October 9, 2005; Last Generation

Los Angeles, CA
Greek Theater

Well, here we are gang, once again at the end of the official tour. Sure, there are dates being added in November and December, but last night's show in LA was the end of the summertime fun. And what a fun time it was...

I took off for So Cal yesterday morning after having spent all of last week battling the Journey flu I had acquired LAST weekend. Saturday was the first day I had felt semi-human in a week, and when I took off Sunday morning, I was wondering how on earth I would make it through a 3-hour concert on zero reserves.

I got to my hotel around mid-day and decided to rest in my room until it was time to pick up Leslie at the airport and head to the pre-show picnic. Cheryl called me just as I'd settled in and said "where are you? we're all in the lobby!" So, I abandoned my plans for a nap and headed downstairs to meet Cheryl, Teresa, Lori, Deb, Jenn and Barb. Imagine my surprise when we walked into the lounge and Caryn (aka Journeycat) popped out from behind a pillar! It was so great to see her at the end of the summer and get a chance to talk to her live and in person. Kudos to Cheryl and Teresa for dragging her outta Texas for the last show of the summer!

I visited with the gang for a bit then headed over to the airport to pick up Leslie and then over to the Greek for the picnic. A very nice, casual affair attended by many. I had been sworn to secrecy about Cat's appearance, but finally had to pull Vincent off to the side and say "stop trying to organize a group photo -- Cat's in town and will be here!" When Cat finally arrived, she was showered with much love as she so well deserves. Above and beyond all the wonderful things she's done for Journey fans over the years, she's just one of the most all-around special people I've met. Journeyland is poorer for her moving on...

Shortly before the picnic broke up, the band's bus pulled up and into the parking lot right across from where we had all gathered. The crowd of 50 or so people cheered and waved as they pulled in. Everyone went their separate ways to kill the few hours between the necessary 5:00 end of the picnic and the 8:00 start of the show.

By the time Leslie and I returned to the Greek, we had just enough time to grab a quick snack and briefly visit with folks as we walked to our seats. I wasn't holding out much hope for my seat as I remembered my previous experience at the Greek in the same section -- I was on the far aisle on Jon's side and was obstructed by the stage construction the whole night and hardly ever saw Jon or Ross. I lucked out this time as my seat was further away from the stage, but also further in so I had a very clear view. Whew!

My energy level still wasn't up to normal, so I intended to sit through most of the first set thinking that, well, everyone else around me will be sitting. Wouldn't you know it, they were up for the first two songs! Top it off, the first set was shorter than usual! Great! So much for taking it easy! Once they hit "Just the Same Way" I was up on my feet and never sat again.

Intermission came and it was time to present the bike to the 17-year old winner. Out on stage walks Matt LeBlanc (aka Joey from Friends) to make the presentation. That was kind of interesting, if somewhat haphazard. I visited with folks during the intermission, and sighed in jealousy at all the familiar faces who had purchased 5-star packages and wound up in the front row.

Heading back to my seat I stopped to chat with Leslie who was sitting in the first row of the same section I was in (Section A, behind the pit) and she said the seat next to her was empty, so I wound up staying there for the second set, and wow, what a good plan that was!

Shortly after the second set began, a crew of security walks out with Matt LeBlanc and his family, and they sat in the last row of the pit, right in front of Leslie and me (and next to Journeypals Diana and Carol!) Gotta say, from that point on it was very difficult to know where to look during the show! I'm pleased to say the whole LeBlanc family was on their feet and having a great time all night long which included singing along to nearly all the songs and a slack-jawed, bug-eyed Matt when Neal hit the "Star Spangled Banner." The only downside of having a celebrity in front of us was at the very end when security came in and stood in the aisle between our section and the pit -- completely obscuring my view of the stage during Jon's harmonica intro to LTS! Someone needs to be slapped!

The guys were really loose on stage and having a great time -- you could tell they knew they've got a few weeks off to be normal and so were just having a blast. Steve nearly took out Neal when he spun and dropped his mic stand. From where I stood, it looked like it nearly hit a few of the die-hards in the front row (and boy, do THOSE folks have some tales to tell!) I think my personal highlight of the show, however, came mid-way through the second set when as "Lights" ended Neal teased us with the opening of "Stay Awhile" (I about had a heart attack when I thought they were going into that) but instead it morphed into Deen singing "Still They Ride"! While Deen wasn't in perfect voice, it was GREAT to hear that song for the first time in several years. It's long been a favorite of mine and it just felt so right last night.

Once again the end of the show came all too soon, and somewhere along the line I got a burst of energy that can only come from a Journey concert -- I was surprisingly NOT tired and ready to crash. Lots of long and lingering goodbyes and hugs on the way out before heading back to the hotel and trying to find some place for a cocktail as the bar in our hotel closed at 10!

Up at the crack of dawn this morning for a farewell breakfast with Jenn, Barb, Cheryl, Teresa, Leslie, and Cat. As always, rehashing the night before. Leslie gets the gold star for recognizing a Neal instrumental over the PA (and 30 wet lashes for Barb who missed it!) My favorite part of my annual Journey road trips is visiting with and making new friends. There is never enough time to visit as much as I'd like, especially when we know that the next visit will be months and months away, but it is always cherished time. To ALL my Journey pals from around the globe -- it was GREAT seeing you last night, visiting for a short time, and having a wonderful rock and roll experience. Here's hoping we will meet again before the end of 2005 (Reno?? Anyone?? Hint hint hint...) and if not, back on the road somewhere in 2006 (Europe?! Major ROAD TRIP!)

