June 29, 2025: It's a JPP Reunion!

Alameda County Fairgrounds
Pleasanton, CA 

 

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is a treat when your favorite band is Journey. They're a hometown band, so they're almost always going to play a hometown (area) gig. Steve Augeri, however, is not a Bay Area resident, so his appearances out here on the West Coast have been few and far between since he and the rest of the band went their separate ways (pun absolutely intended!) So when I saw he was going to appear at the Alameda County Fair this weekend, I definitely wanted to go. I had just one concern -- it was the Sunday after my company's annual conference ended. At the beginning of the year, there was a good possibility that I would be in Las Vegas working twelve hour days and in need of some serious rest this weekend. That fell through, so it was no worries about hitting a Sunday night show.

I grabbed a pair of tickets for Ana Marie and myself a few weeks after they went on sale. This meant front row was out of the picture, but I was able to snag seats about 10 rows back. Now it was just time to wait. About two weeks ago, Darryl sent a group text to the Nor Cal Journey fans to see who wanted to get together for dinner/drinks before the show. After a bunch of back and forth, the pre-show gathering was just five of us -- Darryl, Jenny, Chris, Ana Marie and me. We'd meet up with everyone else at the show.

I headed out Sunday afternoon about 3:30 to make our 4:30 meeting time and cruised into Pleasanton with out hassle and arrived at McKay's Taphouse and Beer Garden right on time. It was a nice little spot, very casual, with picnic tables and couches set out for people to sit and visit. Ana had arrived a few minutes before me and had ordered some cider and a sandwich and after I got settled, I promptly followed suit. Darryl, Jenny, and Chris arrived shortly after me and we all settled in for some tasty food and good company. We hung around McKay's for a couple of hours catching up and telling old stories.

Soon enough it was time to head over to the fairgrounds and meet up with everyone else. Since we'd all driven to Pleasanton from varying directions, we arrived a bit staggered at the fairgrounds. Ana and I headed in ahead of the others and wound our way through the fairgrounds to the amphitheater. As soon as we entered the gates, we ran in to Renee, Debbie, and Krystal. Quick hellos and hugs while I followed the usher to find our seats -- two rows behind Linda and Walt who were visiting with Emerson. A few rows down in the seated pit, there was Robin and her daughter. Soon we were all gathered at the stair boundary and catching up, when Scott appeared behind me. More hugs and hellos followed when Matt and his wife Wendy arrived. We had most of the old NorCal contingent gathered for the show. I smiled as I looked around and saw all the familiar faces of the friends I'd made during those crazy Journey journeys of the late 90s/early 2000s. Twenty-five plus years on, and we quickly fell back in to the groove.

With about 20 minutes left to settle in our seats, people drifted off to grab last minute drinks and chat. I went over to say hello to Scott's wife Kim and meet his kids. Kim joked that the Journey gang had known Scott almost as long as she had. I laughed and reminded her I first met her the same weekend I meet Scott -- at the 1998 Fan Convention in San Francisco!

I headed back to my seat and settled in waiting for the show. Steve started out right on time with "Separate Ways." Unfortunately the mix was terrible and Steve's voice was totally drowned out. It took a few songs to get sorted, but finally things sounded better by the time Steve and the band kicked in to "Send Her My Love." That was immediately followed by "Lights", which, as always, got a great hometown reaction. Steve introduced it by talking about how much he loved San Francisco and the Bay Area and had considered moving out here back in the day. That would have been interesting for this home town fan. 

Steve's voice isn't what it once was and there were some rough spots, but getting to hear him sing again was all we needed. The old gang stayed on their feet as Steve introduced "Higher Place", and I was instantly ported back to that long ago November weekend when the band first played songs from Arrival. The set moved along briskly and soon we were hearing "Faithfully" and "Don't Stop Believin'" Looking at my phone, I realized that we'd blazed through the show in just an hour.

The main set wrapped up with "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" which included a bit of a guitar duel between Steve and his long-time guitarist Adam Holland. This bit was delayed briefly as Steve's guitar somehow got disconnected from the sound system, resulting in a roadie coming out to fix it and Steve standing at the edge of the stage rubbing his eyes with mock tears. After a few moments things were fixed and Steve and Adam played back and forth and morphed into a bit of "Rocky Mountain Way" before seguing back to LTS.

