was still fairly light out so it was hard to see the screens. It appeared they were playing a lot of their 1980s videos while performing the matching songs. Early in their set, I was a bit distracted when an owl started flying around! Never seen that before! Terri Nunn sounded fantastic and it was great hearing her on "The Metro" and "No More Words." Of course the big highlight of their set was THE HIT -- "Take My Breath Away" (obviously) and everyone was singing along. Berlin played for about half an hour and the stage was quickly turned over for Howard Jones.

Going to a show with two of my high school friends was going to be a blast except there was one problem -- Mary, our resident Howard Jones fanatic, had moved to Portland and Ana Gloria, expert in all things Culture Club, is living in Denver. Well WHAT a bummer to be heading to a fun show with out our two friends who would really love it and definitely would have come if they still lived in the area. I texted them both and asked "What song do you want a for a concert call?" If they couldn't be with us in person, at least they could have a virtual participation. With Howard about to take the stage, I did a quick look up of his set list to see when I could expect Mary's request -- two of the three were the last two songs of his set. Perfect.

After seeing the multitude of '80s band t-shirts and hearing an eclectic mix of 1980s tunes being played over the PA between sets I should not have been surprised when HoJo took to the stage with a keytar! I thought they were extinct! The other notable instrument on stage was what I could only guess at the time was some kind of bass guitar which was the strangest thing I can remember seeing because it clearly had too many strings to be an actual bass guitar and looked like a long stick. (It's apparently called a Chapman Stick and puzzled me all night.)

Unusual instrumentation aside, I was really looking forward to this set as I was more familiar with the HoJo hits. This was only in part due to sharing the exact same class schedule as Mary our junior year of high school when she would supplement her "Cure Fact of the Day" with a periodic "Howard Jones Fact of the Day!" I didn't recognize the opening song "Pearl in the Shell" (despite the fact that it apparently comes from his album Human's Lib which I had on cassette and is likely stuck in a box in storage.) This was soon followed by "I'd Like to Get to Know You Well" which is an excellent song to have early in the set. A fun point about midway through the set was when he covered "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo which was written by the bass player with the weird looking Chapman Stick, and an easy sing along for the crowd at the chorus. (I am shocked it didn't get stuck in my head all night!)

"Too Shy" was followed by my personal favorite Howard Jones song -- "No One Is to Blame." I mentioned this being my favorite HoJo song to Mary a while ago and she was quite surprised I even had a favorite! It's just one of those songs that hit at the right place and time and still has a special place in my heart, so it was fantastic to hear it live.

His set wrapped up with "What Is Love?" and "Things Can Only Get Better" which he tied together nicely by referencing a line from the third verse of "What Is Love" -- "And maybe love is letting people be just what they want to be."

Another break to turn over the stage for Culture Club. Lora was a little perplexed when she didn't see things getting set up as we had between Berlin and Howard Jones. I pointed to the big black curtain hanging over part of the stage and reminded her that headline acts have their set prepared and hidden while the openers perform. (She doesn't go to concerts as much as some of my other friends.) A quick check of the phone to see when to anticipate Ana Gloria's concert call -- second song in, got it!

Boy George (or "Man George" as he later joked) and the band took the stage about 9:15 and opened with an excellent cover of "Sympathy for the Devil." They really had a good bluesy sound to them which surprised me somewhat since I generally put them in the reggae-influenced pop category. Covering the Rolling Stones was unexpected (checking out the set list not withstanding.)

Again, this was a set list I knew I would be relatively familiar with overall thanks to Ana Gloria's undying fandom back in high school. When we all turned 40, I put together some mix CDs as a gift for each of my friends. One of mixes included answers to 10 questions including "What song reminds you of [name]?" I had to laugh when I looked at the responses for Ana Gloria -- 3 responses "Karma Chameleon", 1 response "Love Is Love." So, we all associate AG with Culture Club, but none of us guessed "It's a Miracle" as her song of choice, which she got to listen to through a muddy mobile phone connection. 