Set list:

People & Places intro
Of a Lifetime (Jon)
I'm Gonna Leave You (Jon)
Mystery Mountain (Jon)
In Self Defense (Neal)
Walks Like a Lady (Ross)
Just the Same Way (Jon/Steve)
The Place in Your Heart
Any Way You Want It

-- Intermission/bike presentation --

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
Lights
Still They Ride (Deen)
Every Generation
Jon Solo
Open Arms
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways

Encore:
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'

January 21, 2005: Journey Past & Present Reception

Hollywood, CA
The Highlands Night Club

Every year as part of the Journey Past and Present gathering, we have had a lunch reception for our attendees. In 2001, that meant cramming 15 people into a hotel room and ordering a few pizzas and drinks. In 2005, with 150 attendees coming plus the band plus the band’s guests, we needed a bigger venue.

Using a hotel conference room was one consideration, but we didn’t think it really said Hollywood, much less rock and roll! So we looked in to alternative locations and found The Highlands nightclub right out the door from the hotel we were using, and just a block away from where Journey would be getting their star. Perfect!

On Friday, January 21, the JPP committee was the last of our group to arrive at the star ceremony, which meant the optimal viewing spots were long gone. Leslie White, Leslie Forsythe, and I stood at one end of the street with the hopes of being able to see something. I worked my way up to the barricades, but they stayed back a ways. Once the ceremony started, they decided to head back to the club to set things up – they couldn’t see, they couldn’t hear, so they’d just find out how things went later. (OOPS!)

I stuck around long enough to learn that Steve Perry had surprised us all and was at the ceremony and to hear the speeches by Neal, Ross, and Steve. I was so shocked by Steve Perry’s appearance, I kind of wandered away towards the club in a daze. I needed to recompose myself in order to help get everyone in place and prepare for my welcome speech.

I arrived at the Highlands where the Leslies had been setting things up and had gotten the phone calls about what they’d missed. The club looked fabulous. Tables were set up with white tablecloths and candles, the buffet out on the balcony was ready to go, and the finishing touches were nearly in place. I made a mad dash back to my hotel room to grab Arrival out of the CD player so it could be added to the rotation of Journey, Infinity, Departure, and Greatest Hits Live that would serve as the background music for the day. That’s when Darla called me and told me that Ross was trying to get Perry to come to the luncheon. There went my speech right out of my head again! (Alas, it was not to be.)

The fans started showing up about 12:30 and Leslie White and I directed them up to the club. Cheryl arrived to relieve me, and I dashed back upstairs about 12:45 to help make sure things were running smoothly inside the club and that everything was in place for our guests to arrive. The front 8 tables had been reserved for guests of the band, and a few of them had begun to arrive. Amber and Aja Schon were among the first guests to arrive, and the balloons we had on one side of the stage fascinated Aja. Neal’s daughter wants a balloon? I grabbed one out of the bunch – Neal’s daughter gets a balloon!

Rob was coordinating backstage with Caryn – periodically updating the rest of us on how many members of the band had arrived and how many more were expected. At 1:15 it was time to grab all the committee members and go backstage to get the guys. We headed back, only to be stopped by security! One of them went to get Aaron Dilks who said, yeah, we were okay! (Thanks Aaron!) We got to the room and made sure everyone was ready to go. Once we were ready, I led the committee on stage followed by the band.

This was the part I had been praying to get through in one piece. Addressing 250 people would have been fine if not for the 9 guys standing behind me! I breezed through the first part of my speech – welcoming everyone to our gathering. The second part was the one that had me literally shaking from head to toe.

Prior to our event, Leslie White suggested that the welcome speech was the perfect opportunity to explain why the JPP Committee does what we do. A great idea that kept me up that whole night with a million ideas spinning in my head. I knew I had to keep it short and I wanted to make sure it covered not just my thoughts, not just the committee’s thoughts, but was representative of what all Journey fans feel. A tall order for a 2-minute speech! What I finally came up with was this:

Why do we do this? Well, like any other fan, I could probably talk for hours on that subject – don’t any of you deny it, I’ve talked with many of you and the Journey conversations last a long time! But I found a great quote from Ross while doing research for our program. The quote was in the New York Times and Ross said, “We’re the music a lot of people graduated to, wound up in the back seat of a convertible to, got married to.” Every fan in this room has some specific memory for which a Journey song is the sound track. Each member of Journey has contributed to making music that has touched our lives in some profound way. This is just the best way we know how to say thank you. So, thanks guys – your talents have made a difference in our lives.

I’m not entirely sure that’s exactly how it came out since by the end I was shaking so hard I thought my legs would give out from underneath me, but I know I covered the key points. It’s not every day you get to tell someone thank you for playing an important role in your life!

After my welcome, Leslie White took over the microphone and emceed the presentation of the star awards that we had purchased with donations from our attendees. One of our raffle prizes from the night before was the opportunity to be the prize presenter, and Jenn Bortz, who had thought that it was just to present one prize to one member, was our winner. (Is it our fault that Neal’s trophy happened to be on top and thus the one we used for the display?) Jenn was pretty nervous the night before, but she came through with flying colors.

