Looking Back at 2004 and Planning JPP2005

August 18, 2014

It's hard to believe it was ten years ago already, but 2004 was a crazy year; much of it was spent planning things. The Journey Past and Present Committee had to get things prepared for the Hollywood Walk of Fame JPP convention, my office was relocating and I was a key member of the move team, and my younger brother got married -- one of five weddings among my friends and family that year (including JPP Committee members Darla Ellis and Emerson Dong!) There were also a handful of babies born that year among my family and friends. Looking back at my calendar, it's filled with parties, trips, and planning meetings on top of the routine concerts, outings with friends and family, and every day tasks. The one upside to this crazy schedule I was maintaining was that as a result of all the hard work I put in to the office move, I received a bonus which was sufficient enough to cover the cost of going on a 7-day cruise with Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon. A well deserved reward I felt. Little did I know how vital that would become.

Remembering that time now, I recall friends and family wanting to do things with me and I would have to answer "well, I'm booked for the next three weekends, how does April 4 look to you?" I was so booked up, I had to teleconference in to a couple of interviews for a new intern we were hiring to help me and a couple of my co-workers with our workload!

The JPP planning is a vivid memory from that year. The planning had started in general in mid 2003 after the application was approved and the star on the Walk of Fame was announced, but we really didn't get serious until early 2004. Having successfully put together three previous events, each with increases in size and activities, we were a fairly well oiled machine by the time we got into gear for JPP2005. The only wrinkle in the whole thing was that, unlike the previous three events, this one wasn't going to be in San Francisco, but Los Angeles. That made for a few challenges we hadn't experienced before. With the majority of the organizing committee living in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was pretty easy to schedule things like checking out hotels and venues. When the event is 400 miles away, it's a little bit trickier and definitely more expensive! We needed to identify locations in LA that might be well suited for our gathering, which is easy enough to do remotely, but we still had to check them out.

Leslie, Cheryl, and I flew down to Anaheim for the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in January 2004 and slotted time to make the hour-long drive up to Hollywood to check out the hotels and reception venue candidates. Our first trip was the Hollywood and Highland complex where we checked out the hotel and nightclub in the complex. These were our top candidates based on proximity to the Walk of Fame and each other -- saved on transportation issues for our attendees. Then it was off to check another couple of hotels before heading over to the House of Blues as a possibility for the reception. We really loved the venue, but it was too large for our then anticipated group of 100. We did say to each other "wouldn't it be cool if the guys played here?" Little did we know.

The band handled most of the logistics in dealing with past and current members and the Hollywood chamber of commerce for scheduling. We relied on the information from band management on scheduling dates and times. The original plan was to schedule the installation around the same time as the 2005 NAMM show and the band would work with the folks at NAMM about having a gig in conjunction with their annual trade show.

So we set about planning for January 2005, reserving blocks of hotel rooms, consulting with the night club, keeping our fellow fans and anticipated attendees posted. By the time we started booking things, we were expecting 125 or so attendees and had to figure out how to get them from the Hollywood Walk of Fame to wherever the band planned to perform in Anaheim. The logistics of bus rental wasn't a big deal -- we'd done that plenty of times for the events in San Francisco -- it was figuring out the timing. We expected the event to be on a week day, which meant getting 125 people from LA to Anaheim during rush hour. It was one of biggest concerns -- we didn't want to wind up accidentally leaving people behind and/or getting stuck in traffic and delaying the show.

Everything came to a head in November. By then our headcount had jumped to 145 people, but we still hadn't gotten a confirmed concert from the band. The event was scheduled for January and our attendees were anxious for news that there would indeed be a show. They were spending good money to attend an event that was open to the public -- with out the concert only our reception was a private event. The attendees knew the band would make an appearance at the reception, but the concert was the key item on everyone's agenda. We had also been expressly forbidden to tell them where the show was planned to be held. Right before Thanksgiving, everything blew up and we were informed that the NAMM show that we had anticipated had not actually been confirmed. A few days later, we got word from band management -- there would be no concert!

As you can imagine, this sent all of us in a tailspin. Fortunately, the day after Thanksgiving, Darla, Emerson, and I would be flying off to Miami for the Rock & Roll Holiday Escape cruise. Cat, who coordinated the fan club for Journey and was one of our key contact people, would also be on the cruise as would the band. Hopefully we could figure out what was going to happen. We put off telling the attendees until after the cruise and froze any further purchases needed for the event in case we were going to have to provide partial refunds. (Something, as the treasurer of the group, I was in a complete panic about.) Maybe we could come up with some miracle by chatting in person. We'd had potential disasters crop up for every other JPP that resulted in miracles that were better than whatever the original plan was.

Darla and I managed to find some time with Cat to see what we could expect and got some optimistic news that things could be fixed, but we would need to be on dry land and get a few more people involved before we could relax completely. One of the complications with meeting with Cat meant we would have to scuttle off away from other Journey fans on the ship -- some of whom were coming to Hollywood, including my roommate Janice. I hadn't met Janice prior to the cruise -- we had both wanted to go on the cruise but neither of us had a roommate to share the cabin. One of us (I can't remember who) posted on the Journey forum Back Talk that we were looking for a roommate for the cruise, and we paired up. I was sure Janice thought I was purposely trying to ditch her every time I would say "I've gotta meet Cat." Since she was coming to JPP, I had to keep my mouth shut about the crisis we were in. I felt hugely guilty, but promised myself I would explain it to her when I could talk about it. I may have mentioned something about "working out details" to her, but can't remember now.

