February 22, 2010: Bombastic Bon Jovi

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

Guess concert season has officially begun... 2nd show in 7 days!

For someone who wasn't a huge Bon Jovi fan "back in the day", I sure have made up for lost time -- this has got to be the 5th or 6th time I've seen them in the last 10 years or so. They put on such a great show and really get the whole "arena rock" thing. Big. Bombastic.

So last night I headed out to San Jose to meet Leslie (woo hoo! my concert buddy is back in town!!! YAY!) and Emerson for a quick dinner before heading over to the arena for the show. We got to our seats in section 116 (pondering why we always wind up on the left side of the stage) which were right to the side of the stage. Pretty good. The opening act, Dashboard Confessional, hit the stage right at 7:30 -- just as we had finished getting settled in our seats. I know of Dashboard Confessional, but couldn't say I know any of their songs. That said, they were pretty entertaining and had a good opening 40 minute set. I may go pick up some of their stuff.

As we waited in anticipation of the show, the three women sitting in front of us turned around and warned "we might get a little nuts and will probably stand up all night." Works for me. While we waited I studied the stage -- a circle stage with a circle catwalk that brought to mind the U2 stage. Biggest difference between Bon Jovi stage and U2 stage... the seats inside the circle for U2 are General Admission and some of the least expensive tickets, Bon Jovi -- not so much. (We think they cost in the neighborhood of $500!)

But in the tradition of great bombast the band took the stage following an impressive video sequence on the big screens. They kicked off with "Blood on Blood" from New Jersey which was a nice change, then launched straight into "We Weren't Born to Follow" from the new CD. And here I had my second Bon Jovi as U2 moment (yeah, I know -- a little weird, stick with me.) The video screens for this song flashed images of various leaders and icons -- from Gandhi and JFK to Jimi Hendrix and Elvis. The whole "pioneer" leader set, and more socio-political types than rock pioneers. I know Jon Bon Jovi was particularly involved in President Obama's campaign, and there's a quasi-political theme to the song, but it's a little hard to put political consciousness and Bon Jovi together. Lingering bias from the '80s I guess.

The set list was a good mix of old and new (or perhaps old, recent, and new) and not having that life-long connection to the tunes I really enjoy some of the newer stuff that life-long fans aren't as enthusiastic about. I look at it this way -- these guys are in their late 40s/early 50s now, not their 20s, they're not going to have the same world view (hell, do YOU?) Throw in the difference between being rising/dominating stars in the '80s to an older/established band in 2010 and it's just a different vibe over all. I like the grown-up songs I guess. (Yes, I realize this is in contrast to the comments in the previous paragraph.)

So, the set included about half of the new album and it was intermixed well with older tunes. I've said it before, but Bon Jovi is one of the very few "classic" bands I've seen that really SELLS their new material. They go out and perform it with as much energy as the older stuff and EXPECT the crowd to sing along. There's just a cocky confidence about it.

The look of this show was pretty amazing as well. The video screens are REALLY sophisticated -- splitting, flipping, rotating. (Guess that's why there are $500 tickets! Those things can't be cheap!) And gave impressive images. The only weird bit I found was a screen that for most of the show sat behind and BELOW the stage -- I could see it from my seats above and to the side of the stage, but I have no idea how anyone on the floor or looking straight on at the stage could see it. Maybe it's supposed to be raised and couldn't for some reason, but seeing as there were seats behind the stage and that screen would have blocked those seats completely if it were raised, I don't think it was meant to go above the stage. A particularly excellent highlight was the lighting on "When We Were Beautiful" -- it looked like Jon was standing in a sunset. Simply gorgeous.

Other performance highlights included Richie taking the lead on "Homebound Train" and making it really bluesy -- just fabulous. That was followed by Jon coming out on the catwalk for the first time and just backed by David Bryan on keys performing a GREAT cover of the Leonard Cohen classic "Hallelujah". Absolutely beautiful. Shortly afterwards, Jon is joined by the rest of the band out on the catwalk for acoustic versions of "Something for the Pain" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night."

And, as always, there was the encore of "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Livin' on a Prayer" -- they never fail.

Oh, and of course there were Jon's black leather pants. :-D

Set List:

Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
Keep the Faith
We Got It Goin' On
It's My Life
Homebound Train (Richie on vocals)
Hallelujah
Bed of Roses
Something for the Pain
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Work for the Working Man
Bad Medicine/Bad Case of Lovin' You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

Encore:
Thorn in My Side
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

February 16, 2010: One Night, Two Piano Men

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

Sing us a song you're the Piano Man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling all right.

Is everyone singing along? As loud as you can? Good... Now to the report....

Way back in 2009 -- around March or so -- I bought a couple of tickets for the Elton John/Billy Joel concert in November. Veteran concert goer that I am, buying tickets seven months early is no big deal, but it DOES create excessive anticipation. So, naturally, you can imagine my disappointment when the show was postponed due to illness! Well damn!

So, here we are, nearly a year after buying the tickets and it's FINALLY time for the show. It occurred to me over the weekend that I hadn't heard any Billy Joel in a while, so I went to my iTunes and realized I hadn't loaded most of my Billy Joel CDs! OOPS. That mistake rectified, I bopped around the house listening to old friends.

Now, I've seen both Elton and Billy solo, but I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen either of them. My best guess was the LAST time they came through together about 10 years ago. That is far too long, but my memory of that show was not diminished by last night's show. Last night, as then, I wished the show could have lasted another 3 hours as they only skimmed the surface of a life time of hits.

And a life time of hits indeed it was. As we left the show, I said to Emerson and Cheryl "that just covered the first twenty years of my life!" And it was true! Nearly every song brought back a memory of some point in my life -- and not those vague general feeling types of memories, but a memory of a specific place, time, and/or event.

We got to the venue a little later than intended, but the line outside was long enough to assure us the show wouldn't start exactly on time. We made our way through the "Jesus freaks out in the street handing tickets out for God" (literally -- the usual crowd of people telling us we would burn in hell for going to a rock concert were handing out tickets to hell! We agreed we'd only take them if we could get front row seats!) and got inside and to our respective seats with relative ease.

In our seats, Emerson turns to me and says "where are the pianos?" Within a minute the pianos rise out from under the stage and the show kicks off with Billy and Elton entering for the opening set. The crowd goes nuts with the opening notes of "Your Song" on which our two piano men trade vocals. This is followed by "Just the Way You Are" which I don't think I've ever heard Billy perform before. Granted it's been a while since I've seen him, so I could be forgetting.