Boy George sounded fantastic, though he was singing in a lower key than he was 40 years ago. And of course he looked stylish as always with a red hat jauntily atop his head and an interesting jacket. (And of course fabulous eye makeup!) Though I must say it was a bit weird seeing him with a goatee. It looked fine, just different!

"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was a definite highlight of the set as it was slowed down and more acoustic than the original. I did laugh at myself while standing up and dancing along -- I found myself dancing rather like Boy George did in the video. Quite unintentional! But the biggest highlight for me was towards the end of the set when "Church of the Poison Mind" turned into Wham!'s "I'm Your Man." I'd been up and down in my seat all night, but absolutely could not stay sitting for that. Wham! was my first concert back in 1986 and "I'm Your Man" was one of two new songs they performed that night. I was already in an '80s nostalgia mood, so that was just a perfect tie in for me.

The main set closed out with "Miss Me Blind" and then we had to wait a bit for the encore. Not terribly long, but longer than I typically expect. As I has suspected, Boy George had a bit of a wardrobe change and returned to the stage now sporting a yellow hat and black and yellow jacket. The band launched into a cover of "Bang a Gong" which was excellent and towards the end of the song both Terri Nunn and Howard Jones returned to the stage to sing along which was great fun. It turned out that last night was the last night of the tour with both HoJo and Berlin. (There are a couple of shows left in LA with just Berlin opening.)

Terri and Howard stayed on stage for the finale -- "Karma Chameleon" (naturally) and it was a fun way to end a trip back in time.

The show wrapped up a bit before 11:00, but with general exiting delays and stopping for some water, it was 12:45 when I dropped Lora and Barbara back at Barbara's house and headed for home. A late night before a work day AND one where I needed to be in the office made for a bit of rough Monday, but all in all a fantastic night out with good music and good friends.

Set Lists (courtesy of setlist.fm.)

Berlin

Masquerade
No More Words
The Metro
Animal
Transcendance
Take My Breath Away
She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult cover)
Sex (I'm a...)

Howard Jones

Pearl in the Shell
Like to Get to Know You Well
Everlasting Love
New Song
Too Shy (Kajagoogoo cover)
No One Is to Blame
Celebrate It Together
What Is Love?
Things Can Only Get Better 

Culture Club

Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones cover)
It's a Miracle
I'll Tumble 4 Ya
Melodrama
Everything I Own (Bread cover)
Let It Go
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
Eyeliner Voodoo
Angel of Mercy
That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)
Church of the Poison Mind / I'm Your Man
Time (Clock of the Heart)
Miss Me Blind
 
Encore:
Get It On (T. Rex cover)
Karma Chameleon

August 2, 2023 -- Music on the Mountain

Mountain Winery
Saratoga, CA

I wasn't planning on writing up my Wednesday night trip to the Mountain Winery to see Chris Isaak. I have a really hard time judging how much interest people outside of the San Francisco Bay Area have in Chris. I suspect most people know him as the guy who sang "Wicked Game" and had a fun TV show in the early 2000s and that's about it.

Meanwhile, I remember talking about Chris Isaak with my friends when we were in high school. He was popular on the San Francisco music scene and his first album Silvertone came out when I was a junior in high school. None of us were able to actually see Chris in those early days as he was usually playing clubs we weren't old enough to get in to (and even if any of us had tried to use a fake ID we all looked younger than we were anyway and it would have never worked!) Still, we knew who he was and I have followed his career ever since, including referring to guitarist Hershel Yatovitz as the "new guy" in his band. (Hershel's been in the band since 1995, about the same time I could finally afford to go see Chris.)

It had actually been quite a while since I'd last seen Chris. The usual vagaries of conflicts with time and money had a lot to do with that, but I was quite surprised to realize it had been over 10 years since I'd seen him last! So when I saw him once again on the Mountain Winery calendar I grabbed myself a ticket.