Steve noted the time and let us know that the "next band up" was "Hard Curfew" at 9:30. After a chuckle from the crowd, the set went into a vamp mode as apparently, Steve didn't put together a set list. One of my personal highlights of this section was when Steve covered Rod Stewart's "Forever Young." It's one of my favorite Rod Stewart songs and just as it did the last time I saw him with his full band, I got a bit teary eyed. Both because Journey's music will always take me back to my teen aged years, and because hearing Steve will always take me back to those crazy days in my 30s of dashing around the country catching another show and meeting more fans. I may be getting older, but my heart stays young.

With some time yet to kill before the curfew, Steve decided to sing "Open Arms" which he prefaced by saying he was in no condition to sing that vocal. He did a great job. The show closed out with most of "Be Good to Yourself" combined with bits of "Whole Lotta Love" and "Won't Get Fooled Again."

The show was over much too soon, but there was still time afterwards to gather and chat with all the friends who had made it. Linda and Walt had to duck out right after the show as they were heading on vacation in the morning, and Robin and her daughter got shuttled out a different exit, so we didn't get to visit with them after the show. My favorite part of all my Journey journeys was never the concert -- it was always meeting and hanging out with my fellow fans. It was terrific to get to do that again for a few hours this weekend. I did take time to think of the people I missed - especially my fellow JPP crew. Cheryl and Leslie F. have moved out of the Bay Area, Mary Ann and Leslie W. were never local, and of course we lost Darla seventeen years ago. They were all forefront in my mind during the show, but so were the memories of so many others and so many fun times.

We will continue to meet again, and of course the memories always remain. 

photo courtesy of Emerson Dong

Set List

Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
Stone in Love
Send Her My Love
Lights
Higher Place
-- guitar solo --
Wheel in the Sky
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Rocky Mountain Way

Encore/Vamp

Anyway You Want It
Forever Young
Who's Crying Now
Open Arms
Be Good to Yourself/Whole Lotta Love/Won't Get Fooled Again
 

August 9, 2022: Steve Augeri in Sonoma!

Santa Rosa, CA
Sonoma County Fairgrounds

It was a Tuesday night. In Santa Rosa -- a good 75 miles/2-hour drive from home. Showtime was 7:30 p.m. I just took a week off and have a ton of work to catch up on plus several deadlines this week. Heading to Santa Rosa was going to be a LOT and I knew I'd be wiped out the next day.

But it was Steve Augeri. I haven't seen Steve since 2019 in Santa Cruz. So I bought a couple of tickets for me and Ana Marie and let the crew of Journey folks I knew were going that I'd be heading up to the show too. Emerson let me know that he and the others all had seats in Section A, so when I went online to buy my tix middle of last week, I first hit "best available" and came up with Section B, Row 1. Hmmm... no seating plan to be found, I went back and checked on what was available in Section A. Came up with Row 5. Ok, Section B must be next to Section A, not behind, so went back and grabbed those two Row 1 seats and hoped for the best.

As noted, I was off last week and have a lot on my to do list for this week, so I couldn't take off from work until after my primary manager's staff meeting that was scheduled from 1:00-2:00. That should be fine. Log out after the meeting, do a quick change of clothes and hop in the car by 2:15, should be in Santa Rosa between 4-4:15, plenty of time to meet Darryl, Jenny, Chris, Charles, Debbie, and Renee for the 4:30 pre-show dinner and drinks (drinks and dinner?) Emerson and Nicole would meet us at the show.

Well, my staff meeting ended early (at least for me) at 1:30 so I thought "great, that should give me plenty of time to send these two quick emails and log out at 2:00." Yeah, right. I finally logged out about 2:20, scrambled to get out of my WFH comfy clothes and into jeans and a top for the show. Dammit, better get gas too. Finally on the road by 2:45 and keeping my fingers crossed that traffic through San Francisco wouldn't be too awful and started driving north. 

