August 14, 2014: After Journey received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, fans in attendance reported back to the various mailing lists and bulletin boards about their experience. While combing through various archives to assemble this blog, I stumbled upon this post by Valerie Holek about her experience of the weekend. Since Valerie is the person who got me to finally act on my long standing idea to put this blog together, I thought it would be nice to share something from her. Reprinted here with her permission.
I will start my review from Thursday January 20th when my sister and I arrived in LAX. There were 11 of us that were to share a limo ride from there to our hotel on Hollywood and Highland. When we were all gathered together, we made the short walk to where the limo and baggage car were waiting for us. The chauffeur was very pleasant and even stopped at the liquor store and bought us 3 bottles of champagne to share on our ride.
When we arrived at the gorgeous hotel, several Journey fans were already there and the first one I was greeted by was Randy. After everyone getting settled in their rooms, several of us went to get a bite to eat from Johnny Rockets. The gang consisted of Cindy, MAK, Randy, myself, and my sister Rhonda. We all ordered burgers and shared an order of onion rings. The food was pretty good.
After dinner, we all walked around the complex in awe of how enormous it was and did a little shopping on the side. We took some pictures of the Hollywood sign as well. What a gorgeous hotel and mall it was that the JPP committee chose for us all!!
About 10 o'clock or so, it was time to get a good night's sleep and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the events that were going to happen on Friday!! We were all very anxious for the induction ceremony to begin! I awoke very early Friday morning, 5 AM! I took my shower and the other girls started waking up one by one, and we all took turns getting ourselves gorgeous for the ceremony. Well, as gorgeous as we could get!
We decided that it was a good idea to go get something to eat, and we (Chrissy, Rhonda, Cindy and myself) walked across the street to McDonalds. Not my first choice, but it was cheap and filling. I didn't realize that the star was that close to where we were staying, and I also didn't realize that it may have been a good idea to have gotten down there a little bit earlier than we did because people were already lined up and we knew there was no way we were going to get a good spot now! But we did the best we could do, and actually wound up mostly in the second "row" if you will, but we were so far away from the podium it was impossible to see very much of anything but the backs of people's heads.
We were all handing off cameras to some of the girls in front of us so they could take some pictures for us. We stood there for almost 2 hours before the event started, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had to! It was so wonderful to meet Journey friends that I have spoken with over the years and to see several of them again! One of the biggest highlights of the day was when the buzz of Steve Perry being there started going through the audience and I didn't believe it for a minute until I saw him myself! OMG!!!! I was in total shock!!! I have been saying all along that he wouldn't show up at all, and there he was in the flesh!! Some fans became very emotional when they saw him, but I just stood there in shock.
Nobody knew that he was coming, but from the rumors I have heard, it happened that he was listening to KLOS and two DJ's, Mark and Brian were there doing a live broadcast. From what I was told, one of the DJ's called Steve Perry a name and said something about wondering if he was going to show up. The story goes on to say that Steve Perry was listening and called the station saying he was on the 405 and would be there in a few minutes. Now, how true this story is is beyond me. That's just what was going around.
You can just imagine the uproar of the audience when Steve Perry appeared and what a welcome he received! It was great to see all of the Journey guys standing on stage receiving something they so richly deserve! Even if the differences were only put aside for a little while, they proved to the fans and to themselves that it can be done. Anything is possible in the world of magic, right?
The one thing that I didn't really understand was why only certain band members got to speak? Maybe they only had so much time and only wanted certain members to speak, but it would have been more awesome had all the band members been able to say something. Maybe that's just my opinion, and me but that's how I feel. Maybe at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that will happen!
It was such an honor to have been there, that I didn't really care who said what to be honest! Just being able to share in the joy they were receiving was worth every single penny. And I haven't even made it to the luncheon ceremony yet!
After the star induction, the JPP committee and members all went back to the hotel for the luncheon at The Highlands. What a gorgeous place!! Wow! It was so incredible to be there having lunch with Journey and all their family members they brought with them! I hope the guys got enough to eat because they were being bombarded by all of us wanting autographs and pictures! I got to talk to Deen Castronovo, Steve Smith, Ross Valory, Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto. I had my picture taken with all those gentlemen except Deen. Ross was so funny when he saw me next in line! He looked at me, pointed and said: "You want something from me, don't ya??" I said: "Well, I actually have something for you this time!" I then proceeded to hand him the "Ross Valory Rocks" button that I had made for whoever wanted one.
He looked at it and said "Thank you so much!" I got an autograph in my very cool book I brought along and had my picture taken with him. This one actually turned out pretty good!!! LOL We all know Ross is usually clowning around and every picture I have with him, he's making a silly face! Gotta love him, huh? He is the clown that makes us smile, isn't he?
