November 8, 2005: Second Legendary Night

Oakland, CA
Oakland Arena

Two days, two concerts, two legends. Not two bad.

24 hours after seeing Paul McCartney, I'm on my way to Oakland to catch U2 for the second time this year. So very worth it. Since I was off work yesterday, I was designated to pick up some sandwiches for my friend Mary and me to have as dinner before the show. Of course, you can't eat on BART and, naturally, when we arrived at the Oakland Arena we couldn't bring food in. So we gobbled down our sandwiches sitting just outside the entrance before heading in to catch the opening act (one of the Marley kids, didn't catch the first name.) We made our way to our seats, but since the band was already on stage, it was pretty dark when we went in and we wound up sitting in the wrong seats! OOPS. Fortunately, we were just off by a few rows (too far back!) and when the openers finished, we wound our way down to the right seats. For those of you going tonight, the opening act was pretty good -- definitely more energetic than the openers in San Jose! Still, I'm not a huge reggae fan and the songs all kind of ran together for me until they played Bob Marley's "One World" which was the only thing I recognized (and could understand) of their whole set. I still haven't figured out why they had a guy waving a Jamaican flag for the entirety of their set. No singing, a little dancing, and waving that flag...

The openers ended about 8:15 and we sat and watched the stage change over. Unlike LAST time, Mary and I weren't with in spitting distance of the stage, but behind it. Close, but not close enough and we spent much of the night looking at the backs of Bono and Adam Clayton. (The Edge and Larry Mullen were mostly obscured by cabling for the lights and speakers... ah well.) The view this time, however, did allow us the ability to see the production and the whole stage which was pretty neat. It also gave us a slight advantage at the start of the show -- we could see the band walking to the stage from where we sat and as soon as everyone started hustling around back there, we were all on our feet. Still, even with this and knowing that Bono would appear at the far end of the ellipse and watching for it, I couldn't figure out just HOW he got there -- it was just too dark to tell. Oh well, kind of like knowing how a magician does his tricks I suppose. I'll just assume that Bono can appear out of thin air whenever he wishes to because, after all, he IS Bono...

They played much the same set list as they did earlier this year, though since I didn't take notes I can't be completely sure. I do think "Mysterious Ways" was played much later in the set the last time -- it was about the third or fourth song performed last night. The woman Bono pulled from the front of the stage to dance with him (okay, that's just cool) was from Kenya, and later in the show he handed her his microphone and told her to sing what I can only guess was the Kenyan National Anthem, which was a neat bit of spontaneous entertainment.

I'm not sure if it was due to the dramatic difference in my seating or just a difference in the crowd, but the crowd energy last night, while good, didn't feel quite as intense this time around. I mean, I KNOW that being front and center is a totally different vibe, but I just didn't quite get the same energy kick as before. The crowd did stay on their feet most of the night, sitting down only for two or three of the slower tunes. I will have to hurt the people who decided to leave during "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"... totally disrupted the song for me, which was really annoying. They, and the two dudes who returned from their beer run RIGHT in the middle of "Pride" just need to learn how to be considerate of the OTHER people at the show who are trying to stay in the moment. (grumble mutter grumble.)

One of the other benefits of where we were sitting was that, if we'd had binoculars, we could see what the next song was AND the lyrics. Seems Bono's not infallible -- he has a teleprompter at his feet! GASP! From the front, you'd never know as it looks just like the monitors set up on stage, but from behind -- ha ha busted! I didn't catch him looking at it much, and, in fact, it was kind of funny to see lyrics scrolling by as he was walking out along the ellipse.

Throughout the show, I was thinking back to the previous night and that U2 are the ones who picked up the Beatles torch and ran with it. The majority of songs in both catalogs have a solid foundation in the concept of loving your neighbor -- the Beatles a little more hearts and flowers, U2 a little more activist, but essentially the theme is the same. I also wondered what kind of response U2 gets elsewhere in the US. You can't be a fan of the band and not know their political leanings. The Bay Area is obviously a very friendly place on those terms, but I wonder what the crowds are like in more conservative parts of the country. Do they get it?? When they played "Sunday Bloody Sunday" Bono said "this is your song now America" which is true and completely broke my heart. While Bono was encouraging the crowd chant of "no more," he handed his mic into the crowd again and gave it to a little girl sitting on her father's shoulders and she took up the chant -- just chills.

The show ended much too soon -- sometime just past 11:00 -- and it was off to battle the crowds for BART. Took forever for a train that went further than the Montgomery station to arrive, and when one finally did it was only a 4-car train. Fortunately we were able to get seats, but really... (Cheryl, fix that will ya!) Finally home around 1 a.m. and tired in that good way I crawled into bed with a weird mix of U2 and Beatles songs spinning in my head. A nice way to go to sleep.

November 7, 2005: The Comforts of Sir Paul

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

I woke up yesterday mostly refreshed and recovered after a weekend spent doing as little as humanly possible after a particularly stressful week. A new week, start off with a new attitude (or at least don't drag last week back in) and it was going to not only be a short week, but a fun one too with two concerts in two days -- Paul McCartney and U2. Things started off pretty well until my mom called around noon to let me know my aunt Diane had lost her battle with cancer that morning. I contemplated not going to the show, but came to the conclusion that not only would it mean that the alternative was sitting at home feeling down but that it might do me some good. I needed an emotional boost before the day had started, so I definitely needed one now.

Since I was going solo to the show (everyone else I know with tickets are going to tonight's show) I tried to kill some time at work before going to grab something to eat. Concentration wasn't the best, so I just gave up and got in my car and headed off. I'd brought a book with me which I read during dinner and while I was waiting in the arena for the show to start. I'd have stayed longer at the restaurant, but it was getting crowded and I was taking up a table for 4 so I headed over to the arena about 6:30 -- well over an hour before the show was scheduled to start. When I arrived, the line was moving slower than usual to let people in. At first I thought they were doing a more thorough camera search than usual as there were signs posted all around the entrance lines that the concert was being filmed and that no cameras of any kind were allowed period! It turned out that the line was slowed by the fact they had set up metal detectors at the entry and virtually everyone set off the detectors (gee, go figure, everyone's walking through with either a purse or keys and change in their pockets!) Even more effective, once you set off the detector (like I did) you stood to the side while someone waved a wand over you and DESPITE another beep when it passed over my purse that was the end of it. Heck, no one even looked in my purse when I went through the door with my ticket! Rather pointless security wouldn't you say?

Once I got inside the arena, the doors were still closed to the actual seats, so had to kill some time and that was when I had my first celebrity sighting -- as I was leaving the ladies room, I heard someone say "well, we're thinking about a new album", so I turned and looked to see who it was, and it was Johnny Colla of the News. Well, kewl. I finally got to my seat a little after 7 and was quite pleased. It was the first time I'd ever had floor seats for Paul and while it was in the 29th row, that row turned out to be an aisle row, so there was a large gap between me and the row in front of me -- I could see the stage clearly all night long and was in the center in front of the sound board! Excellent! People filled in and I tried to read my book while I waited, but it was made difficult by the two disco balls spinning at the top of the arena. Oh my eyes!

8:00 came and went and the show hadn't started yet (where is Bill Graham when you need him?) About 8:20 the PA music got louder and a few minutes later we were treated to a techno disco DJ remixing a variety of McCartney tunes. Uh... yeah. For those going tonight, bring ear plugs. Trust me. That ended after a while and the video screen above the stage started showing WWII footage and TA-DA! A short film on the history of Paul. (Ear plugs again needed for the scenes with screaming Beatles fans.) Then the curtain was pulled back and the crowd was on their feet and cheering -- it was time!