Other than Google Maps routing me a weird way when I first hit San Francisco, traffic through the city was pretty good and it was a lovely clear afternoon to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, something I haven't done in a very long time! After going around the block a couple of times trying to find the entrance to the parking lot for the restaurant, I finally arrived about 4:35 and met folks inside. Debbie and Renee hadn't arrived yet, so we had cocktails and chatted while waiting. They were a bit more delayed than expected, so we ordered some food around 5:30 and they arrived about the same time as the food. 

Lots of fun chatting and catching up with folks I haven't seen in a while, largely due to COVID and lack of concerts. I will always, always love the get-togethers with my fellow Journey fans and all the friends I've made along the way because of that dang band!

We headed over to the fairgrounds about 6:30 and made our way in to the venue. It was just an open-air pop-up stage in the middle of the fairgrounds with a fenced off section with chairs (reserved, $20 + fees, does not include fair admission) and an open grassy area and bleachers that were free. Well, duh, guess where our seats were? The folks who'd bought their tickets earlier than me (everyone else in our group!) were all in Section A, Row 1, so it was perfect that Ana and I were in Section B, Row 1. There were two empty seats next to Ana and me, a narrow aisle and then seats 1-8 of Section A, Row 1 filled with our Journey gang. 

At dinner, Darryl had told us about chatting a bit with Steve just before he started his sound check, and told us that Steve asked that the barricades in front of the first row be moved back closer to the stage so folks could get close to the stage. Fantastic! When the show kicked off with "Separate Ways" most of us went straight to the front up against the stage. Alas, security made us go back to our seats. VERY frustrating! We stayed there, mostly seated for about the first half of the show, but absolutely jumped up when Steve went into "Higher Place" which he introduced in such a way that Ana and I thought he might be going into something from Tall Stories, presumably because he knows most folks want to hear the Perry-era stuff. (But c'mon Steve, we're here to see YOU! Sing YOUR Journey stuff!) As I said to Ana "we were there the first time he performed this live, damn if I'm sitting down for this!"

Not long after, the security guard who had made us all go back to our seats crept along the front row saying "you can go up front." Thanks to Steve signaling her about it! Well, you don't need to tell us twice... and there we all were, the long-time Journey gang all lined up at the barricade in front of the stage. I took a few pictures and a little video, but was actually TOO close to the stage for much more than that -- there would have been far too many crotch shots trying to snap more than a few pix! Heck, I nearly fell over from leaning back while live streaming Steve playing some guitar on Facebook. (That was RIGHT in front of me!)

Steve wasn't in perfect voice, which he mentioned early on. He and the band have been on the road for a few days and had some travel difficulties. But he carried on with "half a voice" and some reverb issues with his mic and put on a great show. I just kept smiling all night long. I've been a bit down on the Journey boys after the lawsuit between Neal/Jon and Ross/Smitty hit in 2020 (and to be honest, a lot of the other BS that's gone on among the band the previous few years), but I will always love their music and I will ALWAYS be a fan of Steve Augeri for all he did to bring Journey back to us almost 25 years ago now! (WHAT?!)

For the encore, Steve started off by covering Rod Stewart's version of "Forever Young" which I love. It got me a bit teary-eyed since no matter how old I am, Journey's music always sends me straight back to being a teenager in the '80s. I've been through a lot with this band, but they'll always keep me "forever young."

We didn't get a chance to chat with Steve after the show as he didn't come out, but his son Adam who is playing drums in his band did. We had a nice chat with him, but I kept shaking my head in disbelief because all I kept thinking about was meeting him backstage in Reno after a New Year's Eve show at the end of the Vacation's Over tour sitting off to the side watching as his dad is mobbed by fans and other assorted folks. He's a sweet kid. (Yeah, he's probably 30 or so now, but that's a kid to me!)

Naturally, we were all the last to leave the stage area since we just kept chatting all along, but eventually we had to hit the road for our long drives home. My drive home was faster than the drive up, but it was still 11:30 by the time I got home and it took me at least another hour to wind down enough to get to bed and go to sleep. Made for a verrrrry tough getting up at 6:30 this morning when my alarm went off, but a couple of cups of coffee (which I almost never drink) got me through the day.