The opening set ends with the first flashback to my childhood. "My Life" -- the song that sent me on my way to perdition. Waaaay back in 1978 when that song came out and I was still very impressionable, my 5th grade CCD teacher, whom I adored, informed us that "My Life" was in violation of the Fifth Commandment (honor thy mother and father) and as such we shouldn't listen to it. This was my first encounter with such censorship and as this was coming from an adult I admired I was very much confused. You see, I REALLY LIKED the song. Would I go to hell for listening to it? Thus came my first act of rebellion -- I'd listen to it, but just not tell anyone! Now, 30-some years later, I still can't quite figure out how the Fifth Commandment got broken on that one. Sorry Mrs. St. John.

So, after we've started down the paved road to hell, Billy and his band left the stage and Elton took over for his set. Opening with "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" was just to die for (uh, no pun intended!) The crowd was more sedate during Elton's set -- sitting more than standing, though frequently standing at the end of songs to applaud. Some songs, like "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," got people up and moving.

The lighting and effects were amazing while Elton played and compensated for his lack of interaction with the audience. Not that he wasn't putting on an amazing performance, but he seldom addressed the crowd and when he did is was in the form of brief references to the upcoming songs (e.g. "these next few songs are from Madman Across the Water.") Of course, less talking meant more singing. "Tiny Dancer" got a huge roar (and reminded me I need to replace my copy of Almost Famous), and "Daniel" put me in mind of my younger brother who was named Daniel after my father's older brother who was killed in a car accident at 21. That song completely takes me back to my childhood as it's the only Elton John album my parents owned because my father can so closely relate to that song -- I heard it a lot. As the set was drawing to a close, it dawned on me he hadn't played anything that had been released after 1980! Wow! That's when it hit me that I LITERALLY grew up listening to these two men. Of course, then Elton pulled out "I'm Still Standing" and brought us into the '80s.

Elton's set closed out with "Crocodile Rock" and the crowd was on their feet. The stage went dark briefly while Elton's piano went down, Billy's came up, and the bands swapped out. And now it was Billy Joel's turn to perform his counterpoint. Opening with "Prelude/Angry Young Man" was perfect! The crowd was more on it's feet for Billy than Elton -- which is probably to be expected as it's the difference between New York attitude and English refinement (for lack of a better term.)

Billy's set was less visually stimulating, but his personality shone through more and there was more interaction with the audience -- including a valiant attempt at the classic "Do You Know the Way to San Jose." Not an original maneuver by any means, but fun any way. Too bad most of the people in San Jose are from someplace else and kinda missed the joke.

Billy's set encompassed a wider timeline -- everything from the '70s to his last studio album in 1993 (yikes!) and included the album track "Zanzibar" from 52nd Street. But, once again, I got transported back to specific times and places. "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" -- BAM. Summer 1980. I'm sitting outside on the lawn with a new friend from the neighborhood I've been living in for less than a year and we're singing along to the radio. "Only the Good Die Young" -- it's 1985, my 17th birthday party, and someone has given me Billy Joel's Greatest Hits I & II. My girlfriends and I immediately put it on the stereo and crank it up as loud as my mom would let us and sing along as only girls in their senior year of an all-girls Catholic high school can. One of the unifying moments in what was otherwise a very odd birthday for me since half of my friends weren't talking to the other half so I spent most of the party shuffling between people in different parts of the house. But we had Billy Joel and my disastrously memorable home made cake! (Trust me, all in all, it's a fond memory.)

"We Didn't Start the Fire" slapped me in the face when I realized it was over 20 years old. Has time really gone by that fast?

After Billy closed out his set, it was time for Elton and his band to return for the encore. Back and forth between the two again on classics "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", "Uptown Girl", "The Bitch is Back", "You May Be Right", and "Bennie and the Jets."

Then the bands leave, and it's just two pianos.

"Candle in the Wind."

"Piano Man."

Can't get much better than that (though I will say the sold out audience was WOEFUL on the chorus -- it's always one of the best parts of "Piano Man" and the crowd wasn't quite as strong as I've heard in every other occurrence!)

Walked out with a smile on my face and again wishing the show could have gone on for another 3 hours so more of my favorites could have been heard. All in all a magical evening.

Set Lists:

Elton/Billy
-- Your Song
-- Just the Way You Are
-- Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
-- Ode to Joy (Beethoven's 9th)
-- My Life

Elton
-- Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
-- Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
-- Levon
-- Madman Across the Water
-- Tiny Dancer
-- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
-- Daniel
-- Rocket Man
-- Philadelphia Freedom
-- I'm Still Standing
-- Crocodile Rock

Billy
-- Prelude/Angry Young Man
-- Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
-- Do You Know the Way to San Jose (sorta)
-- Allentown
-- Zanzibar
-- Don't Ask Me Why
-- She's Always a Woman
-- Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
-- River of Dreams
-- We Didn't Start the Fire
-- It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
-- Only the Good Die Young

Encore (Billy/Elton)
-- I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues
-- Uptown Girl
-- The Bitch Is Back
-- You May Be Right
-- Bennie & the Jets

(bands sink into the stage)

-- Candle in the Wind
-- Piano Man

April 1, 2009: Springsteen Opening Night (delayed due to flu)

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

So Bruce Springsteen opened his tour in San Jose last Wednesday night and of course I was there. Alas, due to going to the show with a sore throat (always the first symptom of illness for me) it's taken until today to get around to writing about it! So without further ado....

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!!

Now, it hasn't exactly been ages since I last saw Bruce and the boys in San Jose. In fact, it was almost exactly a year ago. Last April, I hit the show after some serious family insanity that had me this close to missing the show. When I woke up Wednesday with a sore throat I thought "uh-oh... Well, I'll just drink lots of water and suck on cough drops, I'll be fine. At least nothing crazy is going on today." Famous last words. I got in to work and have a message from the fire department that they need to come in for an inspection. Today. And a major piece of lab equipment has gone down. AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I survive the day, and head out to meet Cheryl and Emerson for dinner. Cheryl is supposed to join me for the show and we're meeting Emerson for a belated birthday dinner. I arrive early and head straight for the bar and a glass of wine. Cheryl had given me a heads up that she too wasn't feeling well and might not go to the show, but maybe Emerson will use her ticket. Well no luck. We have a very pleasant dinner and after failing to convince Emerson to join me, I head up to the arena by myself.

In line before the show I'm standing behind a fellow who has a t-shirt with images of the ticket stubs of all the Springsteen shows he's seen. Very cool. I chat with him and the couple behind me and we span the spectrum of Springsteen fans. The fellow with the t-shirt had been going to shows since the mid-70s, the couple behind me were at their 3rd show. And here I was attending about my 8th or 9th show since the early 90s (I tried to get tickets before then but was woefully unsuccessful!)