Paul and his band launched into "Magical Mystery Tour", which I've always thought was a rather odd song, but it is a good concert opener. This was followed by "Flaming Pie", which I was very surprised to recognize quickly as I've probably only listened to the CD once in the last 5 years. As with past shows, the set list was dominated with Beatles songs and so many different thoughts raced through my brain as each one was played. The most frequent of these being that most of those songs are older than I am, yet they still sound fresh. In fact the only song of the whole night that didn't was the only cover tune of the night "Til There Was You," the '50s era tune from some musical I can't recall now. It sounded 40+ years old. The Beatles tunes didn't.

As I suspect most of you know, Paul has a new album out and he played 4 songs from it. I don't have the CD yet and have only heard bits from a VH1 Classic special I managed to catch a few months back, but I really enjoyed them. "English Tea" is a bit of a silly Paul ditty in the vein of many other silly Paul ditties, but "Fine Line", "Any Situation" and especially "Jenny Wren" were quite good. But, of course, no one was there for the new stuff. No one is ever there for the new stuff. Heck, only those 4 plus "Flaming Pie" were recorded after 1980!

No, what people wanted to hear was "The Long and Winding Road" (which zapped me straight back to the very first time I saw Paul in 1989/90 and spontaneously burst into tears when he played that tune), "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane," "Good Day Sunshine" (those going tonight, watch for the false ending[s])... and on and on and on.... And with the amazing age range in the crowd from the 20 somethings (including one who was wearing a t-shirt that said "Mrs. McCartney"!) to people in their 40s with their kids to people who obviously could remember the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (my apologies to those of you included in that category) it speaks to just how timeless that music is. Heck, I still have a vivid memory of being at a party in high school and someone putting on the "red" and "blue" albums of Beatles tunes and all my friends and me singing along. One of the few bands we ALL liked back then -- at that was 20 years after the Beatles first hit the US (and high school is now 20 years in my past.)

Now, unlike every other McCartney show I've ever attended, I was actually on my feet for a good 75% of the show (if not more) as the folks on the floor didn't sit a whole lot. (Wow!) It was fun to be up and dancing for a change, especially when some of those rockin' tunes you forget are in the catalog pop up. The show wound down, and of course we hit the granddaddy of all "na-na" songs... "Hey Jude." It's still very cool to hear 18,000 people singing along in unison and not missing a beat.

The main set closed out with "Live and Let Die" and the pyrotechnics were impressive, and HOT! I could feel the flames all the way back where I was sitting! One thing you are always guaranteed is a great production, and this was just more frosting on an excellent production. As the band exited the stage, I did a mental checklist of what had yet to be played and came up with "Get Back," "Let It Be," and "Yesterday" and guessed that would be the encore and the show would end. I was half right.

The first encore opened with Paul alone singing "Yesterday" -- amazing that such a masterpiece is only 2 minutes long. The band came back and launched into "Get Back" (me dancing wildly) and then holy smokes what a surprise! "Helter Skelter!" Maybe it's because I'm seeing U2 tonight, but all I kept hearing in my head was Bono saying "Charles Manson stole this song from the Beatles, we're stealin' it back" from Rattle & Hum. Having both "Yesterday" and "Helter Skelter" in the same sequence of songs does remind you of just what a range of style Paul has. He's so often lumped into the "silly love songs" category, that you forget he knows how to rock out too.

The band left the stage again, and still no "Let It Be," so duh, of course they're coming back. People seemed to grasp this and mostly stayed in their seats (as opposed to what happens at so many shows I attend.) The band came back out a with Paul carrying a US flag and wearing his "No More Landmines" t-shirt and one of the band members carrying a California state flag. Long-time band member Wix had a much smaller Union Jack to wave around. They kicked off with "Please Please Me" before lowering the lights and starting "Let It Be" by candlelight (more or less.) I love that song (and c'mon, who doesn't?) and was thinking of my aunt Diane through the whole song.

The show ended about 11:30 -- nearly 3 hours long. Not bad for a guy the same age as my mom! I headed out into a light drizzle for the walk back to my car when I had my second celebrity sighting of the night (yes, remember way back at the beginning I said the "first sighting"?) when I passed this pudgy aging hippy standing outside the door who looked familiar. I took a few steps on when I thought "Was that Herbie Herbert?" I dawdled a bit until he turned around in my direction -- Yep! it was. [For you non-Journey freaks -- Herbie Herbert = Journey's former manager.]

Set List
(as I can decipher from my scrawl, it's a bit messier than usual)

Magical Mystery Tour
Flaming Pie
Jet
I'll Get You in the End
Drive My Car
Til There Was You
Let Me Roll It
Got to Get You Into My Life
Fine Line [new]
Maybe I'm Amazed
Long and Winding Road
[can't read my scrawl]
I Will
Jenny Wren
For No One
Fixing a Hole
English Tea [new]
I'll Follow the Sun
Any Situation (I think) -- cool pyro
Blackbird
Eleanor Rigby
Too Many People
She Came Through the Bathroom Window
Good Day Sunshine
Band on the Run
Penny Lane
I Got a Feeling
Back in the USSR
Hey Jude
Live and Let Die

Encore 1:
Yesterday
Get Back
Helter Skelter

Encore 2:
Please Please Me
Let It Be
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)
The End

October 9, 2005; Last Generation

Los Angeles, CA
Greek Theater

Well, here we are gang, once again at the end of the official tour. Sure, there are dates being added in November and December, but last night's show in LA was the end of the summertime fun. And what a fun time it was...

I took off for So Cal yesterday morning after having spent all of last week battling the Journey flu I had acquired LAST weekend. Saturday was the first day I had felt semi-human in a week, and when I took off Sunday morning, I was wondering how on earth I would make it through a 3-hour concert on zero reserves.

I got to my hotel around mid-day and decided to rest in my room until it was time to pick up Leslie at the airport and head to the pre-show picnic. Cheryl called me just as I'd settled in and said "where are you? we're all in the lobby!" So, I abandoned my plans for a nap and headed downstairs to meet Cheryl, Teresa, Lori, Deb, Jenn and Barb. Imagine my surprise when we walked into the lounge and Caryn (aka Journeycat) popped out from behind a pillar! It was so great to see her at the end of the summer and get a chance to talk to her live and in person. Kudos to Cheryl and Teresa for dragging her outta Texas for the last show of the summer!

I visited with the gang for a bit then headed over to the airport to pick up Leslie and then over to the Greek for the picnic. A very nice, casual affair attended by many. I had been sworn to secrecy about Cat's appearance, but finally had to pull Vincent off to the side and say "stop trying to organize a group photo -- Cat's in town and will be here!" When Cat finally arrived, she was showered with much love as she so well deserves. Above and beyond all the wonderful things she's done for Journey fans over the years, she's just one of the most all-around special people I've met. Journeyland is poorer for her moving on...

Shortly before the picnic broke up, the band's bus pulled up and into the parking lot right across from where we had all gathered. The crowd of 50 or so people cheered and waved as they pulled in. Everyone went their separate ways to kill the few hours between the necessary 5:00 end of the picnic and the 8:00 start of the show.

By the time Leslie and I returned to the Greek, we had just enough time to grab a quick snack and briefly visit with folks as we walked to our seats. I wasn't holding out much hope for my seat as I remembered my previous experience at the Greek in the same section -- I was on the far aisle on Jon's side and was obstructed by the stage construction the whole night and hardly ever saw Jon or Ross. I lucked out this time as my seat was further away from the stage, but also further in so I had a very clear view. Whew!