I had a farewell lunch this afternoon for a co-worker, and when I hopped in the car for the short drive to the restaurant I couldn't find anything to listen to on the radio and my phone was in my purse, so I just hit the "CD" option in my car since I usually have something in the player for such occasions. Totally forgot it was Arrival, so I drove off to lunch listening to "We Will Meet Again" which just put a huge grin on my face. I think I'll keep the car stereo on CD for the next couple of days for my commute into the office.

Set List:

Separate Ways
Stone in Love
Ask the Lonely
Send Her My Love
Lights
Higher Place
Wheel in the Sky
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' (w/ a bit of Rocky Mountain Way)
Any Way You Want It

-encore-

Forever Young
Who's Crying Now
Open Arms
Be Good to Yourself/Zep/Who (copied from actual set list... songs were bits of "Whole Lotta Love" and "Won't Get Fooled Again")

Postscript: This wasn't my first show of 2022, that was Paul McCartney in May which WASN'T the May concert I was referring to in my last post. More on that come May 2023!

June 25, 2017: Steve Augeri Comes to California (Finally!)

Plymouth, CA
Helwig Winery

1986: My aunt and uncle agreed to take my cousin Denise to see Journey open their Raised on Radio tour at Mountain Aire -- a concert held at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. Denise invited me to join them. I said no -- Calaveras County is a good two and a half hour drive and in August temps would be in the high 90s/low 100s. Nope. Too far. Too hot. I'll wait until they come home to San Francisco.

2017: I get a message from Emerson -- Steve Augeri is playing in Plymouth, CA. My first thought was "Where in the hell is Plymouth, CA?!!" Took a quick look at the map and it's in California gold country -- or about 50 miles north of the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. So, yep, there I was yesterday driving two and a half hours from the comfortable mid-70s San Francisco Peninsula to the 98-degree who the heck knows where this place is?!! to see Steve Augeri perform for the first time in seven years.

I say it's been seven years since I'd seen him perform, which is true, but that was a 3-song appearance. The last time I saw him do a full set of songs was at the end of the Generations Tour in 2005! That was nearly TWELVE YEARS AGO! That is far too long! Steve's been performing off and on in the seven years (at least) since I actually last saw him, but most of the shows have been east of the Mississippi or out of the country. I have a vague recollection of seeing a mention of a show of his in San Diego a few years ago, but it was a mid-week show I learned about the day before (or possibly the day after!) and couldn't have made. It may have even been a private gig. So, yeah, seeing the man who took Journey back out on the road after Steve Perry left hasn't been easy for this West Coast kid!

We had a goodly collection of Journey folks meeting up in gold country. I booked a last minute hotel room for myself in Jackson (good idea!), Emerson and Nicole were staying in Sutter Creek, and Linda and Walt were staying at a B&B in Plymouth. The five of us met up at Linda and Walt's B&B to car pool to the winery. We weren't really sure what to expect. We had all gotten tickets for the pre-show barbecue dinner thinking there probably wasn't going to be much of any place nearby to get something to eat, so we were going in early. All the emails we'd received had me thinking this was a fairly new thing for the winery -- we'd be checked in from our car, no one would be allowed in before 5 unless they were going to the barbecue, please car pool due to limited parking, the show is sold out so be prepared to sit close to your neighbors, etc., etc. Things actually went pretty smoothly and they let everyone in and park whenever they arrived. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I had feared/expected. We were given our various wristbands in the car along with a plastic cup that would come in handy later for the free (warm) water.

We chatted briefly with Darryl and Jenny who had arrived just before us but didn't have barbecue tickets before we headed in where we immediately ran in to Debbie and Krystal. I hadn't seen them in about 5 years! We all staked out our places on the lawn near the stage (and in the shade!) then headed up to the barbecue. It was a pretty good dinner, but the pre-show dinner entertainment made it really hard to talk. The guy was good, just too loud. We did all manage to toss about our various thoughts on Neal's recent social media ramblings and concluded that things are as weird as ever in Journeyland.