The ticket time said the show was at 7:30, but I knew it wouldn't start then. I was in my seat at 8, but it was another half hour before the lights went down and the band came out. I spent that time chatting with a couple of guys next to me who'd flown in from out of state -- one attending his first Springsteen show ever.

I mention these brief conversations with strangers who share a common passion because I've found over the years that finding common ground with perfect strangers makes the world a much smaller and friendlier place.

So, on to the show. Like most tour openers, there were some awkward moments, but they were few and far between. The show kicked off with "Badlands" which just got the crowd roaring. Going in to two new songs -- "Outlaw Pete" and "My Lucky Day" -- the show sagged a little. Not because Bruce and the boys weren't giving their all on these new songs, because of anyone I've ever seen Springsteen sells the new stuff with huge conviction, but in the end they are new songs and in my opinion they aren't as strong as some of his other material.

I was quickly appeased, however, when they launched into one of my favorite tunes from Born in the USA -- "No Surrender". I LOVE LOVE LOVE that song and it was my first personal highlight. Many people have commented that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band are made for times like these, and that was shown when they performed what I have dubbed the "economically appropriate" tunes of "Seeds", "Johnny 99", and a totally rocked up version of "The Ghost of Tom Joad" back to back to back. It was a perfect commentary for the current state of our economy and didn't require any lecturing.

Another personal highlight for me came about 2/3 of the way through the show when Bruce pulled signs out of the audience and one read "Growin' Up," the other (from the brief glance I got) said something about an 18th birthday. Bruce and the boys launched into that classic -- another big favorite of mine.

As always, the show closed out with a rousing version of "Born to Run" with the crowd roaring along. The 6-song encore, however, was phenomenal and included "Dancing in the Dark." The part of Courtney Cox was played this night by a girl who looked to be about 14. Pulled out of the crowd to dance along and then picked up and handed back into the crowd by Bruce. Lucky kid.

The band this time has been complimented by 2 back up singers that I believe were part of the Sessions band. I was sitting on Clarence's side of the stage (and by the way, I will always recommend the side and behind stage seats -- next best thing to being in the front row!) and was stunned at how fragile the Big Man seems. I know he's had a hip replacement (both?) but he looked much more mobile last year than he did last week. He stayed mostly in his spot all night and when the rest of the band went off before the encore, took to his seat on stage rather than walk off and back. In counter to Clarence's aging -- Bruce seemed ageless. I swear if I didn't know he was 59 I'd say he was at least 20 years younger than that. He is in amazing shape and has an energy that is unmatched.

The show ended much too soon, and I headed back to my car -- now sneezing to go along with the even MORE sore throat -- but the crowd walking out of the arena were all commenting about songs they loved and ones they wish had been played. Isn't that always the way??

All in all though, not a bad way to start my 2009 concert season! (Even if I did wind up spending Thursday afternoon through Saturday pretty much flat on my back sick!)

Set List (thanks to brucespringsteen.net):

Badlands
Outlaw Pete
My Lucky Day
No Surrender
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds (first since 1996!)
Johnny 99
Ghost of Tom Joad
Good Eye
Good Rockin' Tonight (1947 jump blues)
Darlington County
Growin' Up
Waiting on a Sunny Day
Promised Land
The Wrestler
Kingdom of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Born To Run

Encore:
Hard Times
Thunder Road
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land

June 19, 2008: I'm Sixteen All Over Again

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion 

 

 
It's September, 1985, a week before I am about to begin my senior year of high school and a month before my birthday. I'm 16 years old and have finally, FINALLY, convinced my parents to let me go to a concert. My best friend and I join a couple of other friends and head out to the Oakland Coliseum and attend one of the last of the legendary Days on the Green -- a triple bill show. We're not there for Katrina & the Waves or the Pointer Sisters. No, our sole mission is to see Wham! and squeal and cheer and ogle George Michael. It was a great way to end my 16th summer.

It's early 2008, and I use an Amazon.com gift certificate I got for Christmas to buy some CDs. I have two wish lists -- one of newer items I have public for friends and family to use, one of older items I need to replace in my collection. As with all gift certificate purchases, I pick one item from the public wish list and use the rest to pick up a few replacements. It's a random selection -- whichever CDs are the cheapest get bought. Period. Thus, I wind up replacing my copy of Make It Big -- the big Wham! album of 1984. I laugh at myself as I haven't listened to Wham! since high school, but when I pop it in the car after it arrives I am amazed at just what a great pop album it really is. It's not going to change the world, but it's well crafted pop and this is good. This experience is immediately followed by falling in love with a new TV show called Eli Stone. It has an entire sub-plot that is centered around George Michael tunes. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about, if you haven't, check it out at ABC because it's really a cute show and much too hard to explain here.

So being suddenly inundated with George Michael here there and everywhere, when his first US tour in 17 years was announced, well, I just HAD to go. The tickets were WAY more expensive than I expected them to be, so I settled for getting seats in the upper deck -- something I rarely do -- and a co-worker and I headed out to the HP Pavilion in San Jose last night to take a trip back in time. We dashed to the show after a quick dinner to make sure we were in our seats because the ticket said in great big letters "NO OPENING ACT. SHOW STARTS PROMPTLY AT 8 P.M." Wellll... the first part was true at least. 8:00 comes and goes and it's 8:30 by the time the house lights go down and the incredible stage lights up and we hear the music begin. Up to our feet cheering. I am suddenly 16 again.

I have to say, I was completely blown away by the show. George Michael has to have the best voice I have ever heard live. He hit all the notes in a wide range and the depth and warmth ... wow... I just melted in my seat more than once.

Incredible. Since it'd been 17 years since his last tour, he wisely stuck to a set list that featured songs from Faith and Listen Without Prejudice along with a handful of songs from his Wham! days. There were a small handful of songs I didn't know, but for the most part a few notes in I usually recognized the song (with help from having spent the previous two days listening to Faith and Listen Without Prejudice.) Still, I was amazed at how quickly I recognized a couple of other tunes I literally have not heard since 1986. One of the early songs of the set was "I'm Your Man" from the last Wham! album and up on the video screen was snips from all the Wham videos. I can't remember if that was the ACTUAL video for "I'm Your Man," but parts of that video were there. But the second everyone saw the girls from the "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" video -- screams and on their feet. And damn if I didn't know all the words! I can't remember what I had for dinner two nights ago, but I can remember all the words to "I'm Your Man"... go figure!
 