My energy level still wasn't up to normal, so I intended to sit through most of the first set thinking that, well, everyone else around me will be sitting. Wouldn't you know it, they were up for the first two songs! Top it off, the first set was shorter than usual! Great! So much for taking it easy! Once they hit "Just the Same Way" I was up on my feet and never sat again.

Intermission came and it was time to present the bike to the 17-year old winner. Out on stage walks Matt LeBlanc (aka Joey from Friends) to make the presentation. That was kind of interesting, if somewhat haphazard. I visited with folks during the intermission, and sighed in jealousy at all the familiar faces who had purchased 5-star packages and wound up in the front row.

Heading back to my seat I stopped to chat with Leslie who was sitting in the first row of the same section I was in (Section A, behind the pit) and she said the seat next to her was empty, so I wound up staying there for the second set, and wow, what a good plan that was!

Shortly after the second set began, a crew of security walks out with Matt LeBlanc and his family, and they sat in the last row of the pit, right in front of Leslie and me (and next to Journeypals Diana and Carol!) Gotta say, from that point on it was very difficult to know where to look during the show! I'm pleased to say the whole LeBlanc family was on their feet and having a great time all night long which included singing along to nearly all the songs and a slack-jawed, bug-eyed Matt when Neal hit the "Star Spangled Banner." The only downside of having a celebrity in front of us was at the very end when security came in and stood in the aisle between our section and the pit -- completely obscuring my view of the stage during Jon's harmonica intro to LTS! Someone needs to be slapped!

The guys were really loose on stage and having a great time -- you could tell they knew they've got a few weeks off to be normal and so were just having a blast. Steve nearly took out Neal when he spun and dropped his mic stand. From where I stood, it looked like it nearly hit a few of the die-hards in the front row (and boy, do THOSE folks have some tales to tell!) I think my personal highlight of the show, however, came mid-way through the second set when as "Lights" ended Neal teased us with the opening of "Stay Awhile" (I about had a heart attack when I thought they were going into that) but instead it morphed into Deen singing "Still They Ride"! While Deen wasn't in perfect voice, it was GREAT to hear that song for the first time in several years. It's long been a favorite of mine and it just felt so right last night.

Once again the end of the show came all too soon, and somewhere along the line I got a burst of energy that can only come from a Journey concert -- I was surprisingly NOT tired and ready to crash. Lots of long and lingering goodbyes and hugs on the way out before heading back to the hotel and trying to find some place for a cocktail as the bar in our hotel closed at 10!

Up at the crack of dawn this morning for a farewell breakfast with Jenn, Barb, Cheryl, Teresa, Leslie, and Cat. As always, rehashing the night before. Leslie gets the gold star for recognizing a Neal instrumental over the PA (and 30 wet lashes for Barb who missed it!) My favorite part of my annual Journey road trips is visiting with and making new friends. There is never enough time to visit as much as I'd like, especially when we know that the next visit will be months and months away, but it is always cherished time. To ALL my Journey pals from around the globe -- it was GREAT seeing you last night, visiting for a short time, and having a wonderful rock and roll experience. Here's hoping we will meet again before the end of 2005 (Reno?? Anyone?? Hint hint hint...) and if not, back on the road somewhere in 2006 (Europe?! Major ROAD TRIP!)

Set list:

People & Places intro
Of a Lifetime (Jon)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon)
Mystery Mountain (Jon)
In Self Defense (Neal)
Walks Like a Lady (Ross)
Just the Same Way (Jon/Steve)
The Place in Your Heart
Any Way You Want It

-- Intermission/bike presentation --

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Ask the Lonely
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Chain Reaction
Lights
Still They Ride (Deen)
Every Generation
Jon Solo
Open Arms
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'

October 2, 2005: Happy Birthday to Me!

Concord, CA
Chronicle Pavilion

Wow.. Whatta birthday party!

I'm exhausted, and as it's just turned midnight, I'm officially another year older and feeling every bit of it. Gonna start tonight at the end of the show.

Another birthday means another time to reflect on what has been and what will be. Tonight when the guys launched in to "Don't Stop Believin'" I thought to myself "look how far you've come since you were 13." I then promptly burst into tears and cried through the whole song. I never cry during "Don't Stop Believin'." "Lights", sure, but that's about it. But as soon as Steve sang "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world" I was whipped back in time to when that was my lifeline. That I'm still here, happy, healthy, and relatively sane at 37 is a testament to the power of music. At 13, I couldn't imagine surviving so long as to see 37 years old. Hell, at that point in time, 18 was light years away. But I found something to hang on to, to see me through those rough years when the last thing I wanted to be was me living the life I was having. And now, all these years later, that dim light I saw at the end of the tunnel is a bright spot light shining for everyone to see. There will never be enough words or ways to say thank you for that. Ever.

Looking ahead, I know I'm in for some challenging times. I have several family members battling cancer right now, and the future is very uncertain. As in times past, though, I seem to have this new Journey CD to listen to and to keep my spirits up. Funny how some things just don't change as much as you'd think they will.

As for the rest of the day and night, well, it was pretty incredible. After taking in a Giants game with my mom, I headed over to the East Bay and the pre-show party at Matt's. Wasn't sure I'd make it in time, but the game was quick and the drive short. It was great seeing everyone and thanks to ALL of you for making my birthday memorable.

I treated myself to an ILAA 5-star ticket tonight, and was rewarded by having Jon and Steve pop in to the pre-show party. Woo hoo! Thanks guys! I wound up with a 4th row, center seat, which was actually even better than I expected. Most of the 5-star folks in rows 1-3 were over towards Neal's side of the stage which, while perfectly fine seats, seemed a little odd.

One of the nice things about having a bunch of people with high priced tickets, is you KNOW they're gonna be on their feet as soon as the music starts (if not sooner -- lots of us were up when the intro from Ross began!) Fortunately for me, the two seats in front of me were empty for the whole first set and then the two guys who finally arrived for the second set showed up, they sat most of the night! Works for me, no one blocking my view!

Nothing new in the set list, and Deen didn't sing again (probably should have told him it was my birthday party! LOL!) Deen did rock the house on "Faith in the Heartland" though -- absolutely awesome! The new tunes got a pretty decent response though, considering the majority of people haven't heard them before. As always, "Lights" was a huge highlight in front of the home town crowd. While the place was probably only about 2/3 full, every one sang every word at the top of their lungs for that one. There really is no place like home.

Once again "Every Generation" made me feel older than I usually do -- that Frontiers and Beyond footage just slaps ya in the face with the passing of time! "Open Arms" got a huge response, and for all that I'm personally tired of hearing it, there is a lot to be said for the bombast it generates. "Faithfully" falls along those lines as well, but there's still the 15 year old girl in me who would have loved to have a song like that written for her. Ya can't not love it.

All too soon, it was time for the encore, and lo and behold we had a special guest! Yes, Miles Schon came out again tonight to play with papa and the kid absolutely shone. Neal was beaming from ear to ear while Miles strutted on the stage like it was his. The kid is a rock star in the making!

And then it was over... To all my friends who got to share the day, thanks so much for making my birthday extra special. It's always great to spend it with friends. I wish we could have sat and talked for hours and hours, but it never seems to work out that way.