When we got home from the cruise, we still didn't have a definitive answer and things fluctuated good and bad for several days. At one point it was looking so unlikely that we'd have a concert, I drafted an email to send to our attendees to let them know that what we'd hoped to have happen was probably not going to happen. With all of this around the holidays, my stress level was through the roof, despite the relaxing 7-day cruise I'd just been on to relieve the previous 11 months of stress! We were six weeks out from our event and pushing up hard against deadlines to have everything ready to go. The NorCal gang was heading up to Reno for a Journey show that weekend after we returned from the cruise. If we didn't know more by the end of the weekend, we'd have to let folks know.

It turned out, we didn't have to wait for the weekend -- a few days before the Reno show Cat sent us an email: "Show Confirmed!!!! House of Blues 9:00 p.m. JPP Attendees price $45." We had to wait until after Reno to let folks know, but a huge weight was lifted. Our biggest issues now were what to wear and how many guests the band would be inviting to the reception and whether or not we would have enough food for everyone. (There were lots of jokes about having trail mix and bologna sandwiches!)

Still, we had gotten through our biggest crisis and once the holidays were over, it was full steam ahead into January and one fantastic weekend in Hollywood!

December 11, 2004: A Road to Reno

Reno, NV
City Center Pavilion

And so concludes the 2004 touring season. As I drove up to Reno yesterday, I couldn't help but remember the other trips I'd made through the Sierra Nevadas on my way to a Journey show. The mountains are always so pretty in winter time and this trip brought back vivid memories of being stuck just short of Donner Pass back in November of 2000 while on my way to hear the first playing of tracks from Arrival. I popped Arrival in my CD player and had it blaring as I pulled in to Reno a short while later.

I arrived in Reno late yesterday morning and met up with Darla and Emerson for lunch. With nothing much going on until evening, I took a quick nap before heading over to Brew Brothers and the gathering of 70 or so Back Talkers. A fun evening of seeing friends I hadn't seen in a while (and some I'd just seen last week!) I left the gathering a little early to deal with some JPP business, and made it to my seat at the show just in time for the opening notes.

We'd heard before the show that most of the band was sick, which since they were sick last week too didn't surprise me much. Alas, this universal illness meant that the set list was cut WAY short. When "Escape" started, I looked at my watch -- it was only 9:15! Lots of songs were cut out.

But, while short, the set was strong. Better a good short show than a mediocre long show, right?? I had a pretty good seat -- 9th row center section. With the high rollers sitting in rows 1-7, it was easy to see the stage since they sat for most of the show. Unlike last week in Clearwater, however, those NOT in the high roller seats were on their feet and singing and dancing along. Other than a guy getting on stage and trying to sing with the band towards the end of the show (and immediately whisked off stage) there weren't any particular stand out moments for the evening. Alas, it was over all too soon, and it was time to turn back around for the drive home.

The end of the year's touring is always met with mixed emotions, but at least we know that the break will be short -- Hollywood is just 5 weeks away!

Set List:

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Joy to the World/Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Suzanne -- Deen vox
Lights
Walks Like a Lady -- Ross vox
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen -- Neal vox
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Just the Same Way
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

December 2004: Another Rockin' Roll Report

Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea
Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph

In addition to the "Rockin' Roll Report" I filed, I wrote this piece for JourneyDigest.com using my notes from the cruise diary I kept.
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Come sail away, come sail away…

Okay, Styx had the most popular song on the Rock and Roll Holiday Escape Cruise, but Journey had the biggest group of screaming fans. From the cheers when Journey’s name was mentioned at the first cocktail party, to the lines that formed hours before their show began, it was clear there were lots of Journey fans aboard the Carnival Triumph.

When I first heard about this cruise to the Western Caribbean back in June, my first thought was “What a great opportunity! How can I possibly do it?!” After having spent a considerable amount of my vacation time the past 7 years trotting around the US seeing Journey shows, I could actually go on vacation with Journey! How much better could it get – 7 days in a tropical paradise and three excellent rock bands providing the entertainment!

The Friday after Thanksgiving, I hopped a plane to Miami to meet up with my roommate Janice and a whole slew of Journey pals for a vacation I will never forget. We knew going in that the bands wouldn’t be on the ship the whole time, but a week long party with so many friends was something to enjoy. Once we set sail Saturday afternoon, the “Rock and Rollers” had a private cocktail party to meet the other fans on board. We managed to round up a bunch of Back Talkers for a group photo, despite not being able to find any of the contingent that had traveled from the UK. I felt rather sorry for the poor woman who volunteered to take our picture – she and her husband wound up with about 12 cameras, and we were all blind from the flashes.

