November 23, 2002: The End of the Road Again

Reno, NV
City Center Pavilion

The Under the Radar Tour has officially come to a close, but what a spectacular close it was! The day began fairly early when Cheryl and I went downstairs at the Silver Legacy for a late breakfast when we ran in to Deen in the lobby. He had recently arrived from Vegas where, he reported, they had a great show.

A little later in the day, we ran in to Jon in the lobby, and he mentioned he was getting over a bug and wasn't feeling all that great, so they probably wouldn't be doing "Feeling That Way" and "Anytime" but would find something else to fill that slot.

A group of folks from the Back Talk forums had organized a pre-show dinner at the Brews Brothers, and I must compliment all their hard work. It went of beautifully! They had a raffle of a wide variety of items for the Carousel Foundation. Some very cool prizes were won. In addition to the raffle there was an auction for a few "special" items. One of these was a copy of Red 13 with the new cover autographed by Neal, and the GRAND item -- the shirt off Steve's back! One of his white shirts, complete with sweat stains, a stain from the red leather pants, and autographed by the band was auctioned off for a whopping $550!

Then it was off to the show where we found that the hall was configured differently than it had the last time Journey performed there in 2000. This was a bit of a surprise to me since the last show there had plenty of space down in front where the crowd could head up to the stage unimpeded. Alas, this time the configuration didn't allow for that and the security in my section was adamant about checking tickets, so heading down front was a near impossibility.

There seemed to be two different crowds at the show. There was a large group clustered down in front of Neal (where, apparently, security wasn't quite as stringent about going up to the barricade) and reports from friends who survived the section said it was a bit wild in there with several near fights breaking out. Back in the 16th row, where I was sitting just off the center aisle, it was more subdued. About half of the people near me sat through most of the show, which, while somewhat disappointing in the enthusiasm sense, allowed me a GREAT view of the stage all night long! Color me happy!

Deen's drumkit appeared to have been eaten by Spongebob Squarepants (who apparently has mastered cloning as Spongebob was also spotted over by Jon's keyboards.) The set was incredible, though going from "La Raza del Sol" into the acoustic set was a little disjointed to me. The guys played quite well, but both Jon and Ross looked a bit weary. (Ross must have the same bug that Jon picked up.)

There were a few interesting moments during the show. The first occurred during "Chain Reaction" when a woman climbed up on stage and started dancing next to Jon. She dashed off before one of the road crew and/or security could get her, but I think she was detained after she was back on the floor. At the very end of the show, while the guys were taking their final bow, a guy ran out on stage and grabbed one of the Spongebobs in front of Deen's drums!! He was nearly tackled on stage by the stage manager, and was grabbed by security. (So, it seems I was sitting in the only section with effective security!)

During the show, a few thoughts ran through my head. At one point I looked over at the cluster of people by Neal and saw a good dozen red glow sticks waving back and forth in time with the music. I knew these were folks from the pre-show dinner since the glow sticks were available there. Watching the glow sticks move back and forth among a mass of arms waving I thought "it's like a cult." And of course it is... a mass of worshipers at the Holy Shrine of Journey. While this certainly could be a bad thing, in the context of the show, it was a very positive experience. Looking particularly at the 50 or 60 people who had gathered before the show I saw many friends who had been brought together by the love of this music, and now, during this final show of the year, celebrating that music with boundless enthusiasm. It never ceases to amaze me.

A bit later, during "Escape," it crossed my mind how glad I was that they kept "lesser known" songs such as this one in the set. With the number of hits in their catalog, songs like "Escape" and "Chain Reaction" could easily be set aside in favor of better known songs like "Who's Crying Now." It particularly hit me during "Escape" because, by coincidence, that happened to be the song on my CD player when I hopped in the car after work on Friday afternoon for the drive to Reno. I've always associated that song with liberation and possibility. I've played it often during those transition times in my life to help celebrate the changes (even the ones I've been less than enthusiastic about.) It also works wonderfully on a smaller scale, like taking a Friday afternoon off after a hard couple of weeks to hit the road to a Journey show. So, for the final show of the tour, this was the song that hit me most.

And so, we head in to the holiday season to spend time with our family and friends, and wait again for the coming of summer and the next round of shows. This Thanksgiving I will once again be thankful for the cherished friends I have made through our common love of Journey. May you and yours have a pleasant holiday, and I will see you on the road in 2003!

