August 20, 2023 -- Oh It's 80s Night!

Concord Pavilion
Concord, CA

A few months ago my friend Barbara sent a message to our Mercy Girls group text -- she had a Groupon for tickets to see Culture Club with Berlin and Howard Jones at the Concord Pavilion, was anyone interested in joining her? It was a pretty good deal, so I said what the heck. Our friend Lora said she'd go too so long as she didn't have to drive. I volunteered to be the chauffeur for the evening, and the three of us made plans to go to the show.

I haven't been to the Concord Pavilion (current sponsor name "Toyota Pavilion") in over fifteen years. It is a major hassle getting there from the San Francisco Peninsula as it's over an hour-long drive without traffic, and there's always traffic. The absolute worst stretch is the last 8 miles through Concord on the one road that leads to the venue, and after a nightmare experience getting there for a Stevie Wonder concert, I swore I'd never go back unless it was my ONLY option for seeing someone I really wanted to see. Other than a show I already had tickets for that same year, I haven't been back. I've flown to Los Angeles and Las Vegas rather than drive to Concord to see a performer I really wanted to see. So, knowing it was a pain in the rear to get there, my friends and I set out early and arrived shortly after the parking lots opened and managed to get an excellent parking spot in the general parking area that was just the other side of the premiere parking. Score! However, we arrived so early we had to wait about 45 minutes for the gates to open! I can't remember the last time I was that early for a show (recent Matchbox Twenty pre-show event not included.) Eventually the gates opened and we got in with plenty of time to grab something to eat before the show.

One side effect of Barbara getting our tickets via Groupon was she wound up with extra lawn seats in addition to our reserved seats. After multiple attempts to get friends or family to take them, I was able to connect with my cousin Denise and she and a few of her friends took the lawn seats. While we were waiting for our food, I happened to see Denise walking past, so a quick hello and a hug before she headed off to get her spot on the lawn. 

While waiting for the show to start, I had to laugh at the various band t-shirts I spotted on fans in the crowd -- the Go-Gos, the Cure, Duran Duran, Human League -- yep, this was a night for us 80s kids!

Going in to the show, I figured I would know about half to two-thirds of the songs by each act. I enjoyed all of them back in high school, but none were a huge favorite. I was most concerned about Berlin because I could only remember the names of two songs off the top of my head, but knew I probably knew a few more, so I did something I seldom do -- looked up the set lists from earlier in the tour to see what they were playing. I remembered a few more songs after that and was looking forward to hearing them live.

Berlin took the stage right on time at 7:00 and launched into "Masquerade" which, once I heard it again, I remembered, so OK this was going to be better than I thought! Our seats were in the 200 section of the venue, so a bit further from the stage than I would normally get for myself and it meant looking at the video screens a bit more than I normally do. Not a huge problem except that during Berlin's set it was still fairly light out so it was hard to see the screens. It appeared they were playing a lot of their 1980s videos while performing the matching songs. Early in their set, I was a bit distracted when an owl started flying around! Never seen that before! Terri Nunn sounded fantastic and it was great hearing her on "The Metro" and "No More Words." Of course the big highlight of their set was THE HIT -- "Take My Breath Away" (obviously) and everyone was singing along. Berlin played for about half an hour and the stage was quickly turned over for Howard Jones.

Going to a show with two of my high school friends was going to be a blast except there was one problem -- Mary, our resident Howard Jones fanatic, had moved to Portland and Ana Gloria, expert in all things Culture Club, is living in Denver. Well WHAT a bummer to be heading to a fun show with out our two friends who would really love it and definitely would have come if they still lived in the area. I texted them both and asked "What song do you want a for a concert call?" If they couldn't be with us in person, at least they could have a virtual participation. With Howard about to take the stage, I did a quick look up of his set list to see when I could expect Mary's request -- two of the three were the last two songs of his set. Perfect.