The tour is winding down, just one more date for me in LA. Can't believe how quickly summer has flown! Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Set list:

People & Places intro
Kohoutek
Of a Lifetime (Jon)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon)
Nickel & Dime
Mystery Mountain (Jon)
Walks Like a Lady (Ross)
In Self Defense (Neal)
Just the Same Way (Jon/Steve)
Feeling That Way (Jon/Steve)
Anytime (Jon/Steve)
Place in Your Heart
Any Way You Want It

-- Intermission --

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Ask the Lonely
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Chain Reaction
Higher Place
Lights
Every Generation
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' (with Miles Schon)

PS! Almost forgot -- they pulled the raffle winner for the bike during intermission. Some woman from Ohio won, so everyone else, you can go to bed now.

October 1, 2005: Rock & Blues by the Lake

Novato, CA
Stafford Lake Park

Yes, believe it or not, two reports in one day. This is what happens when Journey plays a gig at 5 p.m. 50 miles from my house!

So, let's start at the beginning. Back in August I got a tip about a Journey benefit show in Novato for the Novato school district. Of course, a few days later it was posted on the official site, so so much for my inside scoop! For those of you who don't know California, Novato is in Marin County, about 30 miles north of San Francisco. Marin County is the most expensive place to live in the Bay Area and as of a few years ago was the wealthiest county in the entire United States. That the Novato School district has to have a major fundraiser for their schools speaks volumes for the lack of sufficient funding for our schools. At least Novato can afford to throw a big fundraiser like this -- other school districts make due with rummage sales and car washes. A million years ago when I was in public school, California schools were among the tops in the country. Now they're near the bottom. It's disgraceful and infuriates me to no end. A well rounded education is the single most important thing we can do to ensure a better and more prosperous future, but it always seems like the schools are the ones getting the short end of the stick. Siiiiggh... okay, rant off, on to the show...

Well, perhaps a bit about Marin County first... It's an interesting place where you find Deadheads and million dollar homes, San Quentin and Skywalker Ranch. It's the home of most of the celebrities in the Bay Area (including a few guys we know and love.) It's a pretty county with lots of hills and trees. The concert today was held at a county park by Stafford Lake. I'd never been there before, but it looks like a very nice place for a hike and picnic. Hard to know for sure though, since when I arrived (via school bus from the free parking lot down the street) the place was crawling with people of all ages, booths for food, raffles, rides, two stages for music. There was a jam band playing on the main stage when I found Darryl, Jenny, and Hope who had arrived when the park opened at 10 and had successfully snagged a pretty good sized spot in front of the stage for everyone they knew was coming. After sitting through the jam band (obviously I've forgotten the name) we were treated to the "Unofficial Rolling Stones." A fairly decent cover band with a lead singer who looked more like Steven Tyler than Mick Jagger, but he had the strut and swagger down so they were entertaining. And as part of a $35 ticket a much better deal than the ACTUAL Rolling Stones.

Journey finally took the stage about 5:00 and the crowd, which had been relaxing and lounging on the lawn all day, surged up and packed in. I am DEFINITELY getting too old for the insanity of general admission. Actually, I suspect if the crowd had been mostly the "typical" age of Journey fans it wouldn't have been quite so nuts. The number of kids, however, made for an interesting experience down by the barricade. The younger ones, for the most part, were pretty well behaved. I kept worrying they'd get crushed in the crowd though -- definitely not the place you'd want your 8 year old to be! The teenagers, on the other hand -- well, they were teenagers. We had kids climbing on the shoulders of their friends (and then falling down on top of the people around them.) At one point there was even a girl body surfing the crowd! When was the last time you saw THAT at a Journey concert??!!! And the beach balls -- oh man the beach balls. There were dozens of them being tossed around in the crowd. Only problem -- the wind was blowing right to the stage so EVERY beach ball wound up flying to the front and most of them wound up on stage, many more than once. I know Steve had to dodge one that was flying at his head at one point. And I'm still not sure who was throwing bras on stage. It was kind of nuts.

While the day was cool and breezy, down in front with the crowd, the heat was fairly intense. I was grateful early on when Ross soaked me with the squirty baby. (THANKS ROSS!!!) Alas, I only got the full brunt of the squirt once -- could have used a few more!

We all knew going in that it was going to be a short set, thus the famous "dirty dozen" and a few friends. I was pleased that we got a couple of Generations tunes though -- "Faith in the Heartland" and "Every Generation." Those were the only two songs that the crowd of about 5,000 people were NOT singing along to. It was crowded, hot, and generally uncomfortable, but the crowd REALLY got into the show, so not all bad.

The highlight, however, came at the end of the show when the band came out for their usual encore of "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'." While the band was off stage, Deen's tech Jim brought out this small white drum kit from the side of the stage. When the band came back on stage they had two new members with them. Neal's son Miles on guitar and Jon's son Westin on drums. First off let me say Miles can PLAY. Wow, he was up there on that stage and acted like he owned it. Pretty impressive when you think of how many people there know just how well his dad can play. Westin did a damn fine job keeping the beat. Deen and Jon were watching him the whole time with big smiles on their faces (as was Jim from behind the stage.) And, as we've seen before, the "Na-na Girls" popped out at the appropriate time -- Jon's two daughters and some friends. A fitting way to end the show for the local kids.

Two down, one to go. (God, I need sleep...)

Set list:

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Ask the Lonely
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Chain Reaction
Lights
Just the Same Way
Every Generation
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' (with Miles Schon and Westin Cain)

September 30, 2005: Three Days, Three Shows -- Day 1

Marysville, CA
Sleep Train Amphitheater

So, have you ever had one of those days at work where you spend all your time putting out one fire while two more erupt behind you?? Well, I've had two straight weeks of that. The only things that kept me sane were popping Escape in the CD player, a bottle of wine, and repeating to myself "Just a few more days until your Journey weekend" over and over and over.

When I finally cut out of work around noon yesterday it felt like the last day of school -- woo hoo! I'm FREE! Off to have FUN! Now tell me, how many people think driving 150 miles in an afternoon (and then 150 miles BACK a few hours later) is fun??

But fun it was. After a rest stop at Roxanne's for an early supper, it was off to Marysville and show one of three in a row. For those of you who've never been to Marysville, it's about 40 miles and a million years away from Sacramento -- talk about the middle of no where! One two lane road leads to the amphitheater and you're quite sure you're lost by the time you actually find the place.

As I said, I REALLY needed a Journey show last night, and wow, did I ever get one. I think this was the best show I've seen so far. (Though Irvine still wins for best set list!) Leslie and I were sitting up in the first section behind the pit on Neal's side. Fairly decent seats overall, but we're both used to being spoiled with great seats. The nice thing about it was we really were able to take in the whole production -- staging, performing, etc. You miss some of that when you're up close and personal.

Of course, the down side of being further away from the stage is that you wind up in the (cue music) No Standing Zone.... Other than a few die-hard folks (me, Leslie, Roxanne and her gang, Hope...) not a whole lot of people were standing out by us. At least no one made us sit down either, so that was cool. The crowd was, as always, a bit confused by the first set, but I've really grown to love those tunes. Last night in particular, just letting the sounds of "Kohoutek" and "Nickel & Dime" wash over me was just the antidote I needed for all my stress.

They've changed the first set up a bit since I've seen them last in early August, and included two Generations tunes in the set. "The Place in Your Heart" (so great to hear that again live!) and "In Self-Defense" (much better live IMO) made for a nice change with the early years. Ross took on "Walks Like a Lady" in the first set, and when I looked around there were 3 teen-aged boys who were just going completely nuts over it. Don't know if they were going nuts just to go nuts, or if they were really into the song, but they sure looked like they were having a blast!

After dashing back to my seat from intermission, I found the crowd much more responsive to the second set. Again as expected. Still, the folks around me only stood for about half the set. While I would normally say WTF to that, having the two 6 foot plus guys in front of me sitting down was quite helpful! The guys were absolutely solid for this set. Everything sounded just spot on. There was no one particular highlight for me as everything went extremely well. The only disappointment being Deen not taking a lead vocal.