Set List:
(may not be 100% accurate, I forgot to write it down since they haven't changed it much this year, so I cribbed it from the website and made a few changes that I remember.)

Intro/State of Grace
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
-- Neal Solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Lights
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
I'll Be Alright Without You
La Raza del Sol
Trial By Fire (acoustic)
Liberty (acoustic)
Higher Place
The Time
Don't Stop Believin'
Chain Reaction
Faithfully
Escape
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:

Any Way You Want It
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

November 2, 2002: Bone Bash III

Concord, CA
Chronicle Pavilion

Hello one and all, your intrepid roving reporter here, stone deaf after last night's Bone Bash. The Bone Bash is an annual concert sponsored by one of the local classic rock stations -- 107.7 "The Bone" (known to those who pay attention to call letters as KSAN.) This was the biggest show they've sponsored to date with 4 bands on the lineup -- Montrose, Y&T, Joe Satriani, and, of course, our beloved Journey.

I got to Concord about 4 so that I'd have time to visit with fellow Journey fans before Montrose hit the stage at 5. I spent some time visiting with people, and when Montrose hit the stage some went in to watch and I went to grab something to eat. (I'd seen Montrose recently and once was really sufficient.)

Y&T hit the stage about 6:05, and I wanted to see them so went in and grabbed my seat in the third row. To be honest, I thought I knew Y&T better than it turned out I did, so I left about halfway through their set to use the bathroom and check out the swag table. They had T-shirts from the Hawaii show and a new pin I hadn't seen before (a winged scarab) so I picked that up.

I definitely wanted to see Joe Satriani, so when Y&T ended, I swam upstream back towards my seat. Visited with more friends between sets and then Satriani hit the stage. He's just amazing to watch. I really must go see him again.

Finally, around 9:15 Journey hit the stage. I knew they would be playing a shortened set since there were 4 bands and an 11 pm curfew. Plus the Bone had been advertising a "guitar god encore," so Journey was going to be a bit squeezed between all of that. They took the stage and launched right into "Red 13/State of Grace," and the place went wild. The Chronicle Pavilion is fairly strict about who gets to the front row -- you must have a wristband to be in the front row and up against the stage. This makes it next to impossible for people to come down the aisles and into the front, but it doesn't stop chair crawling. So there was a bit of clamoring the first few songs as people tried to get closer to the stage.

The set turned out to be even shorter than I had expected it to be, so when they started in on "Wheel in the Sky," I was surprised! During "Be Good To Yourself" I noticed several members of the road crew running around, and when the song ended, Deen didn't come up front to take a bow with the rest of the guys. When the band came back on stage for their encore, Neal said that Deen had the flu and couldn't finish the encore. Deen's drum tech, Jim, filled in for "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'."

They left the stage again about 10:45, and the road crew brought out a couple of monitors for the grand finale. A few minutes passed and the guys (with out Deen) came back out on stage and were joined by Dave Meneketi (Y&T), Joe Satriani, the guitarist from Testament (a metal band that had played on the side stage before the main show) and the drummer from Y&T. They launched into a rockin' cover of Led Zepplin's "Rock and Roll."

The show ended and I was exhausted and had a loud ringing in my ear... a good night!

[Short]Set List:

Intro/State of Grace
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
-- Neal Solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Lights
Feeling That Way
Anytime
The Time
Don't Stop Believin'
Chain Reaction
Faithfully
Escape
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:

Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

October 22, 2002: Sir Paul Makes My Life!

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

I've waited a few hours to share this, so I'm much calmer now than I was last night, but I thought you'd all like to hear this little tale... I had a ticket to go see Paul McCartney last night in San Jose. With the World Series going on, I was tempted to sell it to get a ticket to the Series. I had just seen him 6 months ago, and thought, briefly, "Well, I don't need to see him AGAIN." Fortunately, such thoughts were fleeting and I kept my ticket and went to the concert last night (thus missing the shellacking my poor Giants took!)

The set was similar to the one I'd seen in April, but about half way through the acoustic set (a couple of songs after he did his John Lennon/George Harrison tributes which had me in tears, again) he started talking about growing up with John and how their age difference of a year and a half was a big deal when they were teenagers. He started talking about these parties they'd go to and his attempts to appear more sophisticated, so he said he would wear a black turtle neck sweater and sit in the corner with his guitar and pretend to be French and make up these songs in French.