After chatting with Ross for a few minutes, I saw there was a huge line for Steve Augeri and I knew that if I didn't get in it then, I was never going to get him to sign my "Stevenology: The Study of STEVE" shirt I was wearing! I had already had the opportunity to have Steve Smith sign it and he kinda chuckled at the shirt and what it says, then he very gladly signed it for me! I finally got a chance to talk to Steve and he pointed at my shirt and said, "I love that shirt!!!!" with a huge grin on his face! It made me very happy that he got a kick out of it! I got his autograph, but not a picture at the luncheon. They quickly whisked away all of the band members and we went out and had a very nice meal before getting ready for the concert.
Even though we had just had "lunch," we were still very hungry and we knew that we needed more protein to be able to make it through the concert and the after concert parties that were going on, so we went to one of the way over-priced restaurants in the complex called The Grill. We had a very cute waiter named Ken, and an incredible lunch that cost just as much as it did to register for this event!! LOL
After our wonderful lunch, we went back to our rooms and got ready for the concert. Had to do the hair and makeup just right, you know. I met a special friend down at the bar in the lobby before we were to get on our assigned bus, and we had a beer. A lot of people were gathering towards where we were to load the buses, so we got up and got on our bus and headed off for the concert of all concerts!
At the House of Blues, we all unloaded and got to line up and get in before anyone else, and that made it very easy to get a great spot standing on the floor very close to the stage. People were kind of pushing and shoving and after all the standing around we did and sweating because it was so hot in there, I actually was basically in the second row for about half the concert. I knew that past members of the band had been invited to jam, but when Aynsely Dunbar and Robert Fleischman both came out for "Wheel In The Sky," I totally lost it! I cried and cried! You can only imagine my reaction when Steve "Machine Gun" Smith came out and took over drums!!!! I'm actually getting goose bumps just typing about it!
A very wonderful lady and committee member, Darla, grabbed my arm at one point in time and pulled me to her sweet spot in the front row in between Steve And Neal and told me to save her spot, that she needed some air. Well, she never came back! LMAO I got to be in the front row for the first time ever in 18 Journey concerts! I was so thrilled, I actually cried a little bit! (You'll notice a pattern. …LOL) Thank you, Darla!!!! You have no idea how much that meant and still means to me!
Eye contact was made with Neal on several occasions, and I would just stare at his fingers and mouth WOW or OMG to him and he'd crack a smile and carry on. Watching The Rock God's fingers so up close and personal made me realize how very talented he is and how fast his fingers have to move! Holy cow! I never really knew until that moment! And Deen singing lead on "Mother, Father," "Suzanne," "Edge of the Blade," and "Escape" was almost enough to put me over the edge! Man, that boy can SING!!!!!!!!!
Before the concert had started, Journeycat had put some absolutely gorgeous long stemmed red roses on Jon's piano. I was very curious as to whom they were for, but I would find out soon enough! During a couple of breaks in the concert, Jon was handing them to ladies, or tossing them to the ones that were a little further back. I thought that was so sweet!! At the very end of the concert, he still had some roses left, so he came over to our side of the stage and was handing them to the girls in the front and second rows, but looked at me and didn't hand me one. I was a little disappointed, but hey, it was OK that I didn't get one and that's what I was telling myself. Well, evidently Ross saw my face when I didn't get handed one, and he put his hand over his mouth like he was saying… OOPS! He went over to the piano, got a rose, handed it to Jon and Jon handed it to me!! OMG! How cool was that?!?! I now have a rose from Jon via Ross hanging up drying and I will keep it forever and ever!
After the concert and diving for guitar picks, not getting a HOB Journey shirt because they were all sold out, going to the bathroom and then going outside to look for the rest of us, I happened upon Paul Stanley of Kiss fame. I knew he was there, but I actually got the chance to speak to him after the show! I asked him what he thought of the show and he said it was great! I told him I also thought it was awesome and that it was my first time in the front row. He said that it was cool I got to be in the front row, and to have a good rest of the night. I told him the same thing and then found my partners in crime and we headed off to the hotel for a martini party.
I didn't stay very long at the martini party because I was completely exhausted from all of the day's events and wanted to go back to the room and go to bed. The next morning, I awoke earlier than I wanted to, but that was OK because it helped in making my Saturday afternoon that much better by timing things just right. Read on.
Chrissy, Cindy, Rhonda and myself all got dressed and headed back across the street to McDonald's for breakfast. After breakfast, Chrissy and Rhonda joined several other ladies on a limo tour of star's homes and such and he took Rhonda and Chrissy to Beverly Hills where they went shopping and eating and had a great time! Cindy and I stayed near the hotel because we had made plans with Randy to hang with him all day and that's just what we did. Randy had slept in late and so we sat with him while he ate lunch and after that, we all went walking around the hotel complex and the Chinese Theatre where the handprints and footprints of stars are on the sidewalk. We took tons of pictures and walked across the street to take a panoramic picture of this theatre to the best of our ability. We looked in shops, took pictures of stars in the sidewalk, and went to the souvenir shop that we had been to once already and we were picking out what we wanted for keep sakes and in walks Lydia Augeri!! I was like… "Oh wow!" Very cool! Stay calm!! She's a great lady! I love her! Where's Steve?!! LOL I'm crazy, I know. But that's what was going through my head! Then it dawned on me that I shouldn't say anything because they were there being "family" and not "on the job" so to say.