When they came out for the encore, Steve's intro to "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" was just incredibly sexy. Leslie and I just looked at each other and said "Wow." The show ended about 3 hours after it began and it was off to do battle with the parking lot and to make the long haul back home and try to get enough rest for today's show. (Didn't quite happen, I could use about another 2 hours of sleep, but must leave for Novato in about an hour...)

One show down, two to go...

Set List:

People & Places intro
Kohoutek
Of a Lifetime (Jon vox)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon vox)
Nickel and Dime
Mystery Mountain (Jon vox)
Walks Like a Lady (Ross vox)
In Self Defense (Neal vox)
Just the Same Way (Jon/Steve)
Feeling That Way (Jon/Steve)
Anytime (Jon/Steve)
The Place in Your Heart
Any Way You Want It

--Intermission--

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Ask the Lonely
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Chain Reaction
Higher Place
Lights
Every Generation
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways


Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

August 6, 2005: Journey in the Sierras

Lake Tahoe, NV
Harvey's Casino Amphitheater

Ahhh... one of the most gorgeous places in the world. I LOVE Tahoe. I haven't been to South Shore in ages, but it never fails to put a smile on my face. Gorgeous scenery, gorgeous weather... it's all there. Take the best of Konocti and the best of Reno, wrap 'em together, and you've got Tahoe.

So I arrived in town about 4:00 yesterday, which meant no getting to the pre-show party until 5. Cabo Wabo is a cool little place. Food was good and WOW the Waboritas were yummy! Very smooth and it wasn't until I was about half way through my second one that the tequila kicked in. Knew I'd better stop or I'd be a bit "off" at the show (not a big drinker and don't like it when the effects kick in.) Another nice gathering of folks from the Nor Cal area (with a few of those So Cal migrators) and lots of talk sharing stories and pix from Vegas.

The amphitheater at Harvey's is a fairly new construct -- well, actually it's a temporary set up in a parking lot, but they've only been doing shows here for the last 2-3 years. A very nice venue, and I had pretty good seats in the 15th row of the center section. There were a few light sprinkles before the show started, but the scattered clouds never opened up and we stayed dry the whole night. The clouds DID make for a simply GORGEOUS sunset over the lake. How can you top that -- Journey and beautiful scenery. (Hey! DSB on the radio in the Internet cafe I'm using! Woo hoo!)

The first set kicked off right on time at 7 and as I looked around there were exactly FOUR people standing up during the first set -- Kim, Lula, Frank, and me. We caught each others eyes at different points and stayed on our feet. Alas, the guy behind Frank caused a scene, so he was forced to sit down a few songs in, but the three of us gals stayed up. Ross has taken to introducing "I'm Gonna Leave You" by explaining the two songs we've just heard aren't the new stuff but is the "new old stuff" Neal is introducing "Nickel & Dime" by commenting how Rush borrowed a riff, but he couldn't remember that it was Rush last night, so a handful of us yelled "Rush" at the stage when he said he couldn't remember who it was! I also loved it when he said something to the effect of "Hope you're all enjoying the set, and if you're not, you soon will!" Heck, I was having a great time. I'm finally at the point where I can use shorthand for the first set! Woo hoo! I'm really enjoying these old songs, they really needed to be dusted off and brought back out.

The first set was a bit different last night -- Deen didn't sing at all! They went straight from "Mystery Mountain" to "Feeling That Way"! I'm guessing Deen must have a sore throat or something since a couple of people told me they did hear "Patiently" during sound check. Since they cut out the two Deen songs, they added "Just the Same Way", so that was nice to hear.

Intermission hit about 7:45, and I spent much of it explaining the show to the guy sitting next to me. He told me he didn't recognized the opening music and thought it was an opening act! Then he said, "well I'm here for the hits" and I assured him he'd hear most of 'em in the second set along with the new stuff. Of course, later in the show when "Walks Like a Lady" began, he leaned over and asked me "Is this a new one?"... Siiiiiiiiiigggggghhhhh.....

The guys snuck back on stage about 8:05 -- they hadn't even turned off Generations from the PA when all of the sudden there was the band! Lots of mad dashes back to the seats as "Be Good to Yourself" began. The second set was mostly the same as Vegas, though "Higher Place" was missing for some reason. One of the highlights for me was "Gypsy Queen" -- Deen was just ON. I loved it. Towards the end Neal started waving a towel at Deen in appreciation.

Since Tahoe is a big vacation destination for folks in the Bay Area, "Lights" got a huge response and people were singing at the top of their lungs. "Open Arms" was entertaining as the guy behind me started singing at the top of his lungs -- off key, naturally. Ah well, that song has been cursed for me from the very first time I saw Journey perform, so I've gotten used to having some kind of alternate entertainment! My "here for the hits" neighbor also revealed a startling lack of rhythm during "Separate Ways" clapping so severely off-beat that I really had to stare at Deen to keep my clapping on-beat! Steve let the crowd take a lot of the vocals for "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" and fortunately everyone was singing along quite loudly!

Trying to find a place to sit and visit after the show was impossible. Harvey's and Harrah's were both packed with people, all the bars and restaurants were mobbed and had ridiculous waits (or ridiculous karaoke!) So most everyone went their separate ways and have now headed for home. There are still a handful of us in town today and I'm sure we'll spend the afternoon rehashing another great night out at a Journey show...

Now, just wait until October....

Set list:

People & Places intro
Kohoutek
Of a Lifetime (Jon)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon)
Nickel & Dime
Mystery Mountain (Jon)
Feeling That Way (Jon/Steve)
Anytime (Jon/Steve)
Just the Same Way (Jon/Steve)
Any Way You Want It

--Intermission--

DVD intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen (Neal)
Lights
Walks Like a Lady (Ross)
Every Generation (Jon)
Who's Crying Now
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Out of Harms Way
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'

August 5, 2005: Front Row Vegas!

Las Vegas, NV
Aladdin Casino

 

Finally some free time and access to a computer that can access the 'net. (Horrible how addicted we are to these things!) Well, two show in two days = two posts. First, Friday night in Vegas....

I arrived in Vegas Thursday afternoon, and, as I generally loathe Vegas, I took my time settling in to my room at the Stratosphere. After a while, I decided I'd better go find something to eat, so I headed back down to the lobby. When I stepped off the elevator, above all the din of the casino and the piped in music I could have sworn I heard Journey playing.Well, obviously I was just in Journey-on-the-brain mode since there would be no reason to be hearing Journey at the Stratosphere. I rounded the corner and stopped dead in my tracks -- one of the bars was playing the 2001 DVD! I wasn't crazy! I DID hear Journey!

After lunch, I decided to check out the public transportation options to get to the Aladdin, so I worked my way out and down the strip. By the time I got to the Aladdin, I was dying of thirst and tired of walking. I got a water and found a place to sit outside the performing arts center before exploring around to find out where the 5-star party would be the next day. Wound up running in to Jim and chatted with him for a bit. I had a hard time leaving the Aladdin because I kept running into folks -- including a brief hello to Neal in the casino. 

Friday started off quietly and Lula and I kicked back in our room most of the day before heading off to meet folks at the buffet. Wow, great food and good crowd! Lots of visiting and eating before I headed off to the 5-star pre-party. When I was handed my envelope with my ticket in it, I about fell over -- FRONT ROW SEAT! Yes! This was the key reason I shelled out the extra money for the package, and boy did it pay off!