Our cocktail party was held in the Rome Lounge – the main showroom for the ship that held about 1,400 people. It was one of the smallest places I’d seen Journey in and the idea of seeing the band perform in such an intimate environment was exciting. It was also unlike any venue I had ever seen any rock concert. Instead of individual seats bolted together, there were rows of soft couches with small cocktail tables every few feet and lots of room between the rows – suitable for waiters to walk through bringing drinks.

We cruised from Miami to Cozumel where Styx and REO Speedwagon boarded the ship on Monday. Styx was the first performer of the trip and their Question & Answer session set the tone for the ones to follow and gave the “Rock and Rollers” a sense of what the week to come would be like. Fans from around the world got the opportunity to ask questions and were greeted with warm and enthusiastic responses. This was something that would occur with each successive band, and made the trip feel like a shared conversation with old friends. This was followed later the same night with our first concert, and finding places for the 1,200 or so people to line up for the general admission seating was an interesting challenge on a cruise ship.

Styx left the ship after their show, which left fans to spot members of REO Speedwagon and Journey’s crew around the ship. Journey’s crew was a lot easier to find and so they became some of the most popular people on the ship! A day just didn’t seem complete with out a Rocko sighting or a chat with Jim (with his one red and one green shoes.) I even had the opportunity to chat with a couple members of the crew on a snorkeling excursion in Grand Cayman!

Journey finally boarded the ship when we docked in Ochos Rios, Jamaica on Thursday. We were scheduled to pull out of port at 3:30, Journey’s Question and Answer session was at 5:00, and people were in line waiting to get in before the ship pulled out of port. Not many people took part in the day-long shore excursions if they wanted to get in line!

Journey entered the Q&A session and sang “hello” as they sat down, and we were off. The questions ranged from the familiar (How do you choose the songs to play in your set list? How did Neal join Santana?) to the curious (Who were your influences? Have you ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?) to the silly (Boxers or briefs? Where did the pissing baby come from?) The guys answered all of the questions with grace and a good sense of humor – there was a lot of laughter on the stage.

When we left the Q&A session, we had to battle getting in the elevators with the crew who was bringing the band’s gear in to the Rome Lounge. It was a bit surreal seeing all of the equipment cases sitting between the elevators and trying to get to the stairs. It felt like we’d all snuck backstage!

Friday was our last day of the cruise, and, finally, Journey would be performing! When we got up Friday morning, after a late night chatting with Neal and Ross in one of the bars, Janice and I headed over to the Rome Lounge for the “debarkation” talk. We arrived in the lounge a little early – just at the end of yet another round of Bingo – and found a seat. Bingo has gotten a lot more sophisticated than the last time I played – these games were played with a computer and the called numbers were projected on a screen. Because of the need for a screen, the curtains on the stage were pulled back, and the screen was lowered most of the way down to the stage. It couldn’t quite reach the stage since there was Jon’s piano blocking its path!

Around 3:00 that afternoon, I stumbled in to the balcony of the Rome Lounge looking for a restroom only to discover that the crew was on stage running through some songs – sound check was starting! Fans were kicked out of the balcony area before the band arrived around 4:00, but there were people coming in and out, so eavesdropping on sound check wasn’t too hard.

Going down to the main floor where eavesdropping would be easier, I discovered that the “platinum package” concertgoers were already in line and waiting for the show – and had been in line since noon! The concert wouldn’t start until 10 p.m., yet there were about 15 people sitting in chairs dragged from the lobby bar waiting outside the Rome Lounge. I hadn’t seen this for Styx or REO Speedwagon – I was amazed. These folks were already the first group allowed in and had access to the seats in the first three rows before anyone else, but they were going to sit in line for hours to get in and get that perfect seat in front.

After a quick check of the line up location for the rest of the concert-goers revealed that, no, there wasn’t a line yet, we were off to enjoy the farewell cocktail party. We had finally found the UK crowd on Thursday before the Q&A session, but alas, never got a chance to re-take the photo of Back Talkers. With the cocktail party, we got a great slide show of pictures from the Styx and REO shows. Since Journey hadn’t performed yet, all we saw of them in the slide show was a group shot taken on the deck of the ship.

The cocktail party ended around 7:00, and it was time to make a decision – get in line or go to dinner?? Janice and I got in line with several of our friends and dined on pizza from the 24-hour pizza bar on the Lido deck rather than eat in the formal dining room. I’m not entirely sure why we bothered to be among the first in line, since we wound up in virtually the same seats for every show, but there’s just something about “general admission” that makes you get in line hours before you ever thought you would.

By the time the concert started, the captain also decided to crank up the speed of the ship, so in addition to rock and roll, we were rocking and rolling! Since I had been asked to take photos, I was able to move up to one of the “platinum” seats next to Caryn (Journeycat) and had a prime seat on the aisle in front of Neal. I only wish I were as good of a photographer as some of our fellow Journey fans!

The two-hour plus show went faster than I could imagine, and soon I found myself balancing on a couch on a moving ship trying to take a picture of the final bow. The show was over, and in a few hours we would be docking in Miami and heading back to reality. We left the Rome Lounge and worked our way past the equipment cases once more as the crew began the load-out. Our wonderful week long vacation was ending. After a couple of drinks at the bar – mobbed with fans chattering about the show and cornering several of the band members for a photo op – it was back to our cabin and reflecting on a wonderful week in the Caribbean.