After all the prizes were presented, each band member took a turn to address the crowd. I wish I could remember what everyone said, but with all that was going on that day, it’s slipped my mind. I do remember Steve Smith commenting about how he’d been out of the rock and roll scene for a long time and being blown away by all the cheers and the crowd.

We finally let the guys off the stage and they all grabbed something to eat before they got mobbed by the fans for pictures and autographs. As I was circulating the room, it was amusing to see lines of people in various parts of the room waiting to talk to one band member or another. I managed to chat with each of them briefly, but my longest conversation was with George Tickner and it was so nice to hear his take on things.

The guys all left about 2:45 and the fans mixed and mingled amongst themselves for another 45 minutes before heading off to get ready for the concert. As always, time flies by much to fast and I didn’t get to visit with as many of our attendees as I would have liked, but it was a wonderful afternoon and heading in to a wonderful night. As things were winding down, “We Will Meet Again” came on the sound system, so I found the staff member in charge of the PA and had him turn it up for the last song of the afternoon.

*August 15, 2014 Post-script: One highlight I realize I left out of this tale is my strongest and favorite memory of the afternoon. We had made a program for our attendees as a bit of memorabilia and in putting it together we had asked a variety of fans for artwork or photos. One of the folks who had sent photos couldn't attend the event, so I promised to send her a copy of the program autographed by the band members who showed up at the luncheon. I spent much of my time going from band member to band member to make sure I got everyone to sign the program. When I got to Jon we chatted a bit when he said to me, in a voice as stunned as any of the fans, "Wasn't it great that Steve [Perry] showed up?" Naturally I agreed, but I'll never forget the tone of his voice or the look of amazement on his face when he said that. We chatted on that for a short bit and the genuine appreciation for what had transpired, both that day and in years past, was quite clear. It made me feel great that for that one moment on that one day all of the tumult of the years was lifted and I was so proud to be part of it.

January 2005: Journey to Hollywood

August 14, 2014: After Journey received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, fans in attendance reported back to the various mailing lists and bulletin boards about their experience. While combing through various archives to assemble this blog, I stumbled upon this post by Valerie Holek about her experience of the weekend. Since Valerie is the person who got me to finally act on my long standing idea to put this blog together, I thought it would be nice to share something from her. Reprinted here with her permission.

I will start my review from Thursday January 20th when my sister and I arrived in LAX. There were 11 of us that were to share a limo ride from there to our hotel on Hollywood and Highland. When we were all gathered together, we made the short walk to where the limo and baggage car were waiting for us. The chauffeur was very pleasant and even stopped at the liquor store and bought us 3 bottles of champagne to share on our ride.

When we arrived at the gorgeous hotel, several Journey fans were already there and the first one I was greeted by was Randy. After everyone getting settled in their rooms, several of us went to get a bite to eat from Johnny Rockets. The gang consisted of Cindy, MAK, Randy, myself, and my sister Rhonda. We all ordered burgers and shared an order of onion rings. The food was pretty good.

After dinner, we all walked around the complex in awe of how enormous it was and did a little shopping on the side. We took some pictures of the Hollywood sign as well. What a gorgeous hotel and mall it was that the JPP committee chose for us all!!

About 10 o'clock or so, it was time to get a good night's sleep and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the events that were going to happen on Friday!! We were all very anxious for the induction ceremony to begin! I awoke very early Friday morning, 5 AM! I took my shower and the other girls started waking up one by one, and we all took turns getting ourselves gorgeous for the ceremony. Well, as gorgeous as we could get!

We decided that it was a good idea to go get something to eat, and we (Chrissy, Rhonda, Cindy and myself) walked across the street to McDonalds. Not my first choice, but it was cheap and filling. I didn't realize that the star was that close to where we were staying, and I also didn't realize that it may have been a good idea to have gotten down there a little bit earlier than we did because people were already lined up and we knew there was no way we were going to get a good spot now! But we did the best we could do, and actually wound up mostly in the second "row" if you will, but we were so far away from the podium it was impossible to see very much of anything but the backs of people's heads.

We were all handing off cameras to some of the girls in front of us so they could take some pictures for us. We stood there for almost 2 hours before the event started, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had to! It was so wonderful to meet Journey friends that I have spoken with over the years and to see several of them again! One of the biggest highlights of the day was when the buzz of Steve Perry being there started going through the audience and I didn't believe it for a minute until I saw him myself! OMG!!!! I was in total shock!!! I have been saying all along that he wouldn't show up at all, and there he was in the flesh!! Some fans became very emotional when they saw him, but I just stood there in shock.

Nobody knew that he was coming, but from the rumors I have heard, it happened that he was listening to KLOS and two DJ's, Mark and Brian were there doing a live broadcast. From what I was told, one of the DJ's called Steve Perry a name and said something about wondering if he was going to show up. The story goes on to say that Steve Perry was listening and called the station saying he was on the 405 and would be there in a few minutes. Now, how true this story is is beyond me. That's just what was going around.

You can just imagine the uproar of the audience when Steve Perry appeared and what a welcome he received! It was great to see all of the Journey guys standing on stage receiving something they so richly deserve! Even if the differences were only put aside for a little while, they proved to the fans and to themselves that it can be done. Anything is possible in the world of magic, right?