I got into the show and walked all the way down front and just couldn't stop smiling. By the time the show was over my face hurt! As at the other shows this week, there was an intro explaining the whole concept which has been recorded by Ross. Then the boys took the stage. Since most of the folks in the pit were 5-star, we were all on our feet the second the first note was played (if not before) We never sat down again. I've gotta say, being front row, dead center in front of Steve was just an incredible experience. Got lots of "one on one" interaction from the guys -- though I think the wave from Ross during "Of a Lifetime" was the biggest thrill.

Now, of course there IS a drawback to being in the front row -- can't really hear the vocals. Ah well.... the music sounded great, and I know all the words anyway! It was the same set list they've been playing, so no surprises. I did get a kick during "Faith in the Heartland" when Neal turned towards the side of the stage and started playing for Aja -- very cute! Not being able to hear the vocals, actually allowed me to notice a few different things -- Ross's playing on "Wheel in the Sky" was just outstanding! I kind of take him for granted, and was just pleasantly surprised at being able to really HEAR him for a change.

The guys were having loads of fun on stage as well. Steve would goof around with Ross's mic stand and he actually hit the squirty baby at the crowd! Deen was flirting with half the girls in the front, and generally being goofy behind the kit. When they hit "Don't Stop Believin'" Steve did something I hadn't seen before... he walked to the top of the risers behind Deen's drums, and started the song from there. Finally, when they came out for the encore, they started goofing on something, and at first I thought they were playing "Happy Birthday". I tried to think who's birthday it might be when the song morphed and I realized they were playing "It's a Small World"! Different kind of intro into "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"! LOL!

After the show a bunch of folks gathered at one of the bars for the usual post-concert party. It was really nice seeing so many familiar faces and getting to hang out, especially with the Brits -- you guys rock!

It was a late night and back to the hotel for a quick sleep and then mad morning of packing, ticket buying, and traveling. Ahh... Tahoe... what a lovely destination. (more to come....)

Set List:

People & Places intro
Kohoutek
Of a Lifetime (Jon)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon)
Nickel & Dime
Mystery Mountain (Jon)
Patiently (Deen)
Where Were You (Deen)
Feeling That Way (Jon/Steve)
Anytime (Jon/Steve)
Any Way You Want It

--Intermission--

DVD intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Higher Place
Wheel in the Sky
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen (Neal)
Lights
Walks Like a Lady
Every Generation (Jon)
Who's Crying Now
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Out of Harms Way
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

Seriously, there were WAY too many fantastic photos to choose from, so I just picked some favorites for this post.

August 2, 2005: Rocky Mountain Rockin'

Denver, CO
Universal Lending Pavilion

Hello from the Rocky Mountains!

Just back from tonight's show and, wow... better than Sunday indeed. My day started off playing tourist in Denver with my girlfriend from high school who has recently moved to the area. When we got through our museum run, it was over to Brooklyn's to meet up with the Back Talkers due to arrive. The planned time was 3:00, but I didn't expect to get there until close to 4. As we were nearing the restaurant, I look up and merging into traffic right in front of us -- a big silver tour bus! The only person I could see through the window though was Aaron... waving hi. When we got to the restaurant, we discovered we were the first ones there! zoinks! Since we didn't know how many people were coming and the ONLY person I knew on sight was Frank, we grabbed a couple of seats at the bar and waited on the rest of the gang. Dave and his wife [I'm sorry, I forgot her name], and Cubby arrived shortly afterwards and were soon followed by Wavid [a pleasure] and Sherri and her sister [thanks for taking my extra tix off my hands!] I got a little worried when Frank didn't arrive right away, but he eventually made it and we all had a nice visit before the show. 

We all headed over to the venue about six and wound up waiting in line for half an hour to get in... siiiiggggh... Much to my surprise, there were volunteers handing out Generations -- I guess the Mullen HS people had their own volunteers. After the cursory check of the bike (and entering the raffle of course) Ana and I just headed to our seats to kick back until the show started.I was kind of bummed when I got to Journeyville as the video wasn't running. But, woo hoo, they actually played it on the big screens the guys are using on stage. I had great fun narrating all the JPP stuff that's in there and pointing out many familiar faces. [Excellent job Emerson!] While we were watching the video, I saw Deen standing off to the side of the stage. He disappeared for a few seconds then came back with two sets of drumsticks that he handed to a couple of young kids sitting near the stage. The looks on their faces was priceless. Way to go Deen!

The scheduled start time was 7:30, but that meant the folks running the fundraiser came out to say a few words... including that it was the largest concert ever performed at the Universal Landing Pavilion.

(Yeah guys!) The show finally kicked off at 8:00 and, much to my surprise, the crowd stayed on its feet through the whole of "Kohoutek"!! Wow! That's the first time I saw that! Alas, they sat back down for "Of a Lifetime" and generally stayed that way until Jon encouraged folks to get up during "Patiently."

The band's video screens were having problems throughout the first set, but the venue screens were working great. The camera guys got some AMAZING shots of Deen singing...I was quite impressed. They did have some interesting viewpoints throughout the show, often showing other band members during a solo by Neal!

The first set was over in about 50 minutes, which really surprised me -- it's usually closer to an hour. Beats the heck outta me where the 10 minutes went.
 

I think I gotta learn "Nickel & Dime" and "Mystery Mountain" better...

The second set kicked off about 9:15 and went through the general set list they've been playing the last few weeks. Thankfully, they put "Out of Harms Way" back in the set, now if only we can get "The Place in Your Heart" back and I'll be a happy camper!

The crowd was excellent tonight -- extremely LOUD! The volume during the "Star Spangled Banner" was amazing, and towards the end of the show they were roaring over the band at a few points! I'm still having pangs of "oh my god, I'm getting old" when the Frontiers & Beyond footage is played during "Every Generation"... how has time flown by that quickly??! After that song ended, I noticed that Jon has a new roadie with him ... his daughter Madison brought out his stool for "Who's Crying Now" and pulled it back out later. I kept seeing her head pop up over the riser during the last half of the second set.

There are always a few fun moments watching the band perform for me. Tonight, it was seeing the smile on Jon's face as the crowd roared over the opening notes of "Don't Stop Believin'"... that's just got to feel really cool. I'm still not used to seeing Steve with a guitar, but it's getting more familiar. But watching him playing during the first set and then again on "Every Generation" had me flashing back in time to 1998 and the first time I saw Journey play -- wow, how far we've come! We got a surprise at the encore when Steve came out and said "We have a special request tonight" and they kicked in to "Ask the Lonely" (so much for my knowing the last 3 songs of the night!)

On the way home I asked Ana what she thought about the show and she told me she really enjoyed the first set! Ana is a very casual Journey fan (she uses concerts to bribe me to visit her!) and that she enjoyed some totally obscure music was just great to hear. (Okay, I did send her a tutorial CD after the first show so she'd have some clue what she'd be hearing.) Her comment to me was "they seemed to really enjoy playing songs that were more for themselves than the fans." I'm so proud!

My dear friend Ana Gloria and me before the show

And on to the set list:

People & Places intro
Kohoutek
Of a Liftime (Jon)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon)
Nickel & Dime
Mystery Mountain (Jon)
Patiently (Deen)
Where Were You (Deen)
Feeling That Way (Jon/Steve)
Anytime (Jon/Steve)
Any Way You Want It

-- Intermission --

DVD intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Higher Place
Wheel in the Sky
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen (Neal)
Lights
Walks Like a Lady (Ross)
Every Generation (Jon)
Who's Crying Now
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Out of Harms Way
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Ask the Lonely
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

July 31, 2005: Good Wine, Good Friends, and Good Tunes

Saratoga, CA
Mountain Winery

Welcome home guys! I realized tonight that this show was the first regular tour stop the guys have played in the Bay Area since the Arrival Tour. Yeah, there have been other shows in the SF area -- 2003 at the Warfield, this year in Oakland -- but they've not come through in the course of the regular tour. So, wow, go to a Journey show, go home and sleep in my own bed! What a concept!