I need to take a moment here to try to describe the stage. It featured a HUGE video screen that ran from the rafters down to the stage and flowed over the edge in a soft curve. This was the center part of the stage where George sang a top lights and images and all manner of effects and looked AMAZING from my perch in the upper deck. His band was set at the back of the stage to either side of this huge screen in a 3-level platform. Definitely a "backing" band. He also featured 6 back up singers who were amazingly soulful. Each side was flanked by your typical video screen that ran from top to bottom and afforded us up above the ability to see what the man looks like. A little heavier than back in the day, but aren't we all? Still lookin' good. Siiiiiggggghhhh.... His boyfriend is a lucky guy!

Anyhoo, back to the show. It was well paced, interweaving slower, softer tunes with more up-tempo dance songs and kept the audience engaged throughout. I didn't keep a set list, but a few personal highlights for me included "Everything She Wants" (lots of audience participation), "Hard Day," "Father Figure," and an absolutely AMAZING cover of "Roxanne." Holy smokes. I've seen Sting sing that song many times, including, finally, with the Police last summer. What George did... wow... totally changed it around to a slow jazz number that was sultry and sexy and sad all at the same time. He was backed on the video screens by a video he said was shot a few years ago in the red light district of Amsterdam. Compelling images to go with a compelling performance.

There was a 20 minute intermission about an hour into the show and when he returned it was to "Faith" which had everyone up and singing along again. I kept running through my head what songs he might sing and which he MUST sing and was pretty well rewarded. The main set closed out with "Careless Whisper" which again had everyone up and singing along. I had my camera with me and while I doubt any of the pictures will turn out much (other than to show off the dramatic stage) I'm hoping the video I shot during this song turned out OK. -- or at least that the sound does, the images are gonna be blurry crap as I tried really hard not to sway along too much.

The encore opened with "Praying for Time," another of my favorites and he finally closed out with "Freedom" (the 1990 version, not the 1984 version) and again we were all singing along. There were only two set list disappointments for me -- no "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," which I can understand, and no "I Want Your Sex" which I don't understand.

It had better not be another 17 years until he comes to town again and next time -- I'm buying the expensive seats!

December 6, 2014: This concert took place two and a half weeks after my JPP partner in crime Darla Ellis passed away unexpectedly from an inter-cranial bleed. I was still numb with shock and grief and other than the folks in my department, I hadn't told anyone at work about the loss of my dear friend. While waiting for the show to start, Josie, my co-worker who had come to the concert with me, asked me something about Darla (probably along the lines of "why couldn't she come tonight?" as she knew Darla was one of my concert buddies.) I told her what had happened and at various points through out the night I would think of Darla and how she would have loved the show. I've always found comfort in music and this show was a perfect escape from what had been an awful few weeks during an overall awful year.

January 1, 2017 Edit: Since George Michael's death on Christmas Day 2016, I've been thinking about this concert quite a bit and decided to add the few photos you see and go hunting for the set list, which I've included below. (Whether or not it's 100% accurate, I'm not sure.) I'm crushed that I'll never get to buy those expensive seats, but so thankful I settled for the "cheap" seats.

Courtesy of setlist.fm

Waiting
Fastlove
I'm Your Man
Father Figure
Hard Day
Everything She Wants
One More Try
A Different Corner
An Easier Affair
Too Funky

-- intermission --

Faith
Spinning the Wheel
Feeling Good
Roxanne
Kissing a Fool
Amazing
Flawless (Go to the City)
Outside

Encore:
Praying For Time
Freedom '90

April 5, 2008: Jersey Boys -- Night Two

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

So, my busy concert week continued last night with Bruce Springsteen coming to town for his third show in six months on his current Magic tour. I'd caught his two shows in Oakland back in October and wasn't going to miss the return trip to San Jose this month. For the first time since the first time I saw Springsteen back in the early '90s, I actually had someone to go to the show with. Cheryl joined me for her first experience at the Church of the Boss.

There's been some crazy family stuff going on the last couple of days and I wasn't sure I'd make it to San Jose in time to meet Cheryl, but not only did I arrive in time, I was actually a little bit early so I could go off and grab myself a much needed margarita. Alas, I knocked it over when we got to our seats, spilling about $6.00 worth of my $9.00 drink all over the arena floor. Damn.

I knew from the shows in October that Bruce and the band wouldn't hit the stage at the stated 7:30 show time, but would come out closer to 8:00. It was about 8:20 by the time they actually took the stage, but as always it was worth the wait. Our seats were behind the stage, but dead center behind the stage. This gave a great view of not only the band (albeit from behind) but a great view of the crowd. You can see what kind of rush that can give a performer -- staring out at 20,000 people singing along with every note. I had warned Cheryl that sitting down would not be an option -- Bruce won't let you!

While not entirely true, as there were a couple of slower songs where the crowd with seats did sit, for the most part it was 2 hours and 15 minutes of standing up, singing along, and rocking out. In my not so humble opinion, no one on the planet puts on more consistently exciting, energetic, and flat out fantastic shows than Springsteen -- and that's with or without the E Street Band, though those shows are the peak performances. The man knows how to put on a rock show and you can see where those other Jersey boys I saw this week picked it up! I only wish I'd been able to see him back in the days of the 4 hour concerts. Hell, I suspect that even now, at 57 he could go that long. The man just has so much energy and obviously loves to perform.

With a catalog of songs like he has, I don't know how Bruce manages to pick out a set list, so it's a good thing that he's been changing it up a lot on the tour and never playing the same set two nights in a row. The set he played last night was different from either of the shows I saw in Oakland in October with only a handful of repeated tunes other than the new tracks from Magic. Like he did in October, he treated his new tunes as he did the older more familiar tunes and woe betide you if you didn't get up off your feet and sing along. The reception to the new songs was better this time than in October as the album has been out for a while (as opposed to 2 weeks) so more people have had a chance to hear it. Still the sing along on "Long Walk Home" (I think) wasn't quite the same as it was for "Badlands" or "Born to Run."

The band wasn't quite complete as Patti had gone home to be with the kids and Danny Frederici is still out recovering from cancer treatment. But Clarence Clemons, who's had both hips replaced, was much more mobile and like his usual self this time around than he was in October. He still sat down once and a while (and as a rule of thumb, if Clarence is sitting, it's okay to sit) but he seemed to be moving around much better than he was six months ago. Clarence is the secret weapon of the E Street Band, so it's good to see him in good health.