The one thing that I didn't really understand was why only certain band members got to speak? Maybe they only had so much time and only wanted certain members to speak, but it would have been more awesome had all the band members been able to say something. Maybe that's just my opinion, and me but that's how I feel. Maybe at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that will happen!

It was such an honor to have been there, that I didn't really care who said what to be honest! Just being able to share in the joy they were receiving was worth every single penny. And I haven't even made it to the luncheon ceremony yet!

After the star induction, the JPP committee and members all went back to the hotel for the luncheon at The Highlands. What a gorgeous place!! Wow! It was so incredible to be there having lunch with Journey and all their family members they brought with them! I hope the guys got enough to eat because they were being bombarded by all of us wanting autographs and pictures! I got to talk to Deen Castronovo, Steve Smith, Ross Valory, Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto. I had my picture taken with all those gentlemen except Deen. Ross was so funny when he saw me next in line! He looked at me, pointed and said: "You want something from me, don't ya??" I said: "Well, I actually have something for you this time!" I then proceeded to hand him the "Ross Valory Rocks" button that I had made for whoever wanted one.

He looked at it and said "Thank you so much!" I got an autograph in my very cool book I brought along and had my picture taken with him. This one actually turned out pretty good!!! LOL We all know Ross is usually clowning around and every picture I have with him, he's making a silly face! Gotta love him, huh? He is the clown that makes us smile, isn't he?

After chatting with Ross for a few minutes, I saw there was a huge line for Steve Augeri and I knew that if I didn't get in it then, I was never going to get him to sign my "Stevenology: The Study of STEVE" shirt I was wearing! I had already had the opportunity to have Steve Smith sign it and he kinda chuckled at the shirt and what it says, then he very gladly signed it for me! I finally got a chance to talk to Steve and he pointed at my shirt and said, "I love that shirt!!!!" with a huge grin on his face! It made me very happy that he got a kick out of it! I got his autograph, but not a picture at the luncheon. They quickly whisked away all of the band members and we went out and had a very nice meal before getting ready for the concert.

Even though we had just had "lunch," we were still very hungry and we knew that we needed more protein to be able to make it through the concert and the after concert parties that were going on, so we went to one of the way over-priced restaurants in the complex called The Grill. We had a very cute waiter named Ken, and an incredible lunch that cost just as much as it did to register for this event!! LOL

After our wonderful lunch, we went back to our rooms and got ready for the concert. Had to do the hair and makeup just right, you know. I met a special friend down at the bar in the lobby before we were to get on our assigned bus, and we had a beer. A lot of people were gathering towards where we were to load the buses, so we got up and got on our bus and headed off for the concert of all concerts!

At the House of Blues, we all unloaded and got to line up and get in before anyone else, and that made it very easy to get a great spot standing on the floor very close to the stage. People were kind of pushing and shoving and after all the standing around we did and sweating because it was so hot in there, I actually was basically in the second row for about half the concert. I knew that past members of the band had been invited to jam, but when Aynsely Dunbar and Robert Fleischman both came out for "Wheel In The Sky," I totally lost it! I cried and cried! You can only imagine my reaction when Steve "Machine Gun" Smith came out and took over drums!!!! I'm actually getting goose bumps just typing about it!

A very wonderful lady and committee member, Darla, grabbed my arm at one point in time and pulled me to her sweet spot in the front row in between Steve And Neal and told me to save her spot, that she needed some air. Well, she never came back! LMAO I got to be in the front row for the first time ever in 18 Journey concerts! I was so thrilled, I actually cried a little bit! (You'll notice a pattern. …LOL) Thank you, Darla!!!! You have no idea how much that meant and still means to me!

Eye contact was made with Neal on several occasions, and I would just stare at his fingers and mouth WOW or OMG to him and he'd crack a smile and carry on. Watching The Rock God's fingers so up close and personal made me realize how very talented he is and how fast his fingers have to move! Holy cow! I never really knew until that moment! And Deen singing lead on "Mother, Father," "Suzanne," "Edge of the Blade," and "Escape" was almost enough to put me over the edge! Man, that boy can SING!!!!!!!!!

Before the concert had started, Journeycat had put some absolutely gorgeous long stemmed red roses on Jon's piano. I was very curious as to whom they were for, but I would find out soon enough! During a couple of breaks in the concert, Jon was handing them to ladies, or tossing them to the ones that were a little further back. I thought that was so sweet!! At the very end of the concert, he still had some roses left, so he came over to our side of the stage and was handing them to the girls in the front and second rows, but looked at me and didn't hand me one. I was a little disappointed, but hey, it was OK that I didn't get one and that's what I was telling myself. Well, evidently Ross saw my face when I didn't get handed one, and he put his hand over his mouth like he was saying… OOPS! He went over to the piano, got a rose, handed it to Jon and Jon handed it to me!! OMG! How cool was that?!?! I now have a rose from Jon via Ross hanging up drying and I will keep it forever and ever!