We headed back down to the amphitheater to hang out and chat until the show started, which was great. Chris and her friend were sitting with Darryl and Jenny and we ran into Marcela and her daughter, so we all mixed and mingled around the floor of the amphitheater. Between going to New York earlier this year and getting together for this show, I really felt like I've gone back in time a bit in 2017. (Of course, Krystal made me all too aware that time has flown as the 11 year old kid I first met is now nearly 30 with a kid of her own! What the heck?! Ditto with Marcela's daughter who was there with her boyfriend.)

The venue was pretty small with no back stage to speak of, so we would know right away when the show was about to start and sure enough, just before 8:00 a golf cart carrying Steve and the band came cruising right in front of us from somewhere above at the winery. That was the signal for all of us to leave our blankets and chairs and stand dead center in front of the stage. I kind of laughed to myself as we were all standing there for a good 5 minutes (maybe more) before the band took the stage, but every single one of us was someone who'd been there when Steve first joined Journey and hit tons of shows while he was in the band.

It was still hotter than all heck and when the show started we were soon joined by other concert-goers which made the crowd around the stage warmer. We managed to keep a decent amount of space around us when the show first started, but as the evening progressed things got a little cozier and I did have to politely and firmly tell several people who cut in front of me to leave. Most were polite or just trying to get in a selfie and quickly left, but I did get called a bitch by one of them. Sorry lady, I spent a good 10 years of my life providing free-public relations for Journey while this guy was the lead singer, you are NOT getting in front of me.

So, all of this and I've yet to even mention the show! Well, it was fantastic! It was so good to see Steve out there on stage again. I kept finding myself smiling or laughing as I remembered some of his stage moves and thinking "oh yeah, this is why he was so good in Journey!" He recognized a lot of us in the front row and even gave Emerson a shout out from the stage (because of course he does!) and Linda and Walt got a fun selfie with Steve squatting down to get in the shot! We all got a lot of love and attention though, which was awesome. The set list was almost entirely Journey songs with only one original tune and a couple of covers, but it was great to hear a few songs that Journey hasn't done in a while themselves. Things seemed to be keyed down a bit, but otherwise sounded just like I remembered from my Journey journeys of 1998-2006. Steve introduced "When You Love a Woman" as one of his favorite songs and dedicated it to Steve Perry, which was great. I so loved hearing that song for the first time in I can't remember how long. The only non-Journey original song he performed was something called "Riverside" which was really good. The rest of the set list was mostly the songs you'd expect and want to hear at a Journey concert. No Arrival or Generations songs (alas), but all in all what you'd want to hear. Steve did break out the guitar for some soloing/dueling with his guitarist towards the end of "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" which was fun to see. It looked like he was going to play the guitar earlier in the show too, but there were technical difficulties with his guitar. He was pretty good! It was just so strange to see him playing a guitar. Another personal highlight was a cover of a bit of "People Get Ready" out of "Wheel in the Sky." I love that song and he sang the heck out of it!

There was a 9:45 curfew and Steve and his band played right up to the very last minute (actually went over by a couple of minutes) and included my personal favorite "you've gotta be kidding me" moment of the show. "Open Arms" was one of the last songs of the encore and one of the women behind me said "OH! I like this song!" I looked at Chris and we just laughed. It's always something.

The show ended much too soon and it was time to say goodbye to everyone. I made my way back to my hotel and was just blasting Arrival in the car. I've really missed seeing Steve perform and it had better not be another 7-12 years before I get to see him again! (There is a show in LA next month, but mid-week, so I don't know if that's doable. Will have to see.)

Set List:

Separate Ways
Stone in Love
Chain Reaction
Send Her My Love
Lights
Riverside (original)
When You Love a Woman
-- guitar solo --
Wheel in the Sky
-- a bit of People Get Ready
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Lovin', Touchin', Sqeezin'
-- Steve guitar solo/duel
-- a bit of Rocky Mountain Way
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Simply the Best (cover)
Who's Crying Now
Open Arms
Be Good to Yourself
-- a bit of Whole Lotta Love
-- a bit of Won't Get Fooled Again

October 23, 2010: Hit Men All-Stars and NLCS Game 6

Lake Tahoe, NV
Harrah's South Shore Room

Saturday was a long day. It was fabulous, it was exciting, it was very memorable, but it was a long day.