December 5, 2004: From Sea to Shore

Clearwater, FL
Ruth Ekhard Center

Back on land for my second Journey show in three days. A tip for you all -- don't attempt to sway to "Lights," "Open Arms," or "Faithfully" after spending a week on a ship -- you WILL fall over.

But what a fun evening. The night started with a quick gathering of Back Talkers before heading over to the Ruth Ekhard Center and discovering an amazingly talented new band opening for Journey -- The Road Crew Band! Stage Manager Rocko led the motley crew with Jethro on bass, Jim on drums, Brent on keyboards, Jay and Scott on guitars, and Brian also on bass when Jay went off stage and Jethro took over guitar. Rocko was quite good in the role of lead singer and rhythm guitar. They played about four songs and closed by saying "Anyone can be a rock star. All they need is good lighting, expensive equipment, stylish clothing [laughing at the crew attire], and four chords." And then launched in to "With or Without You," which morphed into "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "Just What I Needed," and "Don't Stop Believin'" -- which was done under a minor protest of "But I'll get fired." The crowd loved every minute!

A brief intermission while the road crew got back to their real jobs, and it was time for our boys to hit the stage. The lights went out and behind the stage the word "Journey" began scrolling across a light screen as the Intro began. The crowd was on their feet as the band hit the stage, but plopped right back down less than 30 seconds in to "Be Good to Yourself"... it was going to be a long night of chair dancing.

Despite the lack of obvious enthusiasm by the crowd, they did respond well and would stand up and applaud at the end of most songs before sitting back down again. The whole crowd WAS on their feet for "The Star Spangled Banner" as a red, white, and blue pattern scrolled on the light screen behind the stage. The band put on a good show in spite of the yo-yo crowd. Nothing new in the set list, and there was much smooth sailing (hey, my body still thinks I'm on a ship...) A couple of little highlights that caught my eye included Steve giving a little girl a high five during "Chain Reaction" -- she was probably about 5 or 6 and just having a great ole time. Steve gave her one of Deen's drumsticks after the show. During "Separate Ways," Jethro (Ross's bass tech) scurried out on stage and twiddled with Ross's mic stand. A few minutes later, Ross hit the squirting baby and squirted the first five rows!

By the end of the set the crowd was finally on their feet (though sat again for "Faithfully") and rocked out the show. At last, some enthusiasm!

Another enjoyable evening with our boys and now it's back to reality for a few days before RENO!

Until then....

Road Crew Set List:

No Matter What You Do
Rocky Mountain Way
Voices??
Born Under a Bad Sign
With or With Out You medley

Journey Set List:

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Joy to the World/Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Keep on Running -- Deen vox
Higher Place
Suzanne -- Deen vox
Lights
Walks Like a Lady -- Ross vox
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen -- Neal vox
-- Jon solo --
Send Her My Love
Open Arms
Mother, Father
Just the Same Way
Rubicon
Edge of the Blade
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

See ya in Reno!

December 3, 2004: Rockin' Roll Report – Journey on the High Seas

Caribbean Sea
Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph

Hello all – I've arrived safe and sound in Clearwater, Florida after a week sailing the Caribbean with some rock and roll pirates! I'll start at the end so not to keep everyone in suspense…. Journey Rocked the Boat!

Okay, there are going to be a few lame puns.

Our Journey boys didn't join the cruise until our last port of call – Ochos Rios, Jamaica – on Thursday afternoon, and nearly from the minute they hit the ship, they were the busiest 5 guys on board not working for Carnival Cruise lines! The ship set sail around 4:00 as all the rock and roll cruisers were getting in line for the hour long question and answer session that was to begin at 5. The questions ranged from the familiar – how do you pick which songs to play? To the silly – boxers or briefs? To the entertaining – what was your most embarrassing moment? Throughout the session the fans were very responsive and the band was very relaxed and seemed to be enjoying themselves. A couple of my favorite responses included Neal saying "We're only as good as you are." When asked if the crowd makes a difference in their performances. Neal also said he wants to "get bold" next year and do an extra long set – 90 minutes of new stuff including Arrival and Red 13, take an intermission, then do 90 minutes of the classic Journey.

From there the boys went off to the meet and greet for the platinum package people. I was not among them, but reports from my fellow cruisers say it went fairly well considering the number of people involved. Then it was time for the second formal dinner and my fellow cruisers and I went off to yet another delicious meal. Alas, none of the band was in our dining room. We had hoped we might get lucky since there had been a couple of guys from Styx (Chuck Panazzo and Ricky Phillips) at the Captain's dinner on Monday night, but alas, while we were dining in Paris, the boys were in London.

I did get an opportunity to see Ross, Steve, and Deen after dinner since they were dining a little bit later than we were and we happened to be in the bar outside their dining room when dinner was over. Really quite cool to run in to rock stars at random.