After the concert and diving for guitar picks, not getting a HOB Journey shirt because they were all sold out, going to the bathroom and then going outside to look for the rest of us, I happened upon Paul Stanley of Kiss fame. I knew he was there, but I actually got the chance to speak to him after the show! I asked him what he thought of the show and he said it was great! I told him I also thought it was awesome and that it was my first time in the front row. He said that it was cool I got to be in the front row, and to have a good rest of the night. I told him the same thing and then found my partners in crime and we headed off to the hotel for a martini party.

I didn't stay very long at the martini party because I was completely exhausted from all of the day's events and wanted to go back to the room and go to bed. The next morning, I awoke earlier than I wanted to, but that was OK because it helped in making my Saturday afternoon that much better by timing things just right. Read on.

Chrissy, Cindy, Rhonda and myself all got dressed and headed back across the street to McDonald's for breakfast. After breakfast, Chrissy and Rhonda joined several other ladies on a limo tour of star's homes and such and he took Rhonda and Chrissy to Beverly Hills where they went shopping and eating and had a great time! Cindy and I stayed near the hotel because we had made plans with Randy to hang with him all day and that's just what we did. Randy had slept in late and so we sat with him while he ate lunch and after that, we all went walking around the hotel complex and the Chinese Theatre where the handprints and footprints of stars are on the sidewalk. We took tons of pictures and walked across the street to take a panoramic picture of this theatre to the best of our ability. We looked in shops, took pictures of stars in the sidewalk, and went to the souvenir shop that we had been to once already and we were picking out what we wanted for keep sakes and in walks Lydia Augeri!! I was like… "Oh wow!" Very cool! Stay calm!! She's a great lady! I love her! Where's Steve?!! LOL I'm crazy, I know. But that's what was going through my head! Then it dawned on me that I shouldn't say anything because they were there being "family" and not "on the job" so to say.

Well, Steve saw us, recognized us and immediately said Hello! I was floored! He's so gracious to stop and say hello to us when he's with his family doing family things! He never ceases to amaze me! We asked him about the show and if it was as hot for him as it was for us, and he said oh yes! Very hot in there! I told him I had to ask, that I was just dying to know something! And he said, sure, ask! I asked him if Mr. Perry was nice to him yesterday or did he even say anything to him at all? Steve said: "Ya know, it's not about me. It's about you guys." I told him that I understood, and that I wanted him to know that the reason I was there was because of HIM. He put his hand over his heart and said "Thank you!" Then he graciously posed for pictures with Cindy and myself. It was so awesome!

We didn't want to take up anymore of his family time, but Randy did want to show him a picture that he got of him the day before at the ceremony. It is such a great photo that he wanted to share it. Steve's mother and Aunt were there and they wanted to see the picture as well. His mother saw it and said Oh! I have to have a copy of that, please! So his aunt got on the phone to his cousin and she handed me the phone and said here, tell her what the deal is and get email addresses so we can have that pic. I was FLOORED!! Holy cow! Here I am on the street, talking to Steve Augeri's cousin who also happens to be named Valerie! We exchanged email addresses and I hope she loves the picture as much as we all did and do!

We said our goodbyes and walked a little farther away and then across the street but by that time more Journey friends had spotted Steve and Lydia and they are so wonderful they loved every minute of it, I think! LOL Well, according to time frames, the same time we were chatting with the Augeri's in the shop, Steve Perry was down visiting the star just a few hundred FEET away!!!! Wow!! How awesome is that? That would have been cool to get to meet him in person, but I was very happy with chatting with Steve Augeri and his family. We then went in one of those little photo booths that you sit and pose for photographs and they print them right there within a couple of minutes. That was a lot of fun! LOL We got our pictures, and decided we needed to drop off our things in the room and maybe get something to drink. We headed back over across the street and back to our rooms chatting happily about what had just happened and that we were so excited and felt very lucky and blessed!

Trying to make a long story short (like that's gonna happen!), we ate an early dinner, shopped some more, chatted with other Journey fans that we ran in to during the day and by 10 PM, I was more than ready to go to bed because I knew that we all had to get up very early the next morning to say our goodbyes. It was starting to hit me that I had to say goodbye to Cindy and Randy very soon and I didn't want them to see me cry. We went back to the room; Cindy went to get a bottle of water. I couldn't sleep. I got maybe a total of 2 hours sleep after going to bed well after midnight because Rhonda and Chrissy were showing us what they had bought and we were doing the same thing.

Poor Chrissy had to get up at 3:45 to go to the airport even though her flight got canceled. They did get her to N. Carolina, but delayed another day getting her home to Connecticut. Darn that stupid snow we all had to come back to! Well, back to the morning of our departure. Like I have said, I didn't sleep very much Saturday night, nor did my sister or Chrissy. So we just got up. My sister and I tried to lay there in bed talking softly and not waking Chrissy, but she woke up anyways. I was telling my sister how I felt at that moment and that I just wanted to bawl. But I didn't, well at least not at that point in time.

We got around and completely packed and ready to check out and I went down to the lobby to say goodbye to Randy and any other Journey fan I saw. Randy got on his shuttle and away he went and my sister, Cindy and myself went upstairs to Twist, where the farewell breakfast was going to be held. We were so happy to see Darla, Emerson and Steve and even happier that they joined us at our table. The buffet was delicious there and eventually several other Journey fans came in to eat and say their goodbyes. This meant more hugs, more tears, more pictures! Ugh! Good thing I didn't put on makeup, because I knew I was going to cry when I had to say goodbye to all of you guys! It's always so wonderful to say hello and I always dread saying goodbye, so I just said "We Will Meet Again" several times! Mak, Rhonda, Cathy and myself all split a minivan cab ride to LAX and each went our separate ways at different airlines and it was a sad morning at that point in time. All I have to say about LAX is GOOD GRIEF!!!!!! Can that place be any bigger?? LOL!