It's always impossible to pick a high point of a Springsteen show -- the whole show is a high point -- but a few standouts for me included playing "Trapped" which is a song I've loved for years that he performed on the Born in the USA tour and was only released on the We Are the World album for the longest time until he included it on 18 Tracks a few years ago. There was an online vote on KFOG for fans to pick a song for him to sing, which was next to impossible to choose from, but I'd picked "Trapped" and when the opening note hit I was on my feet cheering. There were several points in the show where Bruce would pull a sign out of the crowd and that's the song they played. Looking at the set list on his website, none of them were planned for the set, so the show was changed on the fly. Awesome!! It meant a couple of planned songs got dropped from the set, but it was all good -- his catalog is that deep and that incredible. The song that actually won the on-line vote was "Fire" which was a treat to hear (though I must admit I still have to work really hard to get the Pointer Sisters version out of my head especially the locally modified line "I'm driving in my car, I turn on KFRC.") During the encore, Bruce pulled a guy out of the audience who had written "Glory Days" on his forehead -- and then promptly launched into the song. And then followed that up with another USA track "Bobby Jean" which I've adored for over 20 years.

I left the show exhausted and renewed and wishing there was a second show to go to. Until the day he stops touring, I will never ever miss one of his shows if I can get a ticket. I'm hoping that's many many many years from now...

Set List:

Out in the Street
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Something in the Night
Magic
Trapped
Reason to Believe
Prove It All Night
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Fire
Incident on 57th Street
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

Encore:
Detroit Medley
Born to Run
Glory Days
Bobby Jean
American Land

April 2, 2008: Jersey Boys -- Night One

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

So, as my 2008 concert season commences and I've hit a brief busy stretch of shows and knowing it will be another 6 months until I will have an RRR for Journey, thought I'd share with y'all...

We'll begin with an admission... I came late to Bon Jovi fandom. I'll admit it -- I couldn't get past the hair. I thought they looked ridiculous (something, time has proved, I was right on) and all I could see was Jon and Richie with perm rods in their hair. As anyone who has ever gotten a perm can attest -- you look ridiculous sitting under a hair dryer with perm rods in your hair. And these were "tough guy" rockers, well you get the picture... It wasn't that I didn't find the songs catchy and entertaining, I just couldn't take them seriously. It wasn't until Keep The Faith came out (and they'd cut their hair and gotten rid of the perms and ridiculous clothing) that I actually purchased a Bon Jovi CD. Still, they were just a band that was in the collection of many many others, and I wasn't particularly dying to see them live. A few years ago now -- I'm guessing about 2000 when Crush came out -- they came through town on tour. I'd picked up the CD and liked it and Cheryl and I had one of those "I'll go if you wanna go" conversations and picked up a couple of tickets. WOW. We were sold -- great great show -- and since that time, I've caught this band of Jersey boys every time they've passed through town.

Leap forward in time to last Wednesday night in San Jose. I had dinner with Darla and Emerson and then headed over to the arena to meet Cheryl. We were all eager to arrive on time to catch Daughtry opening. While I'm not one who watches American Idol and Daughtry doesn't get played on the primary station I listen to, I'd heard a couple of songs and enjoyed them so I was curious. Loud rock and roll -- good for the soul. My familiarity with the songs being so minimal, I just sat back and took it in. For the first time in a very long time I was watching an opening band who will be around beyond next month and based on the fact that the arena was over half filled when they started and nearly full by the time they finished, I'm sure lots of other people felt the same way. While I'm not sure I'm going to run out and pick up the CD, I enjoyed the set.

So on to our headline act. When Lost Highway came out last summer, not only did I pick it up, but I had pre-ordered it so I could get it in my hot little hands the day it came out. Oh no -- Bon Jovi's gone country.... Yeah, right. I fell in love with the CD instantly -- it's the same themes with different instrumentation, softer acoustic instruments and a pedal steel. I was curious to see how the new tunes would fit in with their usually raucous set. Some songs worked better than others. "I Love This Town," for example, was a song I was sure would fit in fine, but they didn't kick it into full gear as I thought they might. It still sounded fantastic live, but it needed a bit more oomph to it I thought. (Though I did have to laugh as the video screens flashed through the logos of the various sports teams -- only Jon Bon Jovi would think to include the San Jose Sabercats, the local Arena Football team. They don't get a whole lot of attention.) But "Whole Lot of Leavin'" and "You Want to Make a Memory" worked well with some of the more familiar ballads, and "We Got It Goin' On" was just meant to be sung in front of 20,000 people (which excuses some of the seriously lame lyrics -- I mean "bangin' and sangin' like the Rolling Stones" -- really?) Like some other Jersey boys I saw last night (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, stay tuned) Bon Jovi aren't afraid to throw in newer tunes among the old standards and SELL them to the audience so that the crowd stays on their feet and rocks out with the new music, even if they aren't as familiar with it as "Livin' on a Prayer."

A couple of highlights -- the intro to "Blaze of Glory" was a verse of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" which is probably one of my all time favorite Dylan classics. That song got even better when Chris Daughtry came out to share the vocals. Awesome. And when they played "Welcome to Wherever You Are" my heart just stopped. You ever have one of those times when things are just going really wrong and you hear a song that snags you and puts you in a mindset that this too will pass? Well, "Welcome" is one that caught me at the right time in the midst of a hellish stretch a couple years ago and I fell in love with the song, so hearing it Wednesday night was a highlight for me for sure.

After Richie's recent arrest on DUI, I had expected there to be some on-stage tension apparent, but if there's anything going on behind the scenes it didn't show up on stage. Richie got to take lead on "I'll Be There For You" and sounded fabulous. He probably has the better voice than Jon, but Jon's got the star power. You just can't not follow him where ever he is on stage or in the crowd. (Yes, for the second tour in a row, he popped out on one side of the arena and sang a couple of songs out in the audience. And yes, for the second tour in a row I was on the OPPOSITE side of the arena, though this year in the section directly across from where he appeared. Ah, if only.....) And one of the things I enjoy about the show is that Jon KNOWS he's got that star power and knows we know that so plays it up even more.

A few last things to mention -- the stage set up. It was a very cool stage and is open all around so that there is some seating behind the stage. Those seats are moderately obscured by the video screens, but the screens move and expand and contract and are really pretty incredible. The back part of the stage has a screen built into it and it raises and lowers... it's a very cool set up. I'll be able to tell ya what those seats are like next week after Darla and I go back and sit there. Hell, they're only twenty bucks and I can't really complain about having to look at Jon's ass all night...