Getting ready Friday night to head up to Tahoe and see Steve Augeri perform with a group of veteran session musicians, I discovered I had left my cell phone at work. Great. That meant getting up at 6:15 so I could leave the house by 7, drive to work, get my phone, and bring my car in for an oil change by 8. The 45-minute oil-change, turned into a three and a half hour brake job, thus wiping out any chance of taking care of a couple of errands before heading to a birthday party for one of my closest and oldest friend's 5-year old daughter not to mention not being able to make an appearance at the party at all. Guilt trip galore.

Once the car is ready to go, I have just enough time to fill the gas tank and grab some water and trail mix at the gas station so I have SOME kind of food in me before making the 4 hour drive to South Shore. I picked up Leslie around 12:30 and we were on the road. I had expected that on the drive up we'd be listening to my beloved Giants playing the Phillies in the National League Championship Series. The game was supposed to be at 12:30 local time, but because there was no American League game the start got pushed back to 5:00. Great. Won't be able to listen to it, won't be able to watch much of it. Sigh.

Leslie and I made pretty decent time up to Tahoe, only hitting traffic in Davis, and arrived shortly before first pitch... uh about a quarter to five. We quickly checked in, freshened up and headed up to Darryl and Jenny's room to meet up with folks and some pre-dinner cocktails. It was fantastic to see Lorraine in from KC with her sister Karyn along with some of the local Nor Cal gang. It was also fantastic to see the TV was on and I could catch the first couple of innings. I warned the Journey buddies that I was not the greatest of company when my Giants are in the playoffs, so my frequent distraction and minor panic attacks weren't going to alarm anyone during the course of the night. (Conversely, it turns out, hanging with the Journey buddies prevented me from having the several major panic attacks, two strokes, and heart attack I would have had if I'd watched the game as I normally would have.)

Teresa and Jenn joined us and we all headed down to Cabo Wabo for dinner. We were met by Matt and his girlfriend, but unfortunately we weren't able to reach Debbie, Krystal, and Renee before dinner so had to wait until show time to see them. We were waiting to be seated at Cabo Wabo long enough for me to catch another half inning of the game and see the Jonathan Sanchez meltdown and subsequent tough-guy posturing by both teams. Not long enough though for me to see how the inning turned out (from all reports, it was epic!) You see, our group was too large for the main restaurant area where the TVs were clearly visible, so we were seated in the larger group area where there were NO TVs. Argh. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one at the table who was interested in the game (though I suspect I was the most crazed about it) and by peeking through the glass wall I could at least see some of what was happening on one of the TVs. Couldn't tell the score, couldn't tell the inning, but got a sense of who was up and, since the whole casino was packed with Giants fans, could tell if anything critical happened by the response coming from the bars. It also helped that Chris's husband Charles went out once and a while and got updates and that Matt had his iPhone and could check updates. The game was tied at 2-2 when we arrived for dinner, and remained so throughout.

Showtime was 7:30, so we headed up to the showroom around 7. Everyone got separated a bit as some folks had to go grab their tickets or freshen up, and I found myself alone at the big projection screen TV outside the South Shore Room with enough time to watch the bottom of the 6th inning. Minor panic attack, but my Giants got through it, game still tied.

Inside the venue, the whole gang was seated in the first 6 rows on the same side of the stage, and it was like you would expect at any Journey show pre-2006. Hugs and laughs and picture taking and just a grand ole time. When we asked a fellow sitting near by to take the group picture he asked "What is this, a family reunion?" We said yes. I turned my mind off baseball (mostly) and focused on the gig.

Now, when the line up of the show was finally posted, I looked at it and thought "who?" Aside from Steve, the only guy on the bill whose name I recognized was Mark Slaughter, but the resumes of each member was impressive. Between the 7 or 8 guys they had played with almost everyone in rock and roll. I had no idea what the show was going to be like other than a bunch of guys covering classic songs -- should be fun, and I get to see Steve perform for the first time in 5 years (something that shocked me when I realized it.)