Well, Steve saw us, recognized us and immediately said Hello! I was floored! He's so gracious to stop and say hello to us when he's with his family doing family things! He never ceases to amaze me! We asked him about the show and if it was as hot for him as it was for us, and he said oh yes! Very hot in there! I told him I had to ask, that I was just dying to know something! And he said, sure, ask! I asked him if Mr. Perry was nice to him yesterday or did he even say anything to him at all? Steve said: "Ya know, it's not about me. It's about you guys." I told him that I understood, and that I wanted him to know that the reason I was there was because of HIM. He put his hand over his heart and said "Thank you!" Then he graciously posed for pictures with Cindy and myself. It was so awesome!
We didn't want to take up anymore of his family time, but Randy did want to show him a picture that he got of him the day before at the ceremony. It is such a great photo that he wanted to share it. Steve's mother and Aunt were there and they wanted to see the picture as well. His mother saw it and said Oh! I have to have a copy of that, please! So his aunt got on the phone to his cousin and she handed me the phone and said here, tell her what the deal is and get email addresses so we can have that pic. I was FLOORED!! Holy cow! Here I am on the street, talking to Steve Augeri's cousin who also happens to be named Valerie! We exchanged email addresses and I hope she loves the picture as much as we all did and do!
We said our goodbyes and walked a little farther away and then across the street but by that time more Journey friends had spotted Steve and Lydia and they are so wonderful they loved every minute of it, I think! LOL Well, according to time frames, the same time we were chatting with the Augeri's in the shop, Steve Perry was down visiting the star just a few hundred FEET away!!!! Wow!! How awesome is that? That would have been cool to get to meet him in person, but I was very happy with chatting with Steve Augeri and his family. We then went in one of those little photo booths that you sit and pose for photographs and they print them right there within a couple of minutes. That was a lot of fun! LOL We got our pictures, and decided we needed to drop off our things in the room and maybe get something to drink. We headed back over across the street and back to our rooms chatting happily about what had just happened and that we were so excited and felt very lucky and blessed!
Trying to make a long story short (like that's gonna happen!), we ate an early dinner, shopped some more, chatted with other Journey fans that we ran in to during the day and by 10 PM, I was more than ready to go to bed because I knew that we all had to get up very early the next morning to say our goodbyes. It was starting to hit me that I had to say goodbye to Cindy and Randy very soon and I didn't want them to see me cry. We went back to the room; Cindy went to get a bottle of water. I couldn't sleep. I got maybe a total of 2 hours sleep after going to bed well after midnight because Rhonda and Chrissy were showing us what they had bought and we were doing the same thing.
Poor Chrissy had to get up at 3:45 to go to the airport even though her flight got canceled. They did get her to N. Carolina, but delayed another day getting her home to Connecticut. Darn that stupid snow we all had to come back to! Well, back to the morning of our departure. Like I have said, I didn't sleep very much Saturday night, nor did my sister or Chrissy. So we just got up. My sister and I tried to lay there in bed talking softly and not waking Chrissy, but she woke up anyways. I was telling my sister how I felt at that moment and that I just wanted to bawl. But I didn't, well at least not at that point in time.
We got around and completely packed and ready to check out and I went down to the lobby to say goodbye to Randy and any other Journey fan I saw. Randy got on his shuttle and away he went and my sister, Cindy and myself went upstairs to Twist, where the farewell breakfast was going to be held. We were so happy to see Darla, Emerson and Steve and even happier that they joined us at our table. The buffet was delicious there and eventually several other Journey fans came in to eat and say their goodbyes. This meant more hugs, more tears, more pictures! Ugh! Good thing I didn't put on makeup, because I knew I was going to cry when I had to say goodbye to all of you guys! It's always so wonderful to say hello and I always dread saying goodbye, so I just said "We Will Meet Again" several times! Mak, Rhonda, Cathy and myself all split a minivan cab ride to LAX and each went our separate ways at different airlines and it was a sad morning at that point in time. All I have to say about LAX is GOOD GRIEF!!!!!! Can that place be any bigger?? LOL!
Ok, ok… 8 pages is a little long for a review of such a fascinating weekend mixed with a little bit of boring stuff I did in Hollywood with my friends, but I wanted to get it all down on paper and relive every minute I could while it was still mostly fresh in my mind! I hope I didn't bore everyone to tears and I wanted you all to know how much you mean to me and that I always look forward to seeing all of you again and meeting new fans and friends.
To the JPP Committee: YOU ALL ROCK!!!!!!! I love you all!!!! Thank you so very much!!!! I can't express enough how thankful I am for a wonderful weekend and to Journey, I say Good luck and God Bless you all!!!!
We will meet again…on my heart it's written!!!
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