But before I get to the show, I must praise Frank for the coordination of a wonderful picnic at Wildwood Park in Saratoga... what a gorgeous day and just fantastic gathering of fans from all over the dang place! I brought my sister-in-law with me (ya know, the one who screwed up my ability to see the first show of the tour last year by inconveniently marrying my brother during tour season!) and I think she's fairly well convinced that (a) I'm not the only crazy person who travels to see Journey [thanks to the UK crew for proving that!] and (b) the fans are a bunch of reasonably normal people out for a good time! Now maybe the rest of my family won't look at me strangely... To everyone who was at the picnic -- thanks for all your contributions. The food was fabulous and I sure hope Frank can do something with all the leftovers before he heads to Denver. (Alas, the leftover macaroni salad must go in the garbage since it's not gonna keep for the week I'm outta town!)

We headed up to the show about 5:30, only getting slightly lost -- hard to see the turn with the sun right in your eyes! I finally got to see the full video at Journeyville -- LOTS of familiar faces in that fan footage! Heck, I think I've got half the pictures on my computer! About 6:45 the bell rang to alert folks that the concert was soon to begin, so Stacy and I headed to our seats. We were further back than I would have liked, but the Mountain Winery is such an intimate venue (about 1,200 seats) that it wasn't awful.

Just before the band took the stage a voice came over the PA explaining the 30 years concept. I'm pretty sure it was Ross doing his "announcer" voice. Put a smile on my face right off the bat. It was the standard two part show with the older, obscure songs in the first set. I was on my feet when the show started, but other than a few other die-hard fans near me, that was it. Naturally, the ushers came and made us sit down. Siiiiiiggghhhh....

Okay, it's a winery crowd, I get that. They're usually more mellow, definitely more financially well-off (particularly in Saratoga!), but please, people... It's a rock concert... get off your butts! When the guys got to "Where Were You" I couldn't take it any more and was up on my feet and dancing. Fortunately, a chunk of the rest of the crowd recognized the song and were up and moving. I wound up having to sit again for "Feeling That Way"/"Anytime", but, thankfully, the second set was approaching and sitting was NOT going to be an option.

I really like the Mountain Winery (despite the lackluster crowds it often attracts) as it is a beautiful setting for a show. Before heading down into the concert bowl, you can look out from the hillside and see all of the South Bay -- it was simply gorgeous tonight. At intermission I was watching the last of the sunset reflect on the bay and the East Bay hills, and thought "Dang, where's "Lights" when you need it!" The concert bowl itself is beautiful under trees with a very small, low stage backed by the old wine warehouse covered with ivy. Because of the staging, we didn't have any video tonight, but we really didn't need it -- the setting was beautiful all on it's own.

Back in for the second set, and the "dirty dozen" and "some new stuff." Well, sorta. I couldn't believe it -- we only got TWO songs from Generations tonight. "Every Generation" and "Faith in the Heartland." Okay, I'm REALLY bummed about that and even MORE grateful that I got to the Irvine show. The crowd was kind of yo-yo-ing during the second set, but at least more people stayed on their feet so I wasn't forced to sit down. But what I really wanted to do was be down in the front row with Kelly who was just cheering the guys on and trying to get the crowd into it from her excellent seat. I don't think Neal minded too much that she kept getting in his spotlight!

Stacy was fascinated by Neal all night long, which I thought was just great. It's always fun seeing someone with a new perspective on things. Her comment -- "Neal is very dramatic" -- during the "Star Spangled Banner" kind of summed it all up.

Of course, the best part of any hometown show is when the guys launch in to "Lights." Okay, yes, it's one of the "dirty dozen" but they'd be strung up if they didn't play that one in the Bay Area. The crowd was singing so loud that at points they were drowning out the band. YEAH! As Dorothy said, "there's no place like home." Towards the end of the show Steve had an interesting new intro to "Faithfully" that caught my attention, but I'll have to hear again to describe.

The show ended shortly after 10, and we all said our goodbyes -- though it seems like everyone there tonight was either going to be in Vegas or Tahoe, if not both! So, guess we WILL meet again. I'm off to Denver tomorrow, so stay tuned for more from the road....

Set List:

People & Places intro [I still want to hear the WHOLE song!]
Kohoutek
Of a Lifetime [Jon]
I'm Gonna Leave You [Jon]
Nickel & Dime
Mystery Mountain [Jon]
Patiently [Deen]
Where Were You [Deen]
Feeling That Way [Jon/Steve]
Anytime [Jon/Steve]
Any Way You Want It

-- Intermission --

DVD intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Higher Place
Wheel in the Sky
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen [Neal]
Lights
Walks Like a Lady [Ross]
Every Generation [Jon]
Who's Crying Now
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

July 2, 2005: Idependence Day at the Lake

Kelseyville, CA
Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa

Happy Independence Day one and all (or near enough!) Finally home from a quick trip to Clear Lake for the show at Konocti Harbor (and a few subsequent holiday weekend BBQs.) A much more pleasant evening this year than last when the winds off the lake froze everyone -- temps in the 90s during the day and still in the mid-70s by the time the show ended at 10 p.m. Okay, that is one of my few complaints about shows at Konocti -- they start and end so darned early! Very strange watching a concert in daylight for nearly 3 hours! The curfew also meant they cut "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" a bit short -- they just launched right into it instead of Steve's usual intro and once we got through the first round of "Na nas" that was it! Ah well.

As has been noted elsewhere, the set list has changed from the opening show in Irvine. While I wish they'd given that set list more than just ONE gig to try out on the fans, I can understand why they've tweaked it. In addition to having an announcer explain how the show will work before it starts, the guys each explain a little about what songs we're hearing (thus not forcing me to wrack my brain trying to recall "Nickel & Dime," which was the song I could not recall in Irvine.) I'm guessing this is what Jon meant by "hand holding" the fans through. Fortunately, they're still throwing in some gems that haven't been played in a long time -- "La Do Da" rocked the house for one!

The show started close to on time and I was enjoying my 6th row center seat and up on my feet as soon as the guys hit the stage. Alas, not many others were. Security made those of us standing sit down around the time of "Nickel & Dime" which really had us all fairly pissed off. Fortunately Ross pretty much made everyone get on their feet as "Where Were You" started a few songs later, and we never had to sit down again. Shew!

The two set separation remained fairly well the same with the early era Journey leading chronologically to intermission followed by "the dirty dozen" and four tracks from Generations. (I spend a week learning all the dang songs and they cut 'em to four. Siiiiigggghhhh...) Deen sounded a little worn out, and when I talked to him after the show his voice was very raspy. He told me he barely made it through his last vocal before it gave out on him. I suspect the heat, relatively low humidity, and moderate altitude were all contributing factors. Poor guy was surrounded by flying insects for most of the show too!

I was also able to enjoy the wonderful fans behind me. I'm not entirely sure which was worse the woman who kept singing very loudly off key (by the time we got to "Open Arms" I just bust out laughing it was so bad) or the drunk woman who spent the entire show with her head between her legs in anticipation of the eventual, inevitable... uh... regurgitation. Siighh... it's been a long time since I've been puked on... (I have never more wished that I'd had beer dumped on me.)