This is when I started holding my breath as I'd heard a variant of this story. Could he be about to sing what I think he's going to sing?? He finished the story (something to the effect of John saying one of those silly French songs was good) and he did it, he launched into the song.

HE SANG "MICHELLE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I was a complete and total wreck and just SOBBED through the whole song. My entire body was shaking. I don't remember what the next couple of songs were 'cause it took me that long to recover. This is the 4th time I've gotten to see Paul McCartney, but this is the first time he'd ever performed the song I was named for. I still can't believe it. The crazy thing is, "Michelle" isn't even my favorite Beatles song, but OMG it was so powerful to hear it live. I'll never forget it.

And now, I'm outta here, I've got tickets to game 4!!!!!

September 14, 2002: Mississippi?? Really??!!

Tunica, MS
Horsehoe Casino

The places I travel to see this band! Never in a million years did I ever expect to voluntarily go to Mississippi, but there I was, a California weather wimp in the humid south.

While the weather sucked most of MY energy dry, it sure didn't affect the band or the 1500 people in the tiny Bluesville room at the Horseshoe Casino. When I first arrived at the venue I was amazed that they had managed to fit all their equipment on such a TINY stage. Deen looked to be a little more boxed in than usual, but it worked.

While there were very few bad seats in such a tiny venue, I was in seventh heaven with my 5th row center seat -- very close. My only complaint being that the seats were tied together so you were very cozy with the person sitting next to you! I thought I was going to luck out when the 6 seats to my left didn't fill up immediately, but, alas, the latecomers arrived about 3 songs in to the set!

The set was the same as they've been playing this whole tour, and when the lights went down and the intro to the show the crowd was on their feet screaming. This was the first show I've been to at a casino that the front rows weren't all filled with the "high rollers," but actual fans who were on their feet cheering! Everyone was on their feet for the entire night (at least in the front section -- friends reported the second section was a bit more sedate.)

About 30 minutes into the show, security allowed people up to the front of the stage. Well, you don't have to tell me twice! Once I freed my purse from the tangle of the chair, I was down at the stage front and center. And man, this is the closest I've ever been to the guys. The stage, as I said, was tiny. It was also LOW -- probably about 3 feet from the main floor. Steve and Neal were right in front of me all night, but one of the more amazing things is that I was able to actually watch DEEN for a change. He's usually so hidden in the back that I can only see the top of his head. It was cool getting to watch him go to town on the drums.

I realized I've been to a LOT of shows when Jon started his solo intro to Open Arms -- he's changed it!

After the show was over my friends and I saw the tour buses waiting out side, so we went over to see if the guys were coming out. Deen was already outside and signing autographs. He was looking around too see if there was anyone he missed talking to when I walked up and when he saw me, he pointed and said hi. Then he came over and gave me a big hug. (Woo hoo, personal thrill!)*

We hung around for a while and Deen was finally dragged off by one of the road crew. The crowd had grown a bit, and after about 30 minutes or so security started shooing everyone off saying "they're not coming out, they're staying the night and leaving in the morning." Uh... yeah, really? Then why are the buses still sitting here with their engines running??

Eventually we were shooed off to the hotel lobby where, lo and behold, Steve, Neal, Deen, and Jon were walking through a small crowd of people! We got to chat with them briefly. We never did see Ross, but we had passed him at the hotel buffet, so that was good enough.

All in all, another all-to-short trip to see Journey and of course the wonderful Journey fans! A very SPECIAL thank you to Mary Ann for all her southern hospitality -- you went WAY beyond the call of duty -- I'm so glad we got to spend some time together!

Set List:

Intro/State of Grace
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
-- Neal Solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Send Her My Love
Lights
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Feeling That Way
Anytime
I'll Be Alright Without You
Trial By Fire (acoustic)
Liberty (acoustic)
Higher Place
The Time
Don't Stop Believin'
Chain Reaction
Faithfully
Escape
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:

Any Way You Want It
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

*Still one of my favorite Journey memories!

August 23, 2002: Journey Past & Present 2002

Kelseyville, CA
Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa

This report is going to be somewhat different than my previous ones. It is also going to be longer than usual, but there is a lot to cover.