Ok, ok… 8 pages is a little long for a review of such a fascinating weekend mixed with a little bit of boring stuff I did in Hollywood with my friends, but I wanted to get it all down on paper and relive every minute I could while it was still mostly fresh in my mind! I hope I didn't bore everyone to tears and I wanted you all to know how much you mean to me and that I always look forward to seeing all of you again and meeting new fans and friends.

To the JPP Committee: YOU ALL ROCK!!!!!!! I love you all!!!! Thank you so very much!!!! I can't express enough how thankful I am for a wonderful weekend and to Journey, I say Good luck and God Bless you all!!!!

We will meet again…on my heart it's written!!!

January 21, 2005: Hello Hollywood!

Hollywood, CA
House of Blues

Holy mother of god....

That's about all I could think of when the frenzied whispers of "Steve Perry's here" spread through the crowd on Hollywood Boulevard today. When I finally caught a glimpse that proved the whispers were TRUE... I can't believe just how much I was shaking. I was in complete and utter shock. I kind of wandered away from the ceremony after he spoke babbling to myself... hell has truly frozen over. The best part -- not even the band knew he was coming until shortly before he arrived.

I was also in a mild panic. You see, we had invited the band to the Journey Past & Present luncheon, and that invitation was extended to former members. I was the one giving the welcome speech.... what if Perry showed up too?? Let's just say... BRAIN OVERLOAD!

Alas, it was not to be. The last anyone saw of Mr. Perry was signing a few autographs and taking pictures on Hollywood Boulevard -- delighting and amazing many fans. For the cynics among you Neal and Ross gave Steve a big hug and Steve Augeri shook his hand.

It was an incredible group of people in attendance -- truly past and present with both George Tickner (who is a very sweet man and was very honored) and Robert Fleischman joining Steve Smith, Aynsley Dunbar, and our current crew.

On to the concert.... mind blowing. The House of Blues is hotter than all hell, but I wasn't going to give up my spot in front of the stage for anything. The first guest appearance was from Robert Fleischman and Aynsley Dunbar on "Wheel in the Sky." Fleischman shared vocal duties with Augeri and it was a different take on a familiar song. He left, but Aynsley remained on the drums for "Lights."

THAT was followed by Steve Smith hopping on the kit (as Deen and Jim did the "we're not worthy" bow) and playing drums for "Walks Like a Lady," "Chain Reaction," and "Voodoo Chile/Gypsy Queen" -- all I can say is OH... MY... GOD... I've seen Smitty play many times before, but seeing him up there with Journey, well, that was just too good for words. Deen was looking on the whole time, obvious in his fan-dom too.

My brain is still on overload, and I probably have more to say, but after Jonathan handed me a rose out of the bouquet that had been sent, we guess, by Randy Jackson (who also sent along a taped message) I kind of short circuited.*

*We later learned that the rose bouquet had been sent by a fan who wanted to attend but was unable to join the festivities.

I have no set list to share, but it's pretty much the same as they've played all year, so no new surprises there. I will end with the observation that I couldn't believe how happy they all looked.... it was truly a night to remember.

What a day...

What a night..

August 8-18, 2001: Michelle's Adventures in Journeyland (part 7)

Ana Marie got busy finishing up the guest book she’d started assembling Monday night at my apartment—we had gotten everyone’s input by then (even if we had to call and email a few people and write it in ourselves) and went to work. After a while, it became apparent that my assistance wasn’t required for this task, and since I was starving, I went in search of food. A quick trip to the hotel restaurant to discover it wasn’t open for lunch meant I had to hop in the car and find someplace to eat. Great...Of course I can’t stand hamburgers, so that pretty much wiped out the most immediate solutions that I drove past...McDonald’s—no, Wendy’s—no, Carl’s Jr.—no...I remembered that there had been several Denny’s on Sunset, so I headed that way. This time my tuna melt only cost six dollars—much better!

Back to the hotel to work out the game plan for the rest of the afternoon. I got on the phone to Rose, with whom Cheryl would be sitting, to find out what time she expected to meet us and where that might be—our hotel or at the venue. Rose had taken the afternoon off work and would meet us at the hotel—approximately at the same time Ana Marie and I would be returning from the airport run to get Cheryl. Ana Marie had finished the guest book, and was determined to get it to the guys that night—if I didn’t get a pass with my fan club seat or Cheryl and Rose didn’t passes with theirs, then ever reliable Cat would once again be our delivery girl. We also realized that the attendees would want to see a final copy. That meant finding a Kinkos and getting color copies done. We asked at the front desk where the closest one was, and were told to head towards Sunset and Vine. Great...Alas, we didn’t have time to head that way as it was time to leave for the airport to get Cheryl and take care of Ana Marie airline ticket for Thursday.