Set List:

Lost Highway
Born To Be My Baby
You Give Love a Bad Name
Complicated
Runaway
I Love This Town
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Blaze of Glory -- w/ Daughtry - Knockin' on Heaven's Door Intro
Welcome To Wherever You Are
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Some Day I'll Be Saturday Night
We Got It Goin' On
It's My Life
Bad Medicine w/ Shout
I'll Be There For You - Richie Vox
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Bed of Roses
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Livin' on a Prayer

Encore:
Last Man Standing
Wanted Dead or Alive

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

April 9, 2005: Special U2 Edition: In the Ellipse!

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

Hello all --

Okay, I'm about to cry since I just spent over an hour composing my report and stupid Explorer crashed on me as I was proof reading! Vaporized! Siiigggh.... Okay, well, here we go again, more or less from the top....

I just got home from the U2 show and had to share. I'm beat, my body aches, but I'm still wired (okay, I was at 12:30 when I started this, not so much now.) This was an incredible night.

We have to start the story back when the show was first announced. I was talking with my friend Mary about the show and we both commented how after some 20 odd years of following this band we'd never seen them perform. Neither of us were particularly thrilled with the idea of paying $100+ for tickets, so we decided we'd try to get the General Admission tickets instead. The day of the on sale, Mary and I both logged in to Ticketmaster to try and get them -- first one in wins. I wasn't particularly optimistic as I had heard about the problems the fan club had had with GA tickets, so I wasn't holding out much hope. But the gods must have been smiling on me -- or perhaps I've finally mastered the Ticketmaster system -- but within 10 minutes of the show going on sale I had 2 GA tickets for tonight's show. Wow! I called Mary to let her know the good news and she was still trying to get through to the ordering system!

We arrive at the end of March, and my anticipation is growing. As some of you are aware, I've been slowly but surely working my way through my CD collection alphabetically. As luck would have it, I reached "U" at the end of March and so my U2 CDs were the commute music for that week (and then some, I've been in a holding pattern as the more I listened the more eager I was for the show!) Wednesday night, Mary and I went to the Giants game and as it deteriorated before our eyes we discussed plans for the show.

Neither of us had been to a GA show at the arena before (there aren't many to begin with) and didn't have a clue how it would work or what time we should be there. We decided that if we left around 3 we should be fine, and we were. Arriving around 4 we were given our blue wristbands and settled down in line for the 2 1/2 hour wait until the doors were due to open. While we were sitting in line we heard people talking about a separate line for fan club members and "random drawings for the ellipse." I thought "what a cool perk for fan club members."

The line finally started moving about 6:15 and we reached the first check point where our wristbands were cut off. Uh... okay, what was the point of the wristbands? There wasn't a lottery, we weren't let in by number, heck, no one even CHECKED the number. We went through the doors and had our tickets scanned and headed down a flight of stairs where I could see people getting NEW wristbands. I could see both pink and white wristbands, and figured the pink were for the fan club and the white were for the regular folks. Very nice. We get to the bottom of the stairs and sent over to a table where our ticket is checked again and we're given our white wristbands and then it's over to the next guy to have the ticket scanned yet again. God, security is awfully tight. I hand my ticket to the guy and on the laptop next to him up comes four red and black striped bars with "U2" written at the bottom. "Congratulations! You and your friend get to go into the ellipse." What?! We do??! So it's over to the next table where we're given our pink wristbands.

We finally make our way into the arena and start walking up to the front and into the ellipse. We make our way over to center stage and wind up behind the first row of people. The whole time we are just looking at each other -- completely amazed by our sheer dumb luck! (For those of you who were at the House of Blues in Hollywood, we were just as close!) As we watch other people enter the ellipse, they're all pretty much doing the same thing -- pulling out their cell phones and calling their friends to say "you'll never guess where I am."

7:30 finally arrives and the opening band, Kings of Leon, take the stage. They put on a decent show, but no one really cared -- mostly polite applause. The lead singer didn't seem to like that, but c'mon, dude, you're not U2, deal with it. They finished up their set around 8:15 and the road crew hit the stage to set up for the main attraction.

There was a bit of jostling among the crowd as this was going on and a couple forced their way through the crowd, which didn't sit too well with the people they'd just shoved aside. They were eventually forced back, but for a while I was worried there might be a fight. Mary and I also negotiated with the guys in front of us who were rather inconsiderate and kept stepping back from the barricade and stepping on poor Mary. It didn't help much once U2 hit the stage, but we tried.

With little else to do, I watched the crew set up the stage. I got the complete willies watching the guys in the rigging -- there's not enough money in the world to make me even consider climbing up there! <<shudder>> Of course, overseeing it all was Rocko -- last seen on stage in Clearwater, FL. It was a bit odd seeing him running around on a stage much bigger than Journey's (and, actually, it was just plain odd to see him and NOT be at a Journey show.)

At 9:00 the lights went down and the crowd went nuts. I looked up at the stage and the first person I see is The Edge. All hell breaks loose. I look across the stage and there are Larry and Adam right where they should be, and the music begins. As the opening notes to "City of Blinding Lights" start I wonder "where's Bono?" Naturally, he came out on stage at the end of the ellipse -- completely opposite from where I'm standing! I turn myself completely around to see what can be seen, but as the people behind me are considerably taller than the people in front of me, it's not much. After a little bobbing and weaving, I turn back towards the stage and watch the rest of the band. Bono is soon in front of me and there is a surge of people towards the stage. I'm pressed up against the guy in front of me by the guy in back of me and remain sandwiched like this for two or three minutes. It's been a long time since I've been to a show where I've had to forget all about any sense of personal space!

The second song is "Vertigo" and the crowd counts off "Uno, dos, tres, catorce!" It is the first of many vocal moments for the crowd, which was absolutely the largest I've ever seen at the arena. Every seat was full, including the ones behind the stage that are usually blocked out. Better yet, from what I could see, everyone was on their feet from the start and stayed up all night long -- a refreshing change from so many shows I've seen in recent years. It was just amazing though to hear all those voices sing along to "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Pride", and so many others. The elaborate stage set up meant Bono and The Edge would often wander around the ellipse out towards the middle of the floor. Once they got beyond my right or left, they were hard to track, so I wound up watching Larry a lot, which isn't a bad thing. Both he and Adam did get their opportunity to walk out into the crowd, so everyone got a good view.

I really can't find the words to describe this show (yeah, I know, how long is this email already?) because it was just amazing. The set was a good mix of the old and the new ("Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" brought a tear to my eye as it does every time I hear it on the radio or on my CD player) and being so close I felt obligated to sing along with as many songs as I could. It was a challenge, but I think I remembered about 75% of the lyrics -- I haven't gotten the new ones down quite yet, and there were one or two older songs that I didn't recognize until about half way through. Ultimately though, what kept running through my head were variations on the thought "I can't believe I'm this close." At one point I thought "Hey... I can count Bono's fillings!" (I got to four before he turned away.)