After seeing the multitude of '80s band t-shirts and hearing an eclectic mix of 1980s tunes being played over the PA between sets I should not have been surprised when HoJo took to the stage with a keytar! I thought they were extinct! The other notable instrument on stage was what I could only guess at the time was some kind of bass guitar which was the strangest thing I can remember seeing because it clearly had too many strings to be an actual bass guitar and looked like a long stick. (It's apparently called a Chapman Stick and puzzled me all night.)

Unusual instrumentation aside, I was really looking forward to this set as I was more familiar with the HoJo hits. This was only in part due to sharing the exact same class schedule as Mary our junior year of high school when she would supplement her "Cure Fact of the Day" with a periodic "Howard Jones Fact of the Day!" I didn't recognize the opening song "Pearl in the Shell" (despite the fact that it apparently comes from his album Human's Lib which I had on cassette and is likely stuck in a box in storage.) This was soon followed by "I'd Like to Get to Know You Well" which is an excellent song to have early in the set. A fun point about midway through the set was when he covered "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo which was written by the bass player with the weird looking Chapman Stick, and an easy sing along for the crowd at the chorus. (I am shocked it didn't get stuck in my head all night!)

"Too Shy" was followed by my personal favorite Howard Jones song -- "No One Is to Blame." I mentioned this being my favorite HoJo song to Mary a while ago and she was quite surprised I even had a favorite! It's just one of those songs that hit at the right place and time and still has a special place in my heart, so it was fantastic to hear it live.

His set wrapped up with "What Is Love?" and "Things Can Only Get Better" which he tied together nicely by referencing a line from the third verse of "What Is Love" -- "And maybe love is letting people be just what they want to be."

Another break to turn over the stage for Culture Club. Lora was a little perplexed when she didn't see things getting set up as we had between Berlin and Howard Jones. I pointed to the big black curtain hanging over part of the stage and reminded her that headline acts have their set prepared and hidden while the openers perform. (She doesn't go to concerts as much as some of my other friends.) A quick check of the phone to see when to anticipate Ana Gloria's concert call -- second song in, got it!

Boy George (or "Man George" as he later joked) and the band took the stage about 9:15 and opened with an excellent cover of "Sympathy for the Devil." They really had a good bluesy sound to them which surprised me somewhat since I generally put them in the reggae-influenced pop category. Covering the Rolling Stones was unexpected (checking out the set list not withstanding.)

Again, this was a set list I knew I would be relatively familiar with overall thanks to Ana Gloria's undying fandom back in high school. When we all turned 40, I put together some mix CDs as a gift for each of my friends. One of mixes included answers to 10 questions including "What song reminds you of [name]?" I had to laugh when I looked at the responses for Ana Gloria -- 3 responses "Karma Chameleon", 1 response "Love Is Love." So, we all associate AG with Culture Club, but none of us guessed "It's a Miracle" as her song of choice, which she got to listen to through a muddy mobile phone connection. 

Boy George sounded fantastic, though he was singing in a lower key than he was 40 years ago. And of course he looked stylish as always with a red hat jauntily atop his head and an interesting jacket. (And of course fabulous eye makeup!) Though I must say it was a bit weird seeing him with a goatee. It looked fine, just different!

"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was a definite highlight of the set as it was slowed down and more acoustic than the original. I did laugh at myself while standing up and dancing along -- I found myself dancing rather like Boy George did in the video. Quite unintentional! But the biggest highlight for me was towards the end of the set when "Church of the Poison Mind" turned into Wham!'s "I'm Your Man." I'd been up and down in my seat all night, but absolutely could not stay sitting for that. Wham! was my first concert back in 1986 and "I'm Your Man" was one of two new songs they performed that night. I was already in an '80s nostalgia mood, so that was just a perfect tie in for me.

The main set closed out with "Miss Me Blind" and then we had to wait a bit for the encore. Not terribly long, but longer than I typically expect. As I has suspected, Boy George had a bit of a wardrobe change and returned to the stage now sporting a yellow hat and black and yellow jacket. The band launched into a cover of "Bang a Gong" which was excellent and towards the end of the song both Terri Nunn and Howard Jones returned to the stage to sing along which was great fun. It turned out that last night was the last night of the tour with both HoJo and Berlin. (There are a couple of shows left in LA with just Berlin opening.)

