January 2002-April 2003: Behind the Weekend: Journey Past & Present and the Bammies Walk of Fame (part 2)

The Planning Begins
October-December 2002

After the show in Konocti, we had to really kick it in to gear. The plan was to have the plaque ceremony occur the same weekend as the California Music Awards. Traditionally, the awards (formerly known as the Bay Area Music Awards or "Bammies") were held in April, but the plan for 2003 was to move them to May -- during Memorial Day Weekend. Journey was still on the "Under the Radar" tour while we began figuring out when the event would take place and what we hoped to see happen.

By mid-November we had a rough plan, but we needed to talk to the band and their management directly. Fortunately, the band was playing a show in Reno that (naturally) we were planning on attending. The best thing about shows at casinos is it's easy to find the right people at the right time.

We held our second planning meeting in the lobby of the Silver Legacy in the afternoon before the concert. We already knew that the band had arrived at the hotel, so maybe we would get lucky and John Toomey (JT) or one of the guys would walk by and we could snag them for a minute to let them know we'd like to discuss what we were planning. We lucked out. About 15 minutes in to our meeting, Jonathan Cain walked by! We asked him if he had a minute to talk and reintroduced ourselves and told him what we were working on.

This is when our idea of having a plaque installed before the California Music Awards and then having the band show up at the award ceremony went from something small and simple to the beginnings of a major production. Jonathan's first comment was that he wasn't sure if the band would be available Memorial Day weekend -- they might be on tour by then. Then, thinking out loud, he mentioned possibly doing a benefit concert -- something similar to what they had done a few years earlier for suicide prevention. Naturally, we were very receptive to that idea. (Like we'd actually turn down a Journey concert!) Jonathan's next suggestion was something that would never had occurred to us though.

He mentioned having gone into the Hard Rock Café with his kids and not seeing one piece of Journey memorabilia on the walls. The Hard Rock had just moved from its long time location on Van Ness Avenue to Pier 39 and in the move, the memorabilia that had been in the old site was shipped off and new items were sent for the new restaurant. We agreed with Jonathan that it was just wrong for there to be no memorabilia of Journey in the San Francisco Hard Rock Café. So we added trying to find out what had happened to Neal's guitar that had been in the old site and how to get something placed in the new site to our "to do" list. Jonathan then suggested the band might do a meet and greet at the Hard Rock. How we all managed to keep our jaws from hitting the floor over THAT suggestion, I'll never know!

Jonathan needed to leave, but before he did he invited us to sound check so we could chat a little more and check in with JT about whether or not the Memorial Day date was possible. We met up with the guys a few hours later and followed them over to sound check where we met JT. We told him who we were and what we wanted to discuss and he was very receptive but also very busy so he said we could chat a little after sound check. When we did, we learned that indeed the guys had a show planned for Memorial Day weekend. We said we'd bring that back to Dennis and get to work on figuring out an alternative plan.

The holidays began shortly after that and most of our planning was put on hold. We knew the band and management were taking a much-needed break after the long tour, so we just focused on what we could do for our fan gathering. We hoped we could double our attendance from 45 in 2002 to 90 in 2003 and began brainstorming what would be needed to accommodate a group of that size.

November 23, 2002: The End of the Road Again

Reno, NV
City Center Pavilion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Encore:

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

November 2, 2002: Bone Bash III

Concord, CA
Chronicle Pavilion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Short]Set List:

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

Encore:

Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

September 14, 2002: Mississippi?? Really??!!

Tunica, MS
Horsehoe Casino

The places I travel to see this band! Never in a million years did I ever expect to voluntarily go to Mississippi, but there I was, a California weather wimp in the humid south.

While the weather sucked most of MY energy dry, it sure didn't affect the band or the 1500 people in the tiny Bluesville room at the Horseshoe Casino. When I first arrived at the venue I was amazed that they had managed to fit all their equipment on such a TINY stage. Deen looked to be a little more boxed in than usual, but it worked.

While there were very few bad seats in such a tiny venue, I was in seventh heaven with my 5th row center seat -- very close. My only complaint being that the seats were tied together so you were very cozy with the person sitting next to you! I thought I was going to luck out when the 6 seats to my left didn't fill up immediately, but, alas, the latecomers arrived about 3 songs in to the set!

The set was the same as they've been playing this whole tour, and when the lights went down and the intro to the show the crowd was on their feet screaming. This was the first show I've been to at a casino that the front rows weren't all filled with the "high rollers," but actual fans who were on their feet cheering! Everyone was on their feet for the entire night (at least in the front section -- friends reported the second section was a bit more sedate.)

About 30 minutes into the show, security allowed people up to the front of the stage. Well, you don't have to tell me twice! Once I freed my purse from the tangle of the chair, I was down at the stage front and center. And man, this is the closest I've ever been to the guys. The stage, as I said, was tiny. It was also LOW -- probably about 3 feet from the main floor. Steve and Neal were right in front of me all night, but one of the more amazing things is that I was able to actually watch DEEN for a change. He's usually so hidden in the back that I can only see the top of his head. It was cool getting to watch him go to town on the drums.

I realized I've been to a LOT of shows when Jon started his solo intro to Open Arms -- he's changed it!