The band came out and everyone but Steve was on stage as they launched in to Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing." The Journey gang was up on their feet with applause while the other 250 or so people sat quietly. Yeah, looked like we were going to be the rowdy part of the crowd. As the band went into "Walk This Way," it was clear that each guy would be the featured singer covering songs from bands they had played with. Our little group was up and down singing and dancing along. As there were some vacant seats near the stage, people shifted around and just started having a grand ole time. We could see Steve sitting on a stool off to the right side of the stage waiting patiently for his turn to come out. Jenn, Teresa and Leslie, being in the front row could see the set list and gave those of us a few rows back a heads up when Steve was due out. Just before he was due out, Matt turned around and showed me his iPhone. Giants lead 3-2 in the 8th inning, Tim Lincecum on to pitch. Oh. My. God!

Steve came out about half way through the show and the Journey gang not already in the front row headed up to the stage screaming wildly. Matt showed me his phone again. Bottom of the 9th. One out. Giants still lead 3-2. AIEEEE! Steve and the guys launched in to "Separate Ways" and I started my series of concert calls to friends who couldn't make it. It was great to hear him sing again and our little group was joined by people further back in the crowd and we got the joint rocking. They followed up with "Lights" (good pick since Tahoe this time of year is filled with mostly folks from Nor Cal getting away for the weekend) and then finished his 3-song set with "Don't Stop Believin'." I made my way back to my seat in the 4th row and as "Sultans of Swing" began a guy in the front row and Matt both turned around and said "Giants win!" I responded by screaming wildly and completely out of context with what was happening on stage. Who cares -- joy and enthusiasm are great any time any where!

I did have to smile to myself at how fitting that DSB was the song I heard right before the Giants win. For those of you who haven't seen or heard, DSB has become a little of an anthem for the Giants. True, the White Sox used it first in 2005. True, the dreaded Dodgers play it in the 8th inning of every home game. But Journey is a San Francisco band and Steve Perry is a Giants fan and has led the crowd in DSB a few times in the last couple of weeks. Which has led to a GREAT DSB parody. It was great to hear it at such an appropriate moment.

The band rocked on, as did we, and more excellent covers were performed. These guys aren't big money rock stars, but they were rock solid musicians and did an amazing job covering everything. Steve came out again for the finale ("Any Way You Want It") which had everyone going nuts. A quick one song encore, and the show was over a little after 9. An early night to be sure. One of the guys (Mark Slaughter maybe?) said the band would be at Cabo Wabo after the show, so our little gang gathered together and headed back downstairs to the Cabo Wabo bar where we were periodically greeted with people randomly starting a "Let's Go GI-ANTS" chant. I made the appropriate hand clapping response every time.

We hung around the bar for a couple of hours and listened to the house band -- a fairly adequate group of guys and fine for what it was. One by one the "All Stars" made their way to the bar where they were greeted by a handful of folks (mostly our little group) for quick autographs and photos. The only fellow who didn't have a lead vocal during their show arrived just as the house band was starting a Tom Petty tune. He walked over to where we were sitting by a half wall behind the band, leaned over and said to the band "Lemme show you how it's done" and took on the first verse of the song. Steve took forever to arrive, but he finally did and most of our group got at least a quick hello. When the house band took a break, some of the "All Stars" took the stage and played a few songs. It was loud and goofy, but lots of fun.

When the house band came back, it was close to midnight, so we all headed back up to Darryl and Jenny's room for some more conversation. The party broke up around 2 and we made plans to meet for breakfast at 8:30 as Leslie and I had to hit the road by 10. Sunday morning came all too fast and it was nice to relive the night before heading for home. It was a wet ride and Leslie and I were pooped, but it was worth the trip. Steve Augeri and the Giants win the pennant all in one night. Yup, well worth it.

Set List:

Money for Nothing
Walk This Way
More Than a Feeling
Go Your Own Way
Amanda
Don't Tell Me You Love Me
Sister Christian
Separate Ways
Lights
Don't Stop Believin' (The Giants win the pennant!)
Sultans of Swing
Fly to the Angels
Tear It Up
Don't Stop
Sweet Emotion
Love in an Elevator
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Smokin'