Terri and Howard stayed on stage for the finale -- "Karma Chameleon" (naturally) and it was a fun way to end a trip back in time.

The show wrapped up a bit before 11:00, but with general exiting delays and stopping for some water, it was 12:45 when I dropped Lora and Barbara back at Barbara's house and headed for home. A late night before a work day AND one where I needed to be in the office made for a bit of rough Monday, but all in all a fantastic night out with good music and good friends.

Set Lists (courtesy of setlist.fm.)

Berlin

Masquerade
No More Words
The Metro
Animal
Transcendance
Take My Breath Away
She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult cover)
Sex (I'm a...)

Howard Jones

Pearl in the Shell
Like to Get to Know You Well
Everlasting Love
New Song
Too Shy (Kajagoogoo cover)
No One Is to Blame
Celebrate It Together
What Is Love?
Things Can Only Get Better 

Culture Club

Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones cover)
It's a Miracle
I'll Tumble 4 Ya
Melodrama
Everything I Own (Bread cover)
Let It Go
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
Eyeliner Voodoo
Angel of Mercy
That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)
Church of the Poison Mind / I'm Your Man
Time (Clock of the Heart)
Miss Me Blind
 
Encore:
Get It On (T. Rex cover)
Karma Chameleon

September 18, 2007: An Unplanned Review

Concord, CA
Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord

Normally, I probably wouldn't bother with a RRR for this show, but there were sufficient things happening last night in Concord I thought I'd shoot out a quick report.

A Tuesday night show in Concord is not the greatest plan to have as it's a 50+ mile drive through the worst traffic in the Bay Area and ends with an 8-mile stretch of road that is always seriously congested before a concert. Miraculously, it only took me a little over two hours to get there -- including stopping for gas and to grab a sandwich! Gobbled down my dinner and met Leslie, Darla and Emerson at the show and headed on in.

I had expected Foreigner to open and they were really why I had decided to pick up a ticket for this show since this year I had planned to only see groups I'd never seen before (or haven't seen in 20 years), so I was quite surprised to see Styx take the stage shortly before the 7:00 start time! Just as they were taking the stage, Leslie tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out Mary Valory entering the show. Styx kicked it in gear and I looked around at the sparse crowd -- I'm betting a lot of people were expecting Foreigner to open -- and who should I see strolling down the aisle one section over from me, but Jonathan Cain! My turn to nudge Leslie and point. Guess he headed over after his little performance in San Ramon!

Styx blazed through their set which was a condensed version of every other show I've seen of theirs in the past 5-6 years. It was pretty good, though I think I've seen them better. Of course I was distracted quite a bit between people watching, checking in with friends via text messages, and getting interrupted by a call from work, so my inability to really get into the set may have been entirely my fault.

Between Styx and Foreigner, Darla and Leslie decided to go say hi to Jon, so I made a mad dash after them and tallied another "god I'm a geek" moment. Didn't really get to chat at all -- it was just a quick "hi, good to see ya" kind of thing. Was cool to see him in his seat through all three sets though!

I was really curious about the new Foreigner line up and was completely blown away when they took the stage. They kicked some serious ass! Truly incredible performance. Their new singer (whose name I've forgotten) was unreal and, in a truly surreal moment, looks like a young Steven Tyler including having a very compelling stage presence. They blazed through their hits and gave Jason Bonham some "rehearsal" time when they played a bit of Led Zep in the middle of "Jukebox Hero", once again confirming for me that so long as Robert Plant isn't singing, I like Led Zep. (I know, rock god, hero to millions, yadda yadda yadda... he sounds like a cat screeching while clawing a chalkboard to me.)