Managing to find our way back to the airport involved a few unexpected detours—the street was closed in our direction for about a block for no apparent reason. We assumed filming. Dealing with the ticket counter was taking slightly longer than expected, so I left Ana Marie to her own devices and headed over to the other terminal to meet Cheryl’s flight. Alas, when I checked the arrival board, I discovered her flight was 30 minutes late! Yikes! We were supposed to meet Rose back at the hotel at 4:00! Out came the cell phone and a quick call to Rose...she was in traffic and  delayed also. I told her Ana Marie and I would need to go to Kinkos, so what we needed to do was to meet at the hotel, get changed, and she and Cheryl would head to the venue in one car while Ana Marie and I found Kinkos and meet them at Will Call.

I went back to the counter, found Ana Marie, and once Cheryl had safely arrived, we dashed back to the hotel for our presto quicko chango and back out the door. Rose arrived almost at the same time as we did, which worked great. Quick hellos and good-byes, and Ana Marie and I were on the way to Kinkos. We had some entertainment there as a several people became extraordinarily concerned about a cat locked in a car in the parking lot. One woman got on the phone to the police, while the fellow who owned the car stood in line to pay for his copies was shouting at her. Copies done, Ana Marie headed over to the counter to pay for them while I assembled the guest book into one cohesive item.

Off again to the Greek Theater, a little later than we had planned. Ana Marie was concerned that Cat would be worried about us and since Cat didn’t have a cell phone (and it would have worked even if she did—no one could get a signal up there!) so we made haste. When the line for parking looked to be taking forever, I told Ana Marie to hop out and find Cat while I parked the car. I joined them not too long afterwards, and, of course, the hot topic of conversation was the Herbie Herbert interview. I asked Cat if she knew what the plan was. Since she moderates the message boards on the official Journey site, I knew that this interview could mean trouble, and not just for her, but for the band. What, if any, legal implications could come up as a result? Cat said she didn’t know, but the band and Rindell were aware of it, but wouldn’t have time to look at it until their day off Thursday.

Rose and Cheryl arrived soon afterwards and the conversation continued. None of us had received passes with our tickets, so Ana Marie handed over the guest book to Cat to deliver on our behalf. While we were chatting, a woman walked up to us and handed us a CD she was giving away and said “If you like Journey, you might want to check these guys out.” When we looked at the CD, we all burst out laughing. It was Vision 180 – we know these guys! Well, at least a little bit. Darla had introduced Ana Marie and me to Jason the year before when we were all in LA together. The woman told us Jason was across the parking lot and caught his attention for us. We waved and smiled and his face lit up as he recognized us. A quick chat with Jason revealed that they had been signed with a record label in Europe and were going to be playing at the Gods festival! Way to go guys!

In for the show, where we once again found Miles and Michael and the gang from the Journey Forum. It occurred to me that the show on Friday night in San Bernardino was also one of the “Roadie for a Day” shows, so I asked Cat who had won. It turns out it was Mark! Yes, the very same Mark we had met in Sacramento. When I saw him after John Waite’s set, I rushed over to give him a big hug of congratulations. How fantastic—someone I knew had won the prize!

By this point I had become determined to pick up one of the Journey baseball jerseys...I’d wanted one from the previous tour and wasn’t able to get it, so I had no intention of being denied this time. Rose and I marched off to the merchandise booth and I plunked down my Visa and walked away with a very spiffy jersey.

When we reconvened with the rest of the group, Cheryl and Ana Marie were talking with two women we hadn’t seen before. It turned out that they were at their very first Journey concert with Steve Augeri (both had seen the band back in the Day with Steve Perry). We who had been to many shows by this point went into autopilot—singing Steve’s praises and assuring our new friends that they would love the show. We made them promise to find us after the show and tell us what they thought—good or bad.

Somehow, we wound up socializing during the entire Peter Frampton set—great, standing all that time again when I should have been sitting! My poor legs! Ahh well...ever the road warrior. We all went in and grabbed our seats for Journey’s set. Well what a bummer for me...I had a third row seat, terrific, but so far off to the side I couldn’t see half the stage!!! An obstructed view seat that I’d paid seventy five dollars for!!! Not going to blame the fan club for that though...the Greek Theatre should never sell those seats. In my opinion, those seats should just be ripped out entirely...absolutely useless to sit there. 

to be continued...

August 8-18, 2001: Michelle's Adventures in Journeyland (part 6)

Up at 9:00 for breakfast and a quick shower and last minute packing. We were meeting Stacy at Mom and Dad’s house at noon for a ride to the airport, and amazingly enough, we were awake and alert and ready to go. The flight to Burbank was uneventful as was the trip to the hotel. Ana Marie reached her friend Sally who would be joining us for the show, and we quickly changed and freshened up before Sally arrived to drive us over to the show.

We got to the Greek Theater in no time at all, and went to meet up with all the So Cal folks—some we were meeting for the very first time. Besides seeing Cat again and Michael (oh webmaster of all that is good...) we met Miles, one of the Journey Forum moderators, and his son Mikey (absolutely adorable) and a good dozen of the Forum regulars. As it turned out, I would be spending considerable time with this group over the next few days, and I really should have learned actual names, but 20 people introducing themselves as “LA Woman” or “Nutz4Neal” makes it hard to get real names straight!