All of this has me quite excited for the show in November. I broke down and bought the $95 ticket and am looking quite forward to seeing what the visual aspect of this show is. That is the one downside to where I was -- it's a BIG production and that aspect is sacrificed for an amazing opportunity. One I'll take ANY time mind you....

Well, it's now nearly 3 a.m. and I am REALLY beat.... I'm sure I've left plenty out, but wow... what a show!

May 16, 2003: The Main Event Comes to Nor Cal

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

Well the second of my 3 shows for the summer has come and gone. (Heavy sigh) I must say after having the boys play "at home" towards the end of their tour every year for the last 5 years, I'm a little disoriented by this first week -- Home Town gig!

The show started right on time with Styx in the opening slot, which is an interesting switch from having REO open. Personally, the order of REO-Styx-Journey works better just because the excitement level increases (though anyone following Styx has a tough task -- they are just so blazingly energetic.) As was the case in Vegas, the auditorium was only about half filled when Styx took the stage with people trickling in throughout. The set list was exactly the same as it was in Vegas, and once again, having Glen Burtnik out in the audience for "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" was a brilliant move. These guys know that new material isn't going to get the same response as "classic" material, so finding a way to get the audience in to it is vital. After their set I nearly got hit in the head with a flying drumstick that some guy 3 seats over dived on and trotted off with. (Hey, I'm the one that nearly got killed....)

Time for the 20 minute change over (so a mad dash to find some water and visit with people -- it's getting ridiculous, every Journey show I go to feels like a high school reunion!) and we made it back to our seats with about 2 minutes to spare. (Boy, that timer sure comes in handy!)

REO took the stage and proceeded to perform the same set list as Las Vegas (with the same stories...) I thought they were a little tighter this time through, but I was able to recite Kevin's Playboy mansion story almost word for word with him -- after having only heard it once before! ACK! Their set is a bit more mellow than Styx, which is due to the different styles of the bands. I realized that I am forever going to get a lump in my throat during "Keep on Loving You." The last time I saw REO (prior to this tour) was during the "Volunteers for America" show in October 2001, and they did an acoustic version of "Keep on Loving You" that they dedicated to the wife and new born child of a member of the road crew for the Backstreet Boys (I think) who was killed in one of the airplanes on 9/11. I sobbed my way through that song that night, and that is the first thing that pops into my head now every time I hear it.

REO closed their set out (a minute early!) and on came the road crew for the next 20 minute change over. I went off to find my cousin somewhere in the crowd and spent most of the intermission chatting with her. When I figured there was about 3-4 minutes left, I headed back to my seat to have some water and sit down for a few minutes before another 80 minutes of standing. Took a look at the timer, and it read 5 minutes and counting. So I waited... and waited.... and waited... Yep, our boys were late! We noticed some members of the crew hovering on stage near The Whale and guessed there was some kind of technical problem with the keyboards.

Journey finally took the stage about 5 minutes late (which during a 4.5 hour show that started at 7:30 can be a big deal -- it was nearly 11:00 by that point!) A couple of songs in Steve apologized for being late though, which I thought was pretty cool. The set list was switched around a little from Las Vegas (including trading out "Rubicon" for "Ask the Lonely" -- as much as I like "Ask the Lonely" I wish "Rubicon" had stayed...) The crowd was definitely packed in for Journey -- seats near me that had been vacant for either Styx or REO were filled for Journey. As always "Lights" got a great response from the home town crowd -- there really is nothing like Journey singing that song in the Bay Area!

The 80 minutes flew by and there we were singing "Oh-Oh-Oh-OH" at the end of "Faithfully" as the guys left the stage (a la the 2001 DVD) and everyone wanting more. With nearly the entire Journey Past and Present committee was at the show together (we really missed ya Mary Ann!) we were able to get to visit with the guys for a little while after the show and finally have a chance to TALK to them a little about the Bammies Walk of Fame weekend. (We were all so busy that day we barely even got to say hello to them!)

JPP Committee & Journey
Back Row: Steve Augeri, Cheryl Simien, Neal Schon, Emerson Dong, Leslie Forsythe, Deen Castronovo
Michelle Murray.
Front Row: Ross Valory, Todd Forysthe, Darla Ellis, random dude who hopped in [Need to photoshop in Mary Ann!]

It was a pretty small group in the after-show, and we were about half of it so lots of time to visit, and we managed to get the ONE thing we wanted from the Walk of Fame weekend -- a picture of all us with the guys. Not totally complete since Mary Ann was missing and Jon ducked out on us [guess we'll just have to add them digitally!] but mission accomplished!

A quick fashion report (since it's been requested): Steve -- white leather pants, chocolate colored silk shirt; Neal -- Journey hockey jersey (very nice, must save money and purchase!) with a bandana tied around his head (a little weird); Jon -- tan suede (?) jacket (that was removed early) black and white shirt, black pants; Ross -- orange shirt over a black shirt with shoes to match; Deen -- red hockey jersey and an interesting pair of long black shorts that appeared to have buckles all over them!

Other notes -- The lobsters are multiplying around Deen's kit already -- including a huge one that was sitting between the bass drums. The arena was probably at about 75% capacity with only about half of the upper level being filled. Disappointing, but I would have been more surprised if it had been sold out -- an unfortunate reality I suppose.

Set Lists (in order of appearance):

STYX:

Too Much Time on My Hands
Grand Illusion
Waiting for Our Time (new)
Lady
Blue Collar Man
-- Lawrence Gowan solo --
Fields of the Brave (new)
Kiss Your Ass Goodbye (new)
Fooling Yourself
Miss America
Come Sail Away

Encore:
--bluesy intro
Renegade

REO:

Riding the Storm Out
Keep Pushing
I Can't Fight This Feeling
Don't Let Him Go
Keep on Lovin' You
In Your Letter
Take it on the Run
In My Dreams (acoustic)
Time for Me to Fly
Back on the Road Again
Roll With the Changes

Encore:
157 Riverside Avenue

JOURNEY:

State of Grace
Separate Ways
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Star Spangled Banner
La Do Da/Dixie Highway/Line of Fire medley
Lights
 -- Jon's solo (sounded a little different!) --
Open Arms
Precious Time
Don't Stop Believin'
Ask the Lonely
Escape
Be Good to Yourself
Any Way You Want It


Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Faithfully

That's it for me until Chicago in July, so can't wait to hear from everyone else how the rest of the tour progresses!

October 22, 2002: Sir Paul Makes My Life!