The Mountain Winery is a gorgeous venue in the hills above the Santa Clara Valley (aka "Silicon Valley") but it is a chore getting there. Driving up the narrow winding roads is nerve wracking in the daylight and downright scary at night. Still, it's worth the trek up the mountain to a scenic venue with a great view of the South Bay. It's a bit hard to believe that we're still in the heart of the Bay Area and it feels miles away.

Located where it is, you're generally stuck either bringing a picnic dinner or grabbing something from one of the various eateries on site. You can grab a quick salad or pizza from the concession stands or get a nice sit down 3 course dinner on one of the patios, just depends on how much you're willing to spend. I went for a salad this time and sat beneath some trees while I ate and could hear a band playing off by one of the dining areas. A nice relaxing way to start the evening.

Most shows at the Mountain Winery usually include an opening act. Sometimes it's an act touring with the main performer and others they're booked separately. That seems to be the case for this show. I didn't even notice the name of the opening act before the show other than to note that I didn't recognize the name and figured it would be some forgettable act as so many similar acts I've seen over the years. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The fellow who opened the show was named David Luning (I had to text a friend to look it up for me since I couldn't connect to the internet after his set ended) and he and his band mate Ben Dubin (also had to look that up) were absolutely fantastic! The best way to describe his music is probably with the catch-all "Americana" -- a little folky, a little country, a little bluesy. He played about a half dozen songs with just him on an acoustic guitar while Ben played a stand up bass, harmonica, and tambourine -- AT THE SAME TIME! The tambourine was taped to the floor and played using drum pedals in case you were wondering. It's rare that I see an opening act I've never heard of and immediately want to find more of their music, but that was the case here. I'm definitely going to be checking out more of his stuff! (Interestingly the last time I remember seeing a new act and wanting to find their music was also at a Chris Isaak show. The Wallflowers opened for him right when their first album came out -- my friend Mary and I headed to the Virgin Megastore right after the show ended to find their album. Not sure if either of us bought it that night, but we had it soon afterwards if not!)

After being thoroughly entertained by David Luning, it was time for Chris and his band to take the stage. I had a great seat to the side of the stage and could see them entering from back stage and it was great to see his familiar band take the stage before Chris appeared in a light blue suit with paisley rhinestones down the sides of his pants and on the lapels of his jacket. No one looks like Chris Isaak on stage!

Since it had been so long since I'd last seen Chris, I'd rather forgotten just how much fun his shows are. With his quirky sense of humor and his melancholy songs it's always a fun night. The show kicked off with the song he used as the theme song for his television show "American Boy" which is a fun little romp. Then a few songs in, Chris wandered out into the audience while singing "Don't Leave Me on My Own" and I was pleasantly surprised when he started up the stairs next to my section!

"Wicked Game" came along surprisingly early in the set which I thought was great. He's got so many excellent tunes that getting the biggest hit out of the way early allowed everyone to enjoy the rest of the set. Chris was influenced quite a bit by Roy Orbison and he told a story of opening for Roy at the Mountain Winery early in his career and Roy calling him over to stand next to him while being photographed by the press. It was a great way to open his cover of "Only the Lonely." Another highlight was his cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love." If you can't have Elvis sing that song for you, Chris is a damn good replacement. Beyond that, I again have a hard time choosing my favorite moments as he played so many of my favorite songs. "Dancin'", "Blue Hotel", and "San Francisco Days" probably top the list.

A brief intermission and Chris and the band were back for their encore. Chris now in his mirrorball suit that I always wonder how he gets it cleaned! The whole encore was a highlight. From hitting and holding the high notes in "Can't Do a Thing to Stop Me" to paying tribute to Paul Rubens (aka Pee Wee Herman) with a bit of "Tequila" to having his brother Nick join him on stage to sing a song in Spanish to the soft close out of "The Way Things Really Are."

I need to make sure to not take so much time between seeing Chris again!