As some of you know, for the past 8 months, Darla Ellis, Leslie Forsythe, Cheryl Simien and I have been organizing a fan gathering called Journey Past and Present 2002 (JPP2002.) The focal point of which was Journey's concert at Konocti Harbor in Kelseyville -- the closest home town date.

Way back in January, we began brainstorming ideas to make the event special. What could we do to make it an event the attendees would never forget? Cheryl suggested a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, but that idea died on the vine when we learned that a fee of $15,000 was required along with a long bureaucratic process. That's when I suggested that we focus on the Bay Area connection and see what we could do to get Journey a plaque on the Bammies Walk of Fame. Darla, Cheryl, and Leslie looked at me with complete confusion. There is a Bammies Walk of Fame??! I guess I'll attribute it to being the only Bay Area native of the bunch, but I was the only one who knew of it's existence.

Dennis Erokan, the founder of BAM Magazine started the Bay Area Music Awards -- better known as the Bammies -- in 1977 as a reader opinion poll and it grew into an annual extravaganza. Back in the early to mid 1980s, the Bammies show was one of the hottest tickets in town. Bay Area bands were all over the radio, and many of the performers would regularly appear a the show -- including our beloved Journey. In 1997 the first selections for the Bammies Walk of Fame were chosen and bronze plaques were embedded in the cement in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. When BAM Magazine went out of business in 1999 the Walk of Fame fell to the wayside. (The Bammies continue, but now are known as the California Music Awards.)*

*2014 Update: The Bammies no longer exisit, but BAM Magazine has returned as an on-line magazine. You can check it out at http://bammagazine.com

 *2018 Update: There was a "Bammies Reunion" concert held in March 2018 which included Neal Schon on the bill of performers (I believe he played with Sammy Hagar.) It's possible the Bammies may resurface in some form in the future.


Currently there are 7 members of the Bammies Walk of Fame -- Bill Graham (1997), Carlos Santana (1997), Jerry Garcia (1997), Janis Joplin (1998), John Lee Hooker (1998), Jefferson Airplane (1999), and Metallica (1999.) We wanted to see if we could get Journey included as part of our JPP2002 event. Cheryl set off on path to find out how this was done, the cost, and any other issues that might need to be addressed. We soon learned that this would be possible, but not in the time frame we were hoping. Cheryl was eventually put in contact with Dennis Erokan, who was extremely pleased with our idea and eager to help us get the process started.**


**2018 Update 2: As part of the Bammies Reunion Concert mentioned above, two new inductees were added to the Bammies Walk of Fame -- Sammy Hagar and local DJ, Steven Seaweed. (For those who attended JPP2003, "The Weedman" was one of the featured speakers inducting Journey.) I believe these were the first inductees since Journey in 2003.

Having gotten that ball rolling, we turned our attention to the rest of JPP2002 with the intention of having Mr. Erokan announce Journey's soon to be induction to the Bammies Walk of Fame at our luncheon. As we thought it over, we realized that the timing had actually worked out in our favor. By not having the plaque done this year, it meant that it was going to happen in 2003 -- the 30th anniversary of the foundation of Journey!

Then we learned that Mr. Erokan would not be able to make the luncheon as we had hoped, but would arrive in time for the concert. That set off a series of events that still leaves me dazed and confused. The details of how the following came about are too numerous and confusing to mention here, so I will skip ahead to what happened today.

The JPP2002 gang had a pre-show luncheon that flew by much too quickly. We had heard rumors of some special guests for the show, and when we had a brief visit from Neal's mom and step-dad they brought along one of them - Michael Carabello (the former conga player from Santana and currently playing in the Gregg Rolie Band.)

Then it was off to the show where there were two major highlights. One being the Latin set, where Journey was joined on stage by Michael Carabello (congas), Chepito Areas (timables), and Adrian Areas (timables.) They played "Black Magic Woman" with Neal doing dual duties as lead guitar AND lead VOCALIST. That was followed by an extended version of "La Raza del Sol" and then "Everything is Everything" with Jon on vocal. After the acoustic set, came the other major highlight.

While they were preparing for the Latin set, Dennis Erokan appeared on stage and announced that next year in honor of their 30th anniversary, Journey would be getting their own plaque on the Bammies Walk of Fame. After praising the band and announcing the award, which got an enormous response, Dennis told the football players (there for a golf tournament) in the front row to sit down because the JPP2002 committee which had originated this idea were sitting in the third row! (We learned later, we were on the video screen!)