So despite the annoying security early on and the annoying fans later on, I was able to enjoy a pretty darned good show. Steve definitely looked much more comfortable with his guitar for the pre-Perry era stuff (and one of the new tunes, I can't remember which, I think "Out of Harms Way.") I don't think they've perfected it yet, but a few more gigs and those early start of tour kinks should be ironed out. I do love that they've added "Who's Crying Now" back to the set -- I haven't heard that one live since December 2000 and the Vegas/DVD show! They've moved "Faith in the Heartland" down from the opener of the second set to third, which means they've cut the intro out and are using the familiar intro they've been using the last couple of year. (Bummer -- I love that intro! At least they're keeping the out though -- Deen just goes to town on those drums!)

I must say, it was quite fun singing along with the new songs -- there were about 3-4 of us who've had the CD for a few days and learned most of the words, and the guys noticed with big grins on their faces. Guess all that hard work didn't go to waste! When they hit "Every Generation" the video screens were showing fan shots from the Frontiers and Beyond video. Jon had introduced the song talking about all the generations of Journey fans. Looking up and seeing that familiar video of all those kids circa 1983, and suddenly I felt quite a bit older than I usually do at a Journey show. Usually I think I am still 15, but for some reason looking at that old footage last night really reminded me how long I've been a fan of this band because those faces were all so young!

Now, just 28 more days 'til my next show!

Set list:

People & Places intro (Okay I REALLY want them to do this whole song!)
Kohoutek
Of a Lifetime -- Jon vox
I'm Gonna Leave You -- Jon vox
Nickel & Dime
Mystery Mountain -- Jon vox
Something to Hide -- Deen vox (wow! whatta treat)
Where Were You -- Deen vox
Patiently -- Deen vox
Feeling That Way -- Jon/Steve vox
Anytime -- Jon/Steve vox
La Do Da -- Deen vox
Any Way You Want It

-- Intermission --

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Faith in the Heartland
Neal Solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
The Place in Your Heart
Wheel in the Sky
Higher Place
Lights
Walks Like a Lady -- Ross vox
Every Generation -- Jon vox
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen -- Neal vox
Who's Crying Now
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms
Out of Harms Way
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

June 28, 2005: Generations -- First Impressions

As I had attended the first show of the 30th Anniversary/Generations Tour, I was one of the first Journey fans to have a complete copy of the new Generations CD that was given out to fans attending shows that summer (Frontiers Records which was releasing the album had made samples available online prior to release.) Since the opening show was in Southern California and I live in Northern California, I had ample opportunity to listen to the new CD and thus report back to my fellow fans what I thought of it. Here's what I wrote.

 

Well, after about a dozen spins between the end of the show Sunday and arriving home after 8 hours in the car I've formed a few thoughts on the new CD.

First -- this is not your mother's Journey! This album rocks and rocks and rocks some more -- it's a much harder sound than we've been used to. The trademarks are still there, but if you're expecting something similar to Arrival or Escape, look somewhere else. The closest I can think of on this is Frontiers and only because of the departure that album was from Escape, and then only half!

Of the 12 tracks, there are 3 true ballads, but even they are unlike any others. I've always hated the term "power ballad", but the best way I can describe these songs is that there is more power too them -- stronger guitars and drums.

Right now, my favorite tracks are "The Place in Your Heart" and "A Better Life" -- both are just sticking in my head like nobody's business. Deen has the lead on "A Better Life", but it took me a minute to figure that out the first time I heard it -- I knew it wasn't Steve, but it didn't sound like Deen sounding like Perry. Actually, NO ONE sounds like Perry on this and with that constraint removed, this sounds like a new band.

A quick track by track run through:

"Faith in the Heartland" (Schon/Cain/Augeri) -- has about a 30 second instrumental intro before kicking in. The sample provided through Frontiers is the opening of the song and is a good representation of the song. At nearly 7 minutes though, this isn't a radio-friendly tune -- the end would have to be edited out, which would be a shame as there's a nice solo by Neal and some very cool drums going on.

"The Place in Your Heart" (Schon/Cain) -- This is a more radio-friendly tune in my opinion and a more Journey-esque song than some of the other tracks. Again, the sample from Frontiers is a good representation. The chorus is catchy and is totally stuck in my head. Has that great synthesis of Neal's blazing guitar and Jon's cool piano that I've always been impressed by.

"A Better Life" (Schon/Cain) -- A mid-tempo semi-ballad with Deen providing some fantastic vocals. A song about a couple struggling to get by, but in that "we can do anything if we're together" mode. Right now, it's making me think a lot about my parents who were "high school sweethearts" who've had a few bumps along the way, but will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this summer and are enjoying retirement and "a better life" now.

"Every Generation" (Cain/Schon) -- Jon takes lead on this one. I can't help but wonder if the "Na na na na na/Na na na na na/Na na na na na na" bit at the end was deliberate because it's cracking me up. Don't worry folks, it's not another "na-na wave" slow bit, but much more rapid fire. Sounds very much like something off of one of Jon's solo recordings (the vocal ones.)

"Butterfly [She Flies Alone]" (Augeri) -- A ballad that has a Tall Stories feel to it. A very strong showing from Steve. I just wish I could remember which Tall Stories song it reminds me of...

"Believe" (Augeri/DeRossi) -- With the "I Believe in you/Believe in me" chorus I would have sworn this was straight out of the standard book of Journey themes Neal and Jon must have at home, so I was surprised to see it's Steve's! Seven years in Journey, it must rub off!

"Knowing That You Love Me" (Cain) -- Without even looking at the credits I knew this was one of Jon's. Another ballad that is lyrically very much along the same lines as the ballads from Arrival, though with a definite emphasis on the "power" part of "power ballad." Bigger drums, bigger guitars, bigger backing vocals (with some amazing harmonies.) There is one image I find a little odd, but I let you all find that for yourselves.

"Out of Harms Way" (Schon/Cain) -- Wow... this one I wasn't so sure about from the clip on Melodicrock.com, but live it was amazing. Upon closer examination, I was surprised by the contemporary issues in this song. Journey's never been one to make much in the way of specific issues in their songs, but this tale of a soldier sent overseas to fight hit a bit close to home. With a cousin who was in Iraq for 6 months and my sister in law's brother dealing with PTSD from spending a year over there, this one hits me on a bunch of different levels.

"In Self-Defense" (Schon/Cain) -- Yes, I have the title correct -- right off the CD. This re-make of "Self Defense" from Schon and Hammer may as well be a new song to me. It's familiar sounding, but it's been so long since I listened to the original I really can't remember it. Neal's vocals on this are crisper than live, but that is often the case with recording.

"Better Together" (Schon/Cain/Augeri) -- Not sure how to describe this rocker. It reminds me of something, but I'm not just sure what. Perhaps a little Bad English and a little Tall Stories?

"Gone Crazy" (N. Schon/A. Schon/Cain/Tribble) -- The most non-Journey like song on the disk. Ross has the lead on this boogie-bluesy rocker. It's really hard to describe! I like it, I'm just not sure what it is. Appropriately, there is a sense of humor about it. Again Ross's vocals sound different recorded than live. I think the strangeness of having such a low vocal on a Journey song is part of the puzzlement.

"Beyond the Clouds" (Schon/Augeri) -- A prototypical Journey ballad, but with more oomph to it. Neal's solo is one of the most melodic things I've heard and is just a signature sound -- no one but Neal could play that. You get the sense of soaring when you hear it and you are beyond the clouds....

Now, off to figure out the lyrics to all these new tunes!