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'