Friday night was waited for in much anticipation by most of the rock and roll cruisers – unlike Styx and REO no members of Journey had been on board, and everyone was eager to see them. (Though Journey's crew got lots of attention in the meantime!) People with the platinum package (the prime seats in the first few rows) had begun lining up as early as 12 noon!! Those of us with the "cheaper" seats would wait to line up around 7:00 – this was for a 10:30 show! Around 3:00 Friday afternoon, I was strolling around the shops on the promenade deck and needed to make a trip to the restroom. Not wanting to go all the way back to my room on the 1st level, I looked for the nearest restroom. It just happened to be in the Rome Lounge, which was were all the concerts were being held. Just as I opened the door to the lounge, I heard the opening notes to "Separate Ways!" Sound check was starting, and the crew was on stage running through a few tunes. A fun little treat.

Back down in the lobby about an hour later, and here comes the whole band marching through on their way to sound check. It was closed to everyone, but the sound bled through the doors pretty well and with the catering crew going in and out setting up for our cocktail party we could hear snips of songs as they ran through them.

After our farewell cocktail party it was off to line up for the access to the better seats. This is probably my only true complaint about the whole trip – the general admission seating was nuts. Cruise ships aren't used to having over 1000 people wanting to get into their shows all at the same time so they don't have a good way of accommodating them or to properly handle the seating. Each show was a different challenge to obtain seats.

Thanks to Jenn and Cat, I was able to squeeze down to the third row off the main aisle on Neal's side (from about the sixth row off the side aisle on Neal's side) so I had a great view of the stage all night long. This was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The Rome Lounge was very small and intimate, seating about 1400 people, and there were few truly bad seats in the house – some in the back corners may not have been optimum, but not awful either. The show was about 2/3 full – as had all the shows. The crowd was on their feet the instant the lights went down and the intro started to play.

It was truly Neal's night – he shone front and center all night long. With the size of the venue and the stage, everyone was very close. People were right at the foot of the stage and the guys would play right up at the edge – it was pretty incredible. At a few points during the show the crowd was so loud as they were singing along, Steve would get drowned out and just let us take it. The first time it happened was during "Lights," which was a highlight for this Bay Area girl! "Open Arms" and "Any Way You Want It" had similar responses. Jon introduced a new solo piece complete with a pre-programmed backing beat. Was quite cool!

No real surprises in the set list – Neal played a little of "Joy to the World" before the "Star Spangled Banner," Deen took part of the chorus to "Escape," which I hadn't seen him do before, and there was a cool new intro to "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'." Otherwise it was the same set list they'd played most of the summer. I did surprise myself when I nearly came unglued when Deen launched in to "Mother, Father" – I thought I had gotten used to hearing it live to the point where it was just a lump in the throat and a single tear trickling down my cheek. Nope, nearly as sobbing as I was the very first time I heard Journey perform it live! Ah well, it's my favorite song, what can I say? My one little, teeny, tiny gripe about the set list is that it didn't include "The Party's Over" – that would have been the absolute perfect song to end a week of surreal parties!

A few quick notes on the Styx and REO portions of the trip (I'll have more later when I can decompress and reorganize my notes!) Styx was up first – Monday night in Cozumel. Only Ricky Phillips and Chuck Panazzo were on the ship – the rest of the band hopped on in Mexico and played the gig while we were still in port, then they hopped right back off. Their Q&A session was very cool with the whole band launching in to their Christmas tune (alas, I don't know the name) a cappella after someone asked if it would be in the set list. They also sang happy birthday to another one of the folks – in six part harmony. VERY cool.

Their concert was amazing – I enjoy each opportunity I get to see them perform live. They've got such a high energy show, I'm constantly amazed that they can keep it at that level every time.

The guys from REO all got on board in Cozumel as well, and they actually stayed through the end of the cruise – I had thought they might get off in Grand Cayman or Jamaica as they would have finished their responsibilities by then. It was great that they didn't, and I kept running in to Kevin Cronin all over the ship – of course usually with out my camera or if I had my camera it was out of film! Such luck.

Their Q&A session was delayed because sound check ran long, but they graciously allowed everyone in for the last 10 minutes or so of sound check, so that was a nice surprise. Their Q&A went fairly well until one fan got rather rude and obnoxious when they didn't answer her exact question. They were all very gracious, but I know I and several other folks would have helped tie her up and toss her overboard. It was really uncalled for behavior. Perhaps the most surprising part of this was that Kevin Cronin didn't do all the talking. Neil Dougherty displayed a very quick wit and answered a lot of the questions.

Their show was a little more sedate than either Styx or Journey, and unfortunately had a bit of a lull to it when Kevin's monitors blew out 4 songs in to the set. While it was mildly entertaining to see Kevin have his shirt torn off by the roadies to replace the monitor, it meant that Kevin got to talk… and talk… and talk. This time instead of talking about the Playboy mansion, we got to hear him talk about the migration pattern of dolphins! The punch line of this tale was that Kevin's vocal warm-ups were scaring the dolphins. Out of this tale came another tale to introduce a new song they've worked up for an upcoming CD. It was really quite good and got a decent response for a new song. I believe it was called "Hard to Believe."

The show kicked in gear again after a set of Hi Infidelity songs and closed out strongly, despite the fact that the crowd had thinned out considerably as the show had started at 11 p.m.!