Due to the chaotic nature of my evening, I was unable to obtain a copy of the set list, much less jot one down!

In closing, thanks to the attendees for making the event what it was, and special thanks to Mary Ann Bohne and Emerson Dong for their assistance in planning this event and to Caryn Sinagra for all of her work on our behalf.

July 4, 2002: Somewhere in Canada

Orillia, ONT Canada
Casino Rama

It's been a loooooooooong day, but have laptop, will travel.

Canada has been invaded by Journey fans. Starting yesterday, fans from across the US, Canada, and the UK arrived in the small town of Orillia, Ontario, about an hour's drive north of Toronto for the first show of the "Under the Radar" tour. There were many gatherings of friends old and new, and far too numerous to mention, but just a reminder to folks planning on hitting a show this summer, try to hook up with your fellow fans for a time you will never forget!

Most of today was spent with the everyone doing their own various things -- going to the casino, shopping, taking a jog around the lake. Folks gathered for a small pre-show meal at the casino sports bar, then took off for a little pre-concert gambling.

The show started off right on time, despite the fact that a good number of the seats weren't filled yet (from what I could tell, they did fill in quickly.) As usual, I was on my feet immediately, and I noticed that most of the other fans I'd been spending time with had migrated down to the front of the stage. Since everyone ELSE was sitting down (and would remain so for most of the show), I grabbed my things and spent the night up against the stage at Neal's feet.

One of my criteria for how good a show is or isn't is based on the crowd reaction. The group of dedicated die hards at the front of the stage were having a GREAT time. The rest of the crowd seemed pretty sedate, not getting on their feet until Steve asked them to during "Escape." Again they opened with "State of Grace," and this time I got to pay more attention to it since I didn't have to guess what it was! All I can say is, wow! When does Red 13 ship???

Steve flubbed a few lines tonight, but recovered quickly. There also seemed to be some kind of monitor problem (??) during the acoustic set. Neal had to get off his stool and step back a ways from the rest of the guys to play. Those were really the only "glitches" of the night.

A quick wardrobe report -- Steve in blue suede pants and black shirt. Neal was sporting a blue vest with white stars (a la the US flag) that he said his mom made for him. Neal's looking great, by the way, and seems to have lost some weight.

OH! I nearly forgot! Prior to the show, I noticed a song over the PA that sounded like Steve singing and after conversing with a few fellow fans, we agreed it was one of the new tracks. Then, AFTER the show, they played "Walking Away From the Edge" over the PA. THAT sounded fantastic!!! (again, when does Red 13 ship????) 

All in all another fantastic show!

Set list:

State of Grace
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
Neal solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Send Her My Love
Lights
Jon solo
Open Arms
Feeling That Way
Anytime
I'll Be Alright Without You
Trial By Fire - acoustic
Liberty - acoustic
Higher Place
The Time
Don't Stop Believin'
La Raza del Sol
Faithfully
Escape
Neal solo
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good To Yourself

Encore:

Any Way You Want It
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

...back on the road for Journeydigest.com

April 27, 2002: Planet Us Debuts

Oakland, CA
Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium

As a life long resident of the SF Bay Area, I remember when the Bammies were a BIG deal. Alas, the luster wore off some time in the early '90s, and they became the California Music Awards about 4-5 years ago, further dulling the shine. That said, the 25th Bammies show was an enjoyable show with an AWESOME closing act.

While the show was well short of a sell out (something which NEVER would have happened in their prime) the crowd in attendance got some fun performances by a wide variety of mostly Bay Area based acts. The hosts for the evening were Jack Blades, Robert Hayes (the guy from the movie "Airplane"), and a comic whose name I've forgotten.

The first thing you realize when you attend the Bammies is that this is definitely NOT the Grammys. The technical glitches and production snafus made it look, at times, like a very sincere high school production.

The highlights of the first half of the show had to be the performance by Smash Mouth (I'm more impressed with these guys every time I hear them) and the jam with Joe Satriani, Ronnie Montrose, and Dave Meneketi. Most of the awards were handed out during the first part of the show, and I've got to admit, I felt like I was 102 years old -- I'd barely heard of most of the nominees let alone the winners. Thank god for Train and major radio airplay!