Def Leppard took the stage around 9:30 and, much to my relief, played a somewhat different set than they played last year. It was nice to hear some different tunes and the two-song acoustic set they had was fantastic. I'd heard they had a catwalk this tour and was wondering if they'd be able to use it at Concord -- forgetting that the seats in the pit are removable. They're about the fourth or fifth act I've seen use a catwalk in the last couple of years and I've gotta say, it really does add to the show. It's nice having the performers out in the crowd somewhat. Bolted from my seat as the last note of "Rock of Ages" played and miraculously was in my car and out of the parking lot in 20 minutes! (Last time I was there it took me well over an hour.)

Didn't bother to track set lists since I wasn't planning on making a report, but there wasn't anything too obscure performed. Did have a chuckle when Joe Eliot was introducing something from "High N Dry" by way of introducing Vivian Campbell and saying "he wasn't in the band then but he can play the fuck out of it" as I thought "Well, Phil Collen wasn't in the band then either...."

August 25, 2006: ... I Wanna Get Back to My City by the Baa-aay......

Concord, CA
Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord

... I wanna get back to my city by the baa-aay ...
 
WOW! Hometown crowd -- SOLD OUT! Or at least darned close to it. When we arrived at the Concord Pavilion (or whatever the heck they call it these days) we heard security at the box office repeating "The lawn is sold out." From my seat, looked like all the reserved seats were too -- 12,000 people! Woo hoo! Can't wait to see the crowd tomorrow night at Shoreline since I know as of a few days ago only lawn seats were available (22,000 capacity!)

The opening act -- Stoll Vaughn -- did his 15 minute set as before and both Jon and Ross came out to join him on his final song -- Jon on harmonica and Ross on a stand up electric bass.

Unlike my Denver experience the crowd was more evenly divided between Journey fans and Def Leppard fans -- okay, so it helps to be in the band's hometown (or thereabouts.)

I was really impressed by Jeff Scott Soto tonight. He sounded MUCH better than he did in Denver -- I was really amazed. I still think he's better suited for the rockers than the mid-tempo songs, but tonight they sounded closer to what I expect from a Journey show. Deen once again took the ballads and I was thrilled with that -- he has really done a great job of it.

The show started out with a few interesting moments -- Jon stepped on Ross's cord during "Stone in Love" and while Ross did not come unplugged, he was stuck trying to walk across the stage. Typical Ross just made goofy faces and pretended to try and drag Jon along. JSS had problems with his mic during "Keep on Runnin'," but it was quickly fixed.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear "Dead or Alive" tonight -- that song is just so darned FAST and Neal's fingers were just FLYING! :eek: There was a great shot of Ross goofing off during "Faithfully" ("we all need clowns...") When the guys came back out for the encore, Neal was cordless and racing all along the stage! Guess the DL guys are rubbing off a little!

Def Leppard's set tonight was also improved from Denver -- I could actually hear the vocals! Still gotta learn all the words though -- I keep missing parts of the verses.

Set Lists:

Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Ask the Lonely
Wheel in the Sky
Keep on Runnin'
Edge of the Blade
Who's Crying Now -- Deen vox
Chain Reaction
Lights (WOO HOO! Great crowd!)
-- Jon solo --
Open Arms -- Deen vox
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Escape
Dead or Alive
Jon mini-solo
Faithfully -- Deen vox
Don't Stop Believin'
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Separate Ways

Def Leppard
(for those who haven't seen a show yet, though god knows it's late enough in the tour....)

Let's Get Rocked
Let it Rock
Promises
Bringing on the Heartbreak
Foolin'
Hysteria
--Happy Birthday to Vivian
20th Century Boy (new, cover)
bass solo
Rock On (new, cover)
Rocket
Photograph
Armageddon It
Animal
Rock of Ages