Lots of late nights, lots of rock stars, LOADS of fun. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone and would go again myself. There were some pretty major kinks in the whole operation, but for the most part I really think I got my money's worth out of the trip. One thing I would suggest to the Journey boys is to get on the ship earlier. During the course of the whole week I rarely saw any of the musicians on board get mobbed by people unless it was during a related event like the Rock & Roll slot tournament that Dave Amato won. Journey was on board for such a short time and was scheduled so tightly during that time that any time they were seen walking the halls or at one of the bars and restaurants, they would get mobbed by people wanting autographs and pictures. I hope that experience doesn't turn any of them off since I would imagine that would have been one of their biggest concerns.

Set list:

Intro
Be Good To Yourself
Only the Young
Joy to the World/Star Spangled Banner – Neal solo
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Keep on Runnin' – Deen vox
Higher Place
Suzanne – Deen vox
Lights
Walks Like a Lady – Ross vox
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile – Neal vox
-- Jon solo --
Send Her My Love
Open Arms
Mother, Father – Deen vox
Just the Same Way – Jon/Steve vox
Rubicon
Edge of the Blade
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

December 1-2, 2004: Rockin' Roll Report -- Cruise Diary, Day 5 and 6

Grand Cayman and Jamaica
Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph

While on the Rock & Roll Holiday Escape Cruise in 2004, I made sure to keep a diary on my laptop to record the events of the 7 day cruise so that I would be able to do a complete write up for my anticipated "Rockin' Roll Report" upon returning to dry land and available Internet access. Here is what I journaled and later used as basis for my two reports on the cruise.

Cruise day 5.

Today was the stop at Grand Cayman. After the late night before, Janice and I had planned our excursions for late morning. Janice took a trip to Hell, while I went snorkeling with the sting rays. The snorkeling adventure was amazing. Jumped in to about 3-4 feet of water and walked around with sting rays swimming right up to me and rubbing against my leg. VERY cool. The water was a little bit choppy and it was difficult to get balance, and with so many people in one spot it was next to impossible to actually swim around, so it was mostly hopping from spot to spot and bobbing in the waves. I DID get to hold a small sting ray and got my picture taken – I hope it turns out (even if I'm sure I looked ridiculous!) After the rays it was off to the coral reef for more snorkeling, this time to see tropical fish. The options were to stand in line to get off the boat or to just hop off the side. I chose to hop off the side since it was taking so long for the line to move. Between the waves, the life vest, the snorkel, the mask, and the fins moving around was a bit of a challenge. I suspect I would have done better with out the inflatable vest, but we were required to wear it. Deflating it would have just meant it was in my way. I got some underwater pictures of fish and coral, but after I swallowed a mouthful of water I took my mask off so I could breathe – only to get water in my eyes! That was it, time to get out of the water – which was like bathwater it was so warm!

Back to the ship and after a shower I headed up to the casino to get rid of some nickels. I ran in to Darla and Emerson, and Darla told me she had just entered the Rock & Roll slot tournament. She didn't do very well, but we hung around for a while and got to see ROCK STARS come play slots. Nearly all the guys from REO played as did Ricky Phillips from Styx. Naturally, this meant the casino was packed with people. I tried to get my picture taken with Kevin Cronin, but he kept disappearing. By the time the tournament ended, Dave Amato had won the $500 prize!

A quiet dinner with the gang at the Paris dining room and then back to our rooms for an early night. We're all pooped after all the activity the past couple of days. Tomorrow… Jamaica and Journey!!!!
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I debated with myself over whether or not to post this part of the cruise diary as it's a bit of a "Behind the Music" kind of scene, but in the end it just is what it is. It was definitely a memorable evening.

Cruise Day 6. 

Start at the end…. Just back from spending a good 4-5 hours in the bar with Neal and Ross. (And a bunch of other folks.) They were both totally plowed, though Neal much more so than Ross. I can't even begin to describe the whole scene – it was totally insane. After dinner we all decided to hang around the casino for a bit and see what was going on. Most of Journey walked through at one point, and so we had interesting spotting opportunities. After a round of slots, we headed over to the casino bar, where Jonathan was holding court. We chatted with Val and Butch for a while, then Darla and Emerson went off to see what else was going on. About midnight Darla and Emerson returned and told us to follow them. Turned out that Neal, Ross, Steve, Ricky Phillips, Dave Amato, and Kevin Cronin were all in the wine bar, so Janice and I headed over there. Cat, Jenn, Val, Butch, Carol, and Dwayne joined us a short time later. I spent most of the time talking to other fans, but Ross would stick his head in from time to time. Ross was talking about starting a movie career as either "the missing Douglas," "Dennis Leary's stand in," "Ernest," or "Billy Connelly" – complete with a Welsh or Scottish accent. Complete with impersonations of course. I was dying laughing. Carol knocked over her drink, which brought Ross back over to our section and more jokes and laughter. But it kept getting stranger…

At one point, Jenn and Cat tried to get Neal out of the bar and off to bed, but failed. Neal came over to our side of the bar briefly and was having his picture taken with some skimpily clad drunk woman and kept knocking in to me. That got an apology and then a hug as he recognized me. When the bar closed at 2, Janice and I were going to head off to bed as Neal and Ross had apparently disappeared. We discovered on our way to the elevators that they were just on the other side behind some pillars. THAT'S when things got interesting. Neal spent most of his time chatting with some of the folks from the UK, and according to reports from Val and Butch all references to Steve Perry were less than complimentary. Neal was also pissed that Perry's not coming to Hollywood, which while said in a state of total inebriation, was satisfying.