An intermission came along about 2 1/2 hours into the show, and as we filed out, we were told that after the break we would be treated to performances by Sammy Hagar and "a new super group."

When we returned from intermission, I noticed many of the already sparsely filled seats were empty. Too bad for those who left, because the best part of the show was yet to come. Throughout the show, I stayed seated at my table towards the back of the floor, but the minute the MC started to introduce Sammy Hagar, I was on my feet and moving towards the front. I had expected that I'd just be able to stand on the side of the stage in the aisle to to take pictures, but I noticed people were walking straight up to the stage, so I joined them. Sammy and the Waboritas rocked the house with two numbers ("There's Only One Way to Rock" and "Mas Tequila".) The Waboritas left the stage, and Sammy introduced a few friends... Michael Anthony, Deen Castronovo, and Neal Schon!

Planet Us took the stage and proceeded to blow everyone away! They played two tunes -- "Vertigo" & "Through the Peephole" -- and they were phenomenal! All four guys looked to be having a great time on stage. The crowd at the front of the stage doubled in size, and I spent most of "Vertigo" trying not to get squished and stepped on (failing on the latter getting some woman's spiked heel in the middle of my foot... you should SEE the bruise!) Of all the acts through out the evening, this was the act that got the crowd the most involved. Not bad for a bunch of "dinosaurs."

Both songs were, as Neal said, "kick-ass songs that f-ing rock." High energy, high volume. I was particularly impressed with "Through the Peephole," which Sammy introduced as being a song about child abuse. Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that both these songs make the final cut for the broadcast of the show next weekend!

April 20, 2002: Friends and Family

Santa Rosa, CA
Luther Burbank Center

It's CONCERT SEASON AGAIN!!!!!!!!

Last night's show in Santa Rosa was great. I really needed a Journey concert, and they delivered! I'm going to break with my past tradition, and post the set list FIRST since we got a few treats!

Set List:

State of Grace (new)
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Send Her My Love
Lights
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Feeling That Way
Anytime
Trial by Fire
Liberty
Higher Place
The Time (new)
Don't Stop Believin'
La Raza del Sol
Faithfully
Escape
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:

Any Way You Want It
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

As you can see from the list above, the guys played two NEW songs. Both are serious rockers, and a little different from the Journey tradition. "State of Grace" suffered from being in the opening slot, in my opinion. No one knew it, obviously, so the crowd wasn't pulled in immediately. Even the die hards were a bit puzzled, but very enthusiastic. Personally, it took me a minute to figure out what was going on -- "do I know this? Why don't I know this?" I'll really need to hear it again to form an opinion of it. The second new song "The Time" is a heavy blues number that isn't like anything I've heard Journey do before. The closest I could come to comparison is "All the Things" from Arrival. Unfortunately, the EP isn't ready yet (and won't be until July) so no opportunity to pick it up and listen to the new tunes.

"Trial By Fire" and "Liberty" were done acoustically, much like they had done at the Volunteers for America shows last October. I had thought after seeing them do the acoustic set last fall that it would be the only time I'd get to hear those songs. When the road crew brought out four stools and a couple of acoustic guitars, I knew what was coming and was THRILLED.

The rest of the set list was very familiar, especially since I had spent my morning "prepping" for the show by watching the DVD. Neal's performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" was amazing and the new lighting tech got the lights just right -- Neal in a white spot light, the rest of the stage in red and blue.

The crowd wasn't quite as "into" the show as I had expected, but overall they were pretty good (despite sitting down WAY too much.)

Back on the road again for JourneyDigest.com.

Aprl 1 & 3, 2002 - Paul McCartney Tour Opener

Oakland Coliseum Arena
Oakland, CA

April, 2018: While reformatting and otherwise cleaning up this site, I stumbled upon a couple of emails to a friend on the Journey Digest about this show. I've modified it a bit to fit with the other tales on this site.

One word...

AWESOME!

And that doesn't even begin to cover it. Religious experience has been thrown around.

The show opened about 8:25 (25 minutes late) with a bunch of costumed performers walking up to the stage from various points of the arena. I can't really describe it, but think of a circus act with people in period costumes. I thought it went on a little too long, but it was interesting. (Of course, only Sir Paul could get away with something like that to open the show -- anyone else would have seemed pretentious). When the opening performance ended the video screen went white and a silhouette of Paul's bass appeared. The crowd goes wild. Then a silhouette of Paul, and, well, insanity.