Encore:
Love Bites
Pour Some Sugar on Me

June 6, 2006: Special Bruce Springsteen Edition: The Seeger Sessions

Concord, CA
Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord

Wow, whatta night! Bruce always puts on an amazing show, and last night was no exception! Before I get into the show though, a little background. When my mother was in high school in the late 1950s, she was a big fan of the early folk music scene. Subsequently when I was growing up in the early 1970s I was constantly hearing The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Limelighters, and many other folk albums of the '50s and '60s. It became part of my musical fabric. Leap forward in time to the early '80s when I first hear "Hungry Heart" and "Atlantic City" and file them in my memory bank as great songs with out really paying attention to who performed them. 1984/85 -- Born in the USA hits and like pretty much everyone else that year the phenomenon that is Bruce Springsteen is burned on my brain. I eventually worked my way to the back catalog and realized more and more what a truly amazing songwriter Springsteen is, or perhaps more accurately, what an amazing storyteller he is. His songs always capture such a slice of life and have vivid characters and images, it's no wonder that his music has become the subject of college courses around the country. His songs are folk songs to a rock and roll beat.

So, with all of that hodgepodge, when it was announced that Bruce was releasing an album in tribute to the legendary folk singer, Pete Seeger, I was eager with anticipation. The album did not disappoint -- my first impression stayed true through repeated listenings. It is a joyful album, even when you realize that some of the subject matter isn't all that joyful. It is very celebratory and I can't help but to dance and sing along as I listen to it.

Mercifully, the gods were with me this year and among a spate of shows in June the Springsteen show got scheduled for a date BEFORE I leave the country. I think I probably would have jumped off a bridge if I'd missed this show in addition to the 5-6 other shows happening in June that I won't be seeing. Of course, conversely the timing wasn't that great either since I had a training class yesterday morning which meant I didn't arrive at work until 11:30 and with the show in Concord AND the tickets being Will Call Only it meant leaving work at 4:15. So much for getting the To Do list crossed off before vacation.

Two hours and 15 minutes after I left work, I arrived in Concord (ugh -- traffic!), picked up my ticket, and headed inside to wait for the show to start. While I was waiting, I did a little crowd watching and imagine my surprise when I turned my head to see Joan Baez walking past me to her seat in the next section (just 4 rows in front of my seat -- oh yeah, did I mention this was the best seat I've EVER had to see Springsteen?! WOO HOO!) She got in unrecognized until about a half hour later when she returned to her seat from a different direction (I think she was coming from the back stage area as she joined Bruce on stage during the encore) when people saw her walking along and started applauding and cheering. I'm sure the folks up on the lawn were wondering what the hell was going on as it was quite obvious the show hadn't started yet!

The show was scheduled for 7:30, but Bruce and his 16-piece band didn't hit the stage until after 8:00. The band was absolutely unbelievable and, with one exception at the end of the show, all the instruments were acoustic. And if you think a show that featured solos on banjo, violin, accordian, and tuba (or possibly a sousaphone) can't possibly be a rock show, well I'm here to tell ya to think again! This band was incredible and, like the album, the music was joyful.

The show opened up with "John Henry" and people were on their feet in an instant singing along. For the most part, the crowd in the lower section (where I was) was on their feet for about 75% of the show, but I will say I did enjoy it when, towards the end of the show, Bruce said "Get your Concordian asses out of those Bay Arean seats! I can see you!" and pretty much hassled the crowd in the upper section to move!

Most of the songs were from the Seeger Sessions album, with a few other folk songs thrown in ("Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)", the first song of the encore, got a HUGE response from the crowd and is the featured downloadable video at AOL Music.) There were also reworked versions of Springsteen originals -- "Atlantic City" appeared early in the set and was a much more up tempo kind of song than the quiet of the original (and definitely one of my favorite songs!) The title track from Devils & Dust worked perfectly in the set. "Ramrod" was totally unrecognizable as a funked up reggae flavored tune. (Completely unexplainable what it sounded like.) And then there was the guy playing, I kid you not, a washboard (strapped to his chest) with what appeared to be spoons for "You Can Look, But You Better Not Touch", definitely Springsteen as you've never heard before!

There were many sing-along parts and songs that had multiple false endings as Bruce egged the audience on for more and more participation. He was going to keep us there and singing the same song over and over until we were singing loud enough for his satisfaction. One of his biggest talents has always been the ability to work the audience into a frenzy and keep that energy running for hours at a time. Last night was no exception. Though there were points where the show slowed down for quieter songs, the energy ramped back up pretty quickly. You know performing is something he loves and it shows.