David Luning set list (courtesy of setlist.fm)

Bad Idea
Almost Sounds Like Laughing
Ain't Easy
Danger
I Won't Cry (Janiva Magness cover) [someone else I need to check out!]
Give Me Back My Keys
Ain't Life a Beautiful Thing 

Chris Isaak set list (courtesy of setlist.fm)

American Boy
Somebody's Crying
Waiting
Don't Leave Me On My Own
I Want Your Love
Wicked Game
Go Walking Down There
Speak of the Devil
Oh, Pretty Woman
Forever Blue
Two Hearts
Blue Spanish Sky
Only the Lonely
Dancin'
Killing the Blues (Rowland Salley vocals)
Can't Help Falling in Love
Blue Hotel
San Francisco Days
Big Wide Wonderful World
Notice the Ring
 
Encore:
In the Heat of the Jungle / Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing / James Bond Theme/ Bye Bye Baby
Can't Do a Thing (To Stop Me)
Tequila
La tumba será el final (with Nick Isaak)
The Way Things Really Are

July 30, 2023 -- Oh Thinkin' About All Our Younger Years

Chase Center
San Francisco, CA

At the beginning of the year I got a list of the promotional events for the San Francisco Giants. One of them included Sesame Street Day with an Elmo bobble head giveaway. I checked the list of games included in my 22-game Thrill Pack to see if it included that game. Yep, there it is, July 30 vs. the Boston Red Sox. So I shot a note off to Ana Marie to see if she wanted to join me and get her very own Elmo bobble head. Well, of course she wasn't going to miss out on that! (If you know, you know. If you don't, sorry, inside joke.)

A week or so later, I see an announcement for a concert at Chase Center on the same day -- Bryan Adams with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opening. I shot a text off to Ana Marie -- wanna do a double header? She was in, so off I went to grab a couple of tickets and we planned to spend a day and night in San Francisco.

Fast forward to last week when I mentioned my weekend plans to my manager and a co-worker. My manager asked if I was going to see Taylor Swift at Levi's Stadium. When I told him no, but Bryan Adams and Joan Jett, he let out a laugh at the difference.

So, yes, the big concert in the Bay Area last weekend was Taylor Swift's two sold out shows at Levi's Stadium. I couldn't help but think that the reason Taylor Swift can sell out multiple nights at football stadiums in 2023 is because Joan Jett kicked down a bunch of doors and banged a few heads around in the 1970s and 80s to blaze the way for others who came behind her.

I remember when I fist saw and heard Joan Jett back in the early '80s. I was 12 or 13 and she absolutely fascinated me and completely scared me at the same time. She exuded a raw toughness that was just impossible to miss. To me, she was someone you did not want to cross because she'd quickly show you who was in charge. Her music had the same intensity. I was a shy awkward kid and the idea of having that much inherent power was amazing.

So heading into the show Sunday night I was really looking forward to seeing Joan Jett and the Blackhearts even though I knew I'd really only know the early '80s hits out of her set. She's such a trail blazer and that she's still at it at 64 is fantastic.

Ana Marie and I met up Sunday morning at the hotel I booked and dropped off our things in our room that was surprisingly ready for us at 11:00 am. We crossed the street to Oracle Park and got right in picking up our Elmo bobble heads before settling in for a tight game between my beloved Giants and the Boston Red Sox. We enjoyed the in-game Sesame Street promos as much as the game and the Giants emerged victorious after 11 innings.

Back across the street to our hotel to freshen up and change clothes before heading up to the roof top bar for some post-game pre-gaming. Terrific view from the top of Hotel Via, and something I definitely want to do again. We decided to head over to Chase Center about 6:15 and after a 15 minute walk we arrived just as the doors opened. 

We grabbed some swag and drinks and hung out in the lounge area behind our seats for a bit before heading down to our seats. I really like Chase and the way they have the concessions in a lounge area for the sections that run parallel to the floor in the lower bowl. Feels very comfy. Once we got to our seats, I noticed the entire upper level was empty, so I figured they didn't even try to sell those seats. That made sense to me since the last time I saw Bryan Adams was at the Shoreline Amphitheater and they didn't sell the lawn seats -- just the seated sections -- and I was mildly surprised he was playing at Chase which is our fancy new arena for the Warriors that has only been open since late 2019.