He opened with "Hello Goodbye" (perfect) and closed with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"/"The End" (more perfect.) A friend of a friend sent me the set list as he noted it (see below.) My first "burst into tears" moment came when he performed "All My Lovin'" with clips of the Beatles arriving in New York up on the screen. The first two faces on the screen were George and John.

Things slowed down a bit when he did a few songs from Driving Rain. Very good songs, but not what anyone paid to hear of course. That was followed by an acoustic set -- just Paul and an acoustic guitar. Some of the band came out for one or two songs, but it was mostly Paul. That was "burst into tears" moment number two. He paid tribute to both John and George. First by playing "Here Today" (a song that has made me cry every time I hear it for the last 20 years) and then telling a story about how George loved playing the ukulele. Paul launched into "Something" while strumming the ukulele as images of George flashed on the screen. (I've discovered it's quite difficult to sing along while simultaneously having tears streaming down one's face!)

"Live and Let Die" was literally explosive as fireworks went off several times. I can't even pick a favorite moment in the two and a half hours of sheer bliss, but one high point was hearing "Getting Better" which Paul introduced by saying it was the first time he had ever played it live. Wow oh wow. He flubbed the lines a bit to "You Never Give Me Your Money" but in a very charming amusing way by singing something like "I can never remember the words until the end of the tour" over the part he forgot and rolled right on through.

There were, of course, the mandatory Paul songs -- "Let It Be", "Hey Jude", and "Yesterday" -- all towards the end of the set. I didn't get my song, but when almost every opening note sent a thrill up my spine, I can't really complain.

This was a near perfect show. Paul has that charming presence that just sucks you in immediately. The band was incredible and very personable as Paul would introduce a member before heading to another part of the stage (either to or from the grand piano) and they each got a little time to talk to the crowd. There were a few little glitches with the video system, but nothing major (or given much notice other than in passing). Lots of video clips from the Beatles era -- which were everything from touching to amusing to a bit surreal. (Seeing a 25 year old Paul cavorting in a field while listening to a 60 year old Paul singing "Fool on the Hill" and realizing he hasn't changed all that much over time...)

The crowd was great, even if it was a bit yo-yo-ish (up, down, up, down...) all night long. And what was really impressive was the age range. I rode over to the arena on BART (subway) and chatted with a fellow who was bringing his 8 year old daughter. And when I left I saw several women who must have been in their 70s. And everything in between!

I've just been grinning from ear to ear since the show started (yes, even during the sobbing moments) and absolutely can't WAIT for tomorrow night and show number. (And hope this whole ramble hasn't been TOO ebullient for you, but it was just an incredible show.)

Set List:

Hello Goodbye
Jet
All My Loving
Getting Better
Coming Up
Let Me Roll It
New Song ("I Hear The Music", "Don't Wanna…")
Driving Rain
True Love ("Kiss My Blues Away")
Acoustic Set
Blackbird (Paul - Solo)
Every Night (Paul - Solo)
We Can Work It Out (Paul - Solo)
Mother Nature's Son (w/ Wix on accordion)
Vanilla Sky (w/ Wix, Lead Guitar & Drum)
You Never Give Me Your Money (Paul on "Magic Piano")
Fool on the Hill (Paul on "Magic Piano")
Here Today (dedicated to John)
Something (dedicated to George; Paul on ukulele)
Eleanor Rigby
Here, There and Everywhere
Band on the Run
Back in the USSR
Maybe I'm Amazed
C Moon
My Love
Can't Buy Me Love
Freedom
Live and Let Die
Let it Be
Hey Jude

Encore 1:

Long and Winding Road
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There

Encore 2:

Yesterday
Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)>You Never Give Me Your Money>The End
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA

The second night was much the same as the first (same set list) and was actually a GREAT thing to do. I could sit back and appreciate the show better with out that "OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S PLAYING THAT" reaction to nearly every song. I brought my mom (her very first rock concert!) and she had a blast. And, apparently, my dad was quite jealous! (The mental image of me at a concert with BOTH my parents is hugely amusing!) I'm sorely tempted to pick up a ticket to LA, but just can't afford it!