When you start going to many shows, you start running into people you’ve met before all the time, and this night was no different. Once inside, we ran into Mark and Jae—the couple sitting next to Cat, Mary Ann, and me in Sacramento. Hugs and hellos were exchanged and it was time for the show to begin.

Per usual, Ana Marie, Cat, Sally and I found seats together near the front for Waite and Frampton and boogied on until it was time for Journey to hit the stage and we all had to go to our real seats. When I got to my seat (alone, off to the side, sniffle) I started chatting briefly with two women sitting behind me. They asked the inevitable question so many have asked—“Is this new singer as good as Steve Perry?” I assured them that yes, Steve Augeri was terrific—I wouldn’t be at my 10^th show of the tour if he wasn’t! They were suitably impressed by my insanity, and then went off to places unknown. The show started and I adjusted to the fact that my seats weren’t as good as they had been for pretty much every other show on the tour. I wasn’t too bummed though—10 shows in and this was the worst it got? 13^th row of the 2^nd section, slightly off to the side...no big deal. Besides, I had a fan club seat for the next night’s show, and the fan club seats had been great thus far. Mid-way through the show, the two women behind me who had disappeared earlier returned. One of them tapped me on my shoulder and as I turned around, stuck something on my shoulder...it was an after show pass! The other woman gave her pass to the fellow sitting behind me, and during the break before the encore I tried my darnedest to talk him out of it so I could get it to Ana Marie. He wouldn’t bite, dang it all. Alas, after the show ended and my brain started functioning again, I realized it had a PF stamped on it...it was for Peter Frampton’s after show, not Journey’s...bummer! But an unforgettable gesture nonetheless.

After the show some of us trooped over to Mel’s Diner on Sunset for dinner (at 1:00 a.m...oh well...) First, for the record, the original Mel’s in San Francisco is much better. Second, Tuesday night, after midnight and the place was packed...ahhh Hollywierd...While we were waiting for a table (yes waiting at that hour!), Ana Marie checked her voice mail and found messages from Cheryl and Emerson—the Stevie Nicks concert she was to fly home for in the morning had been canceled!! She decided then and there she’d stick around for the Journey show the next night and find a ticket in the morning. By the time Cat arrived on the scene, it was close to a done deal, when she mentioned that she had an extra fan club seat that night. Woo hoo! It was settled.

Sally dropped Ana Marie and me off at the hotel close to 2:00, and we both felt badly for Sally—unlike us, she had to go to work in the morning. Once back in our room, Ana Marie got on the phone to make the necessary changes for her return home. Wednesday morning was a fairly quiet one, fortunately, which meant we could rest and recover a bit from the night before. Cheryl was flying down from Oakland, but wouldn’t be arriving until 3:30, so we had most of the day to kill. While Ana Marie was taking a shower, I hopped on my computer to check my email and post a review of the previous night’s show. That’s when I found that someone had done an interview with Journey’s former manager, Herbie Herbert. I lost track of the number of times I shouted to Ana Marie “Oh my god.. you have to come out here and read this!”...I was quite certain that a furore was on the horizon among the many rabid on-line Journey fans. Herbie was saying things that had been mostly rumor and speculation for years, and here it was in black and white. Oh the next few days were going to be interesting!

to be continued...

August 14-15, 2001: Two Nights in La-La Land

Los Angeles, CA
Greek Theater 

Night 1:

Last night’s show was fantastic, even if it was the worst seats I had for the whole tour. They weren’t awful by any means (13th row of the 2nd section, but waaaaay over on Neal’s side) but not as good as I’ve had for the earlier shows. (pout) Oh well, at least I got to see Deen for a change (he was the only one I could see all night.)

So, just a quick set list...

Anyway You Want It
Only the Young
-- Neal solo (Amazing Grace) --
Stone in Love
Nothing Comes Close
Lights
Still They Ride
-- Jon solo --
When You Love a Woman
Feeling That Way
Anytime
Higher Place
Chain Reaction
Don't Stop Believin'
Faithfully
Livin' To Do
Escape
-- mini-drum solo 1 --
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
-- mini-drum solo 2 --
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:
Separate Ways
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

photo courtesy of Caryn Sinagra

Night 2:

Well folks, it's a full 24 hours since the show started last night, and I do believe I've lost a few brain cells... Short and sweet tonight... the show last night was great, but the crowd wasn't as good as the first LA date, and the place was short of a sell out.

My fan club seat would have been great (3rd row) if it weren't for the OBSTRUCTED VIEW!! Siiiighhhh... couldn't see the video screen, could see the Whale, but Jon was totally out of my line of sight. Why on EARTH they sell those seats is totally beyond me. Did get to meet Ross' wife Mary though since she was sitting behind me for most of the show.

I have a feeling all my LA pix are going to be a total waste though.... ah well...

Set List:

Any Way You Want It
Only the Young
-- Neal solo (Amazing Grace) --
Stone in Love
World Gone Wild
Send Her My Love
Lights
-- Jon solo --
When You Love a Woman
Feeling That Way
Anytime
Higher Place
Chain Reaction
Don't Stop Believin'
Faithfully
Livin' to Do
Escape
-- mini-drum solo #1 --
-- Neal solo --
Wheel in the Sky
-- mini-drum solo #2 --
Be Good to Yourself

Encore:
Separate Ways
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

Still Journeying through California....