Joan Jett hit the stage about 7:40 and kicked into her set. It was as intense and ferocious as I had expected. As I had also expected, I didn't recognize the song, but appreciated the energy. The second song in was "Cherry Bomb" from her time in the Runaways. I have a passing familiarity with the Runaways catalog, but can't say I know it well so it took a minute to recognize. The first set continued with songs I was less familiar with, but I definitely enjoyed a new tune called "(Make the Music Go) Boom" which really summed up a lot of the attitude I associate with Joan Jett. Another highlight was a cover of "Everyday People" which was quite different from the Sly Stone classic.

The second half of her set was full of the big hits and I was up on my feet for "I Love Rock and Roll." That was followed by "Crimson and Clover" which I had totally forgotten about and sounded terrific. Throughout her set I just kept thinking "Yeah, she's a bad ass!" and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really enjoyed the last song of her set too which was a more country tinged song called "Whiskey Goes Good" which is another new song and had a nice melancholy feel to it.

Joan wrapped up about 8:45 and the road crew came out to get the stage ready for Bryan Adams. While we waited for the show to start, a drone controlled inflatable car came drifting out and around the arena promoting Bryan Adams' new album. It was an amusing distraction.

Bryan and his band hit the stage about 9:15 and I was almost immediately thrown back to my teens and early twenties. So many of his songs were part of the soundtrack of my life at that time. Not the main themes, but part of the constant background music to life as those years went by. With the exception of a couple of new songs and one album cut I'd quite forgotten about it was a blast to the past.

With so many hits and so many memories flashing through my brain, it's hard to pick the highlights. When he introduced "It's Only Love" he talked about collaborating with Tina Turner and what it was like as a young musician getting to play with someone of her stature. He naturally dedicated the song to her and I could hear her vocals singing along in my head. 

Another highlight was when he went into "Heaven" and the audience took the entire first verse which reminded me so much of the audience participation when Bruce Springsteen performs "Thunder Road." Like the the loud audience singing "Maybe we ain't all that young anymore", the opening line "Oh thinkin' about all our younger years" really rang true and hit just right as so many memories were flying through my brain. What was really impressive was that with half as many people as would be at a Springsteen show in the same arena it was equally as loud. In fact, throughout the show the audience singing along was loud and clear. I haven't heard that in a long time other than at Springsteen shows. It was great!

"(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" reminded me of my cousin Eileen's wedding. "18 Til I Die" put a smile on my face and added a laugh when the video screen flashed "18 goin' on 64" instead of "65" as he'd been singing (and "55" from the original lyric!) Towards the end of the main set, he opened up the set list for an audience request, which got us "Do I Have to Say the Words" and the comment "oh you're a romantic then."

He closed off the main set with a cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" which again had a loud audience participation. (And promptly got stuck in my head for the rest of the night! Ninety minutes of Bryan Adams, and I go home with Frankie Valli singing in my head!)

Back out for the encore and it was a solo acoustic rendition of both "Straight from the Heart" and "All For Love" (with my brain inserting Sting and Rod Stewart as needed.)

All in all an enjoyable day doing two things I love most -- watching baseball and going to a concert.

Joan Jett set list (courtesy of setlist.fm)

Shooting Into Space  
Cherry Bomb  
Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)
You Drive Me Wild
(Make the Music Go) Boom
Fake Friends
Everyday People
If You're Blue
Fresh Start
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Crimson & Clover
I Hate Myself for Loving You
Bad Reputation
Whiskey Goes Good

Bryan Adams set list (courtesy of setlist.fm)

Kick Ass  
Can't Stop This Thing We Started  
Somebody  
Take Me Back  
Please Forgive Me  
One Night Love Affair  
Shine a Light
Heaven
It's Only Love
This Time  
You Belong to Me  
I've Been Looking for You  
The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You  
Here I Am  
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
Back to You
18 til I Die
Summer of '69
Do I Have to Say the Words?
Cuts Like a Knife
So Happy It Hurts
Run to You
Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Encore:
Straight From the Heart
All for Love