San Jose, CA
HP Pavilion

I've waited a few hours to share this, so I'm much calmer now than I was last night, but I thought you'd all like to hear this little tale... I had a ticket to go see Paul McCartney last night in San Jose. With the World Series going on, I was tempted to sell it to get a ticket to the Series. I had just seen him 6 months ago, and thought, briefly, "Well, I don't need to see him AGAIN." Fortunately, such thoughts were fleeting and I kept my ticket and went to the concert last night (thus missing the shellacking my poor Giants took!)

The set was similar to the one I'd seen in April, but about half way through the acoustic set (a couple of songs after he did his John Lennon/George Harrison tributes which had me in tears, again) he started talking about growing up with John and how their age difference of a year and a half was a big deal when they were teenagers. He started talking about these parties they'd go to and his attempts to appear more sophisticated, so he said he would wear a black turtle neck sweater and sit in the corner with his guitar and pretend to be French and make up these songs in French.

This is when I started holding my breath as I'd heard a variant of this story. Could he be about to sing what I think he's going to sing?? He finished the story (something to the effect of John saying one of those silly French songs was good) and he did it, he launched into the song.

HE SANG "MICHELLE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I was a complete and total wreck and just SOBBED through the whole song. My entire body was shaking. I don't remember what the next couple of songs were 'cause it took me that long to recover. This is the 4th time I've gotten to see Paul McCartney, but this is the first time he'd ever performed the song I was named for. I still can't believe it. The crazy thing is, "Michelle" isn't even my favorite Beatles song, but OMG it was so powerful to hear it live. I'll never forget it.

And now, I'm outta here, I've got tickets to game 4!!!!!

Aprl 1 & 3, 2002 - Paul McCartney Tour Opener

Oakland Coliseum Arena
Oakland, CA

April, 2018: While reformatting and otherwise cleaning up this site, I stumbled upon a couple of emails to a friend on the Journey Digest about this show. I've modified it a bit to fit with the other tales on this site.

One word...

AWESOME!

And that doesn't even begin to cover it. Religious experience has been thrown around.

The show opened about 8:25 (25 minutes late) with a bunch of costumed performers walking up to the stage from various points of the arena. I can't really describe it, but think of a circus act with people in period costumes. I thought it went on a little too long, but it was interesting. (Of course, only Sir Paul could get away with something like that to open the show -- anyone else would have seemed pretentious). When the opening performance ended the video screen went white and a silhouette of Paul's bass appeared. The crowd goes wild. Then a silhouette of Paul, and, well, insanity.

He opened with "Hello Goodbye" (perfect) and closed with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"/"The End" (more perfect.) A friend of a friend sent me the set list as he noted it (see below.) My first "burst into tears" moment came when he performed "All My Lovin'" with clips of the Beatles arriving in New York up on the screen. The first two faces on the screen were George and John.

Things slowed down a bit when he did a few songs from Driving Rain. Very good songs, but not what anyone paid to hear of course. That was followed by an acoustic set -- just Paul and an acoustic guitar. Some of the band came out for one or two songs, but it was mostly Paul. That was "burst into tears" moment number two. He paid tribute to both John and George. First by playing "Here Today" (a song that has made me cry every time I hear it for the last 20 years) and then telling a story about how George loved playing the ukulele. Paul launched into "Something" while strumming the ukulele as images of George flashed on the screen. (I've discovered it's quite difficult to sing along while simultaneously having tears streaming down one's face!)

"Live and Let Die" was literally explosive as fireworks went off several times. I can't even pick a favorite moment in the two and a half hours of sheer bliss, but one high point was hearing "Getting Better" which Paul introduced by saying it was the first time he had ever played it live. Wow oh wow. He flubbed the lines a bit to "You Never Give Me Your Money" but in a very charming amusing way by singing something like "I can never remember the words until the end of the tour" over the part he forgot and rolled right on through.

There were, of course, the mandatory Paul songs -- "Let It Be", "Hey Jude", and "Yesterday" -- all towards the end of the set. I didn't get my song, but when almost every opening note sent a thrill up my spine, I can't really complain.

This was a near perfect show. Paul has that charming presence that just sucks you in immediately. The band was incredible and very personable as Paul would introduce a member before heading to another part of the stage (either to or from the grand piano) and they each got a little time to talk to the crowd. There were a few little glitches with the video system, but nothing major (or given much notice other than in passing). Lots of video clips from the Beatles era -- which were everything from touching to amusing to a bit surreal. (Seeing a 25 year old Paul cavorting in a field while listening to a 60 year old Paul singing "Fool on the Hill" and realizing he hasn't changed all that much over time...)

The crowd was great, even if it was a bit yo-yo-ish (up, down, up, down...) all night long. And what was really impressive was the age range. I rode over to the arena on BART (subway) and chatted with a fellow who was bringing his 8 year old daughter. And when I left I saw several women who must have been in their 70s. And everything in between!

I've just been grinning from ear to ear since the show started (yes, even during the sobbing moments) and absolutely can't WAIT for tomorrow night and show number. (And hope this whole ramble hasn't been TOO ebullient for you, but it was just an incredible show.)

Set List:

Hello Goodbye
Jet
All My Loving
Getting Better
Coming Up
Let Me Roll It
New Song ("I Hear The Music", "Don't Wanna…")
Driving Rain
True Love ("Kiss My Blues Away")
Acoustic Set
Blackbird (Paul - Solo)
Every Night (Paul - Solo)
We Can Work It Out (Paul - Solo)
Mother Nature's Son (w/ Wix on accordion)
Vanilla Sky (w/ Wix, Lead Guitar & Drum)
You Never Give Me Your Money (Paul on "Magic Piano")
Fool on the Hill (Paul on "Magic Piano")
Here Today (dedicated to John)
Something (dedicated to George; Paul on ukulele)
Eleanor Rigby
Here, There and Everywhere
Band on the Run
Back in the USSR
Maybe I'm Amazed
C Moon
My Love
Can't Buy Me Love
Freedom
Live and Let Die
Let it Be
Hey Jude

Encore 1:

Long and Winding Road
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There

Encore 2:

Yesterday
Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)>You Never Give Me Your Money>The End
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA

The second night was much the same as the first (same set list) and was actually a GREAT thing to do. I could sit back and appreciate the show better with out that "OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S PLAYING THAT" reaction to nearly every song. I brought my mom (her very first rock concert!) and she had a blast. And, apparently, my dad was quite jealous! (The mental image of me at a concert with BOTH my parents is hugely amusing!) I'm sorely tempted to pick up a ticket to LA, but just can't afford it!