I only had a couple of quibbles with the whole night. When Bruce sang "We Shall Overcome" it was a quiet part of the show. That's a song that cries for singing along, but the way it was presented did not allow for that. While I'm far too young to remember the civil rights movement, that song is very powerful and has, for as long as I can remember, put a lump in my throat. Bruce alluded to that power when he introduced the song, and it was disappointing that it wasn't incorporated into the show better.

A similar situation arose when he sang "When the Saints Go Marching In." This is a song that EVERYONE knows, but he slowed the tempo down and stretched out the chorus which made it difficult to sing along.

And then there was Tweedledee and Tweedledum -- drunken twin brothers sitting a few rows behind me who found it necessary to shout "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce" in the middle of virtually every song!! I wanted to smack the shit out of 'em.

The show finally wound down around 11:00 and I left hearing comments like "that was awesome for an acoustic show." Yeah, it may have been acoustic, but it wasn't quiet! The songs may have been folk songs, but the show was pure rock and roll. This is probably the 4th or 5th Springsteen show I've seen and as with every previous show I left exhausted and renewed. Hands down, he puts on the most consistently excellent shows I've ever seen. While it wasn't quite that musical nirvana when all things align for that "one true show" of ultimate perfection, it came pretty darned close.

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.

November 2, 2002: Bone Bash III

Concord, CA
Chronicle Pavilion

Hello one and all, your intrepid roving reporter here, stone deaf after last night's Bone Bash. The Bone Bash is an annual concert sponsored by one of the local classic rock stations -- 107.7 "The Bone" (known to those who pay attention to call letters as KSAN.) This was the biggest show they've sponsored to date with 4 bands on the lineup -- Montrose, Y&T, Joe Satriani, and, of course, our beloved Journey.

I got to Concord about 4 so that I'd have time to visit with fellow Journey fans before Montrose hit the stage at 5. I spent some time visiting with people, and when Montrose hit the stage some went in to watch and I went to grab something to eat. (I'd seen Montrose recently and once was really sufficient.)

Y&T hit the stage about 6:05, and I wanted to see them so went in and grabbed my seat in the third row. To be honest, I thought I knew Y&T better than it turned out I did, so I left about halfway through their set to use the bathroom and check out the swag table. They had T-shirts from the Hawaii show and a new pin I hadn't seen before (a winged scarab) so I picked that up.

I definitely wanted to see Joe Satriani, so when Y&T ended, I swam upstream back towards my seat. Visited with more friends between sets and then Satriani hit the stage. He's just amazing to watch. I really must go see him again.

Finally, around 9:15 Journey hit the stage. I knew they would be playing a shortened set since there were 4 bands and an 11 pm curfew. Plus the Bone had been advertising a "guitar god encore," so Journey was going to be a bit squeezed between all of that. They took the stage and launched right into "Red 13/State of Grace," and the place went wild. The Chronicle Pavilion is fairly strict about who gets to the front row -- you must have a wristband to be in the front row and up against the stage. This makes it next to impossible for people to come down the aisles and into the front, but it doesn't stop chair crawling. So there was a bit of clamoring the first few songs as people tried to get closer to the stage.

The set turned out to be even shorter than I had expected it to be, so when they started in on "Wheel in the Sky," I was surprised! During "Be Good To Yourself" I noticed several members of the road crew running around, and when the song ended, Deen didn't come up front to take a bow with the rest of the guys. When the band came back on stage for their encore, Neal said that Deen had the flu and couldn't finish the encore. Deen's drum tech, Jim, filled in for "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'."

They left the stage again about 10:45, and the road crew brought out a couple of monitors for the grand finale. A few minutes passed and the guys (with out Deen) came back out on stage and were joined by Dave Meneketi (Y&T), Joe Satriani, the guitarist from Testament (a metal band that had played on the side stage before the main show) and the drummer from Y&T. They launched into a rockin' cover of Led Zepplin's "Rock and Roll."