The crowd around Ross and Neal was mostly drunk, so it was pretty amusing. At one point a big haired, big boobed blonde that we've nicknamed "Stevie Nicks" came up to Ross and asked to have her picture taken with him. She THEN said "I don't know which band you're in!" Oy… Ross gave her a bit of a hard time about that in his typically goofy way. Some time later, "Stevie" was talking to Neal and he smacked her on her ass so hard everyone heard. Well, she was quite offended and stalked off in a huff. If you're gonna play adoring groupie, you've got to expect consequences.

I think I had my picture taken with Ross about 7 different times on somebody's camera. (Naturally, not mine having decided that after toting it around for 5 days that it wasn't going to be worth the hassle…. Color ME stupid!) Somewhere along the line, Val was talking to Neal about Hollywood and pointed out I was there and I got another hug and a sloppy wet kiss on the cheek – I suspect he was aiming elsewhere, but I turned my head just so…

By about 3 a.m. Neal and Ross started heading off towards the casino, so some of us followed them – I was particularly concerned that they wouldn't be able to find their rooms. Ross was in better shape than Neal, but not much. One of the few other sober fans sitting around the bar walked them off and disappeared. I can only hope she got them up to their rooms.

I did get one serious moment out of Ross… I finally had a chance to ask him what the 3 fingers in the air was all about – he reached under his shirt collar and pulled out a crucifix and said "plus one." It was a very cool and profound moment. Ross also made a comment about "ET", which of course led to "ET Phone Home" and… ta DA! SETI! Figures I go on vacation and get asked a question about SETI@home by a member of the band!

More on the Q&A and the rest of Jamaica later – it's 3:35 a.m. and I am EXHAUSTED… I'm glad I didn't follow Darla and Emerson down to my cabin at 12:30, but god I'm worn out.

November 30, 2004: Rockin' Roll Report -- Cruise Diary, Day 4

Caribbean Sea
Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph

While on the Rock & Roll Holiday Escape Cruise in 2004, I made sure to keep a diary on my laptop to record the events of the 7 day cruise so that I would be able to do a complete write up for my anticipated "Rockin' Roll Report" upon returning to dry land and available Internet access. Here is what I journaled and later used as basis for my two reports on the cruise.

Cruise Day 4. 

Another fun day at sea which meant a morning sleeping late and then sitting in the sun reading a book. It's really amazing what happens when you are forced to relax and do nothing! As we were cruising along I couldn't help but think – no wonder Uncle Eddie enjoyed the Navy so much… there is something very impressive about sitting out in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight – it really gives you a sense of how big this planet is! While I don't know that I'd rush right out and book another 7 day cruise again – the on board entertainment for the most part just isn't my thing – this is a wonderful way to travel. No rushing around, taking days to get from one place to another – in this fast paced jet fueled world, it's easy to forget that it's important to slow things down and take a breath.

Most of the day was spent killing time until the REO Q&A session at 6:00. None of us were hugely eager to get in line particularly early, so we just went to meet up about 5:40. Imagine our surprise when we could hear sound check going on from inside the Rome Lounge! We were told that there was a problem with the sound that needed to be worked out and we'd be let in a few minutes late. Well a few minutes turned in to 10 when we were finally told we'd be let in and would have to sit through the last bit of sound check – awww what a bummer! Once we were all seated Kevin said "Welcome to the matinee." Sound check is always a neat thing to observe, and it was amusing watching the fans snapping pictures and just generally enjoying themselves. We even got to hear a preview of a new song that was really quite good! When they finished, Kevin then walked to the mic and asked "So, got any questions? No? All right, thanks for coming!" To which Dave responded, "Where else are they going to go? We've got a captive audience!" Thus setting the tone for another generally amusing time hanging out with the band.

Once the Q&A got under way, it was a little bit different than it was for Styx, with the questions being asked right off the bat. The band was in a good mood and pretty goofy – much like Styx was. I can only hope the Journey boys will be as loose. Probably the most interesting question that was asked was by a woman named Robin who asked if any of their parents had pushed them to become musicians. Kevin Cronin gave a long rambling answer about how parents should encourage their kids strengths and if the kid shows an inclination towards music to encourage that. It really was a good answer, though not exactly an answer to the question. Well, Robin then basically told off the band – she was very rude and said "Well, thank you for that parenting advice, but you didn't answer my question." She then essentially demanded an autograph on an old album of hers. The band was very well behaved, but you could tell they were pissed off. The crowd was in shock. When Neil Dougherty (keyboards) got his chance to sign the album, (which I'm amazed they did) he said to the crowd "I can't tell you what the first word I wrote was but the second word is 'off'." The whole crowd applauded and laughed. Robin, being the obnoxious fan that she was, stood up and yelled back at hm something about it being for her kid and there had better not be any profanity on it. Well, excuuuu-use me! I swear to god I've never seen anyone behave so badly.

