November 23, 2002: The End of the Road Again

Reno, NV
City Center Pavilion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Encore:

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