The show ended and I was exhausted and had a loud ringing in my ear... a good night!

[Short]Set List:

Intro/State of Grace
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
-- Neal Solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Lights
Feeling That Way
Anytime
The Time
Don't Stop Believin'
Chain Reaction
Faithfully
Escape
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:

Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

August 14-15, 1999: No Place Like Home

Concord and Sacramento, CA
Concord Pavilion and Hornet Field

There's no place like home.... 

Took the day off to recover (rejoice, reflect) from back to back to back shows this weekend. Friday night a friend and I went to see REM, and I never thought I'd see the day when REM had more lights on stage than Journey. Making a mental note for future tours, don't schedule a non-Journey show the same week as a Journey show... it just pales in comparison.

So on to the true reason for this post... Journey was home in the Bay Area once again. What a marvelous weekend. For starters, I want to publicly thank fellow-Joureyfester Leslie and her husband Todd for hosting a mini-fest BBQ in her back yard! She took me on my word that the various and sundry Journey-ers that I've met over the past year or so would not trash her home and welcomed the seven or eight of us with open arms. And it was so nice to see that the RawkDawg was housebroken.

After our lovely BBQ, we made the quick drive over to the Concord Pavilion for the evening's festivities.  This was a hometown crowd for sure -- we were told it was a sell out shortly before the show started (woo hoo!) When Foreigner hit the stage maybe 5% of the crowd was on it's feet dancin' and singing along. A "yo-yo" crowd if I ever saw one up/down/up/down.  They sounded better than when I heard them in Chicago, and Lou looks to have lost a few pounds in the intervening two months.

Then our boys hit the stage and the whole place was on it's feet screamin' and cheering. This was actually one of the older crowds I've ever seen at a Journey show. Or at least where I was sitting -- I felt like a babe in the woods compared to most of the folks sitting around me! Anyway, everyone was having a grand ole time, and stayed on their feet most of the night (sitting only for the intro to and part of "Open Arms" -- don't ask me why.)

As with all shows, there was the good, the bad, and the ugly. In reverse order:

The ugly: The Nazi ushers who were checking tickets every ten feet, which made it difficult to go visit with friends in other sections. Relax people, we're here to have a good time not live in a police state!

The bad: Jon had guitar problems early on and they continued off and on through out the show.

The good: Just about everything else. I knew Neal would be playing "Amazing Grace" beforehand, but was still knocked out when I heard it -- it brought tears to my eyes. That new verse to "Don't Stop Believin'" is great. We all know Steve's been singing "in your city" during "Lights" at every show, but damn it's so much MORE when it's the Bay Area show... Deen was amazing, and showed no signs that he'd hurt himself just 2 weeks ago. The banner for the Ross Valory Fan Club that was unfurled in one of the 2nd tier seats. Steve rubbing Neal's head as he walked by. Ross and his lighter for "Faithfully."

Sacramento was the next night and, I will have to admit, the Sac crowd for the SECOND time in a row was an even better crowd than the SF (area -- Concord's about 40 miles out) show. I like to think that's because all the folks who were born and raised in the SF Bay Area have moved to the less expensive Sacramento area. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.)

Sac was as enjoyable as Concord, with much the same good, bad and ugly as above. This time Jon had a problem with one of his keyboards and spent half the night fiddling with it when Neal was doing solos. The organizers of this event should be shot for poor planning for parking and gate entry. And more Nazi ushers... sheesh...

One of the highlights of both nights was Steve's intro to "Faithfully." He made a comment about how there are obstacles and changes of direction in every journey and that change isn't always easy and thanked the fans for welcoming him. That was classy, and I applaud him for that.

Over the last year or so, I've met so many nice folks from our virtual world.  From the gaggle of people I met at the convention last summer, to the various concerts, to e-pals from all around. And seeing that all those die hard fans were in the first 10 rows in Sacramento last night, well that was just awesome!

Now, just a few more shows before the guys get in the studio and get out that new CD!