Most of the other questions were of the "How do you prepare for a show now as opposed to 30 years ago?" variety. ["Instead of getting drunk, we take time to know the songs." – Neil] Others included influences [Beatles – Kevin] and venues [cruise ship, most unique.] When are you going to play Europe [The bus got as far as New York and stopped – Neil] And the amusing, "Dave I heard you played golf in Cozumel and lost your balls." – which generated a run of off-color comments and much laughter.

Then it was time for the trivia contest, and since I know even less REO trivia than I did Styx trivia, I really didn't pay all that much attention. They didn't raffle off the pit seats, which I thought was very strange. We learned later (courtesy of Dr. Val) that some of the people in the platinum seats complained that everyone had the opportunity for upgraded seats and that because they paid so much money that they should get that privilege and blah blah blah. Well, I'm sorry you spoiled brats, if you'd bothered to READ the description of the cruise, it said "opportunities to upgrade seats" for EVERYONE. And, in my opinion, the people who scraped together the $1299 to get in the door should have MORE of an opportunity for the upgrades since they're NOT getting some of the perks like the meet and greets. (Grumble grumble grumble.)

After the Q&A we were off to a relaxing dinner since the show wouldn't start until 11:00. It's been enjoyable having a nice dinner each evening and our waiter Victor is a real hoot. We've been calling him Danny DeVito because there are definite similarities in appearances! The waiters entertainment for the evening was a conga line to "Hot Hot Hot."

We still had some time to kill, so Darla, Emerson, and I conducted some JPP business with Cat while Janice went to get in line for the show. We followed a short while later, but couldn't find her so just got in line with the rest of the crowd. While it was less insane seating and more organized, we wound up with slightly disappointing seats because they wouldn't let the "premiere" seat people access the many vacant "platinum" seats until after the show started. Totally ridiculous. We wound up with decent seats – about 5th row off to the side again.

The show started off pretty well, with lots of high energy, but after the fourth song ("I Can't Fight This Feeling") Kevin's monitor blew and he had to fill for a while until it got swapped out. While it was mildly entertaining to see Kevin have his shirt torn off by the roadies to replace the monitor, it meant that Kevin got to talk… and talk… and talk. This time instead of talking about the Playboy mansion, we got to hear him talk about the migration pattern of dolphins! The punch line of this tale was that Kevin's vocal warmups were scaring the dolphins.

They came out of the monitor mayhem and introduced their new tune called "Hard to Believe." It was really quite good and will be on the new REO album that is in the works. Unfortunately Kevin followed this with a tale about XM Radio and performing all of Hi Infidelity, which ate up another chunk of time. The band then launched into the whole album (I think.) Later in the evening Kevin wished a fond farewell to his guitar tech, who was leaving the band after 4 years to spend more time with his family. Quite a nice moment leading in to the acoustic set and Neil's comment "I never liked that guy anyway" – who knew Neil was such a goof? (Okay, maybe die-hard REO fans know, but I sure didn't.)

Unfortunately, between the lateness of the show time (11:00 p.m.), the monitor problem, Kevin's talking, and the playing of album tracks that were really for the core group of fans, the show seemed to drag. The crowd was definitely thinning out throughout the show, and by the time REO got to the finale, the energy of the fans was pretty low. The crowd, overall, was actually fairly sedate. To further lessen my enjoyment of the show – for a good part of it, there were a couple of women in front of me who seemed to think talking at the top of their lungs would enhance the show! One woman in particular was extremely loud. I was glad when she'd leave, only to find her back in front of me 20 or 30 minutes later.

When REO got to the finale, the houselights would come up more and more often. By the time they got to "Back on the Road Again" the houselights were up for nearly the entire song. Not that it was a bad thing, but it was just weird – I'm used to semi-darkness at a concert!

REO set list
(as best as I can work out, not quite as familiar with their catalog)

Riding the Storm Out
Music Man
Keep Pushin'
Can't Fight This Feeling
Hard to Believe (NEW)
Don't Let Him Go
Keep on Loving You
In Your Letter
Tough Guys
Someone Tonight
Take It on the Run
I Wish You Were There
In My Dreams – acoustic
That Ain't Love – [Kevin solo, acoustic]
Bring You Home (?) – [Kevin solo, acoustic]
Time for Me to Fly
Back on the Road Again
Roll With the Changes

Encore:
?? Unknown
157 Riverside Avenue

After the show, I was dying of thirst, so we went to find the nearest open bar. While I was waiting for my drink, the obnoxious woman who'd been sitting in front of me came up to the bar to order some drinks. Apparently, she was ordering drinks for the band (though she couldn't remember what they'd ordered!) and told a few of the folks in the bar that REO had planned to play two more songs, but due to complaints from people below deck about the noise, were forced to end the show early. Well, that's definitely going to be a problem if you're going to schedule a rock concert at 11 p.m.!!!

We then headed up to the Lido Deck for a quick bite to eat, and while we were eating, Bruce Hall happened by looking for food. We then ran in to Bryan Hitt as we were heading back to our rooms.