After the show was over my friends and I saw the tour buses waiting out side, so we went over to see if the guys were coming out. Deen was already outside and signing autographs. He was looking around too see if there was anyone he missed talking to when I walked up and when he saw me, he pointed and said hi. Then he came over and gave me a big hug. (Woo hoo, personal thrill!)*

We hung around for a while and Deen was finally dragged off by one of the road crew. The crowd had grown a bit, and after about 30 minutes or so security started shooing everyone off saying "they're not coming out, they're staying the night and leaving in the morning." Uh... yeah, really? Then why are the buses still sitting here with their engines running??

Eventually we were shooed off to the hotel lobby where, lo and behold, Steve, Neal, Deen, and Jon were walking through a small crowd of people! We got to chat with them briefly. We never did see Ross, but we had passed him at the hotel buffet, so that was good enough.

All in all, another all-to-short trip to see Journey and of course the wonderful Journey fans! A very SPECIAL thank you to Mary Ann for all her southern hospitality -- you went WAY beyond the call of duty -- I'm so glad we got to spend some time together!

Set List:

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

Encore:

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

*Still one of my favorite Journey memories!

August 23, 2002: Journey Past & Present 2002

Kelseyville, CA
Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa

This report is going to be somewhat different than my previous ones. It is also going to be longer than usual, but there is a lot to cover.

As some of you know, for the past 8 months, Darla Ellis, Leslie Forsythe, Cheryl Simien and I have been organizing a fan gathering called Journey Past and Present 2002 (JPP2002.) The focal point of which was Journey's concert at Konocti Harbor in Kelseyville -- the closest home town date.

Way back in January, we began brainstorming ideas to make the event special. What could we do to make it an event the attendees would never forget? Cheryl suggested a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, but that idea died on the vine when we learned that a fee of $15,000 was required along with a long bureaucratic process. That's when I suggested that we focus on the Bay Area connection and see what we could do to get Journey a plaque on the Bammies Walk of Fame. Darla, Cheryl, and Leslie looked at me with complete confusion. There is a Bammies Walk of Fame??! I guess I'll attribute it to being the only Bay Area native of the bunch, but I was the only one who knew of it's existence.

Dennis Erokan, the founder of BAM Magazine started the Bay Area Music Awards -- better known as the Bammies -- in 1977 as a reader opinion poll and it grew into an annual extravaganza. Back in the early to mid 1980s, the Bammies show was one of the hottest tickets in town. Bay Area bands were all over the radio, and many of the performers would regularly appear a the show -- including our beloved Journey. In 1997 the first selections for the Bammies Walk of Fame were chosen and bronze plaques were embedded in the cement in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. When BAM Magazine went out of business in 1999 the Walk of Fame fell to the wayside. (The Bammies continue, but now are known as the California Music Awards.)*

*2014 Update: The Bammies no longer exisit, but BAM Magazine has returned as an on-line magazine. You can check it out at http://bammagazine.com

 *2018 Update: There was a "Bammies Reunion" concert held in March 2018 which included Neal Schon on the bill of performers (I believe he played with Sammy Hagar.) It's possible the Bammies may resurface in some form in the future.


Currently there are 7 members of the Bammies Walk of Fame -- Bill Graham (1997), Carlos Santana (1997), Jerry Garcia (1997), Janis Joplin (1998), John Lee Hooker (1998), Jefferson Airplane (1999), and Metallica (1999.) We wanted to see if we could get Journey included as part of our JPP2002 event. Cheryl set off on path to find out how this was done, the cost, and any other issues that might need to be addressed. We soon learned that this would be possible, but not in the time frame we were hoping. Cheryl was eventually put in contact with Dennis Erokan, who was extremely pleased with our idea and eager to help us get the process started.**


**2018 Update 2: As part of the Bammies Reunion Concert mentioned above, two new inductees were added to the Bammies Walk of Fame -- Sammy Hagar and local DJ, Steven Seaweed. (For those who attended JPP2003, "The Weedman" was one of the featured speakers inducting Journey.) I believe these were the first inductees since Journey in 2003.

Having gotten that ball rolling, we turned our attention to the rest of JPP2002 with the intention of having Mr. Erokan announce Journey's soon to be induction to the Bammies Walk of Fame at our luncheon. As we thought it over, we realized that the timing had actually worked out in our favor. By not having the plaque done this year, it meant that it was going to happen in 2003 -- the 30th anniversary of the foundation of Journey!

Then we learned that Mr. Erokan would not be able to make the luncheon as we had hoped, but would arrive in time for the concert. That set off a series of events that still leaves me dazed and confused. The details of how the following came about are too numerous and confusing to mention here, so I will skip ahead to what happened today.

The JPP2002 gang had a pre-show luncheon that flew by much too quickly. We had heard rumors of some special guests for the show, and when we had a brief visit from Neal's mom and step-dad they brought along one of them - Michael Carabello (the former conga player from Santana and currently playing in the Gregg Rolie Band.)

Then it was off to the show where there were two major highlights. One being the Latin set, where Journey was joined on stage by Michael Carabello (congas), Chepito Areas (timables), and Adrian Areas (timables.) They played "Black Magic Woman" with Neal doing dual duties as lead guitar AND lead VOCALIST. That was followed by an extended version of "La Raza del Sol" and then "Everything is Everything" with Jon on vocal. After the acoustic set, came the other major highlight.

While they were preparing for the Latin set, Dennis Erokan appeared on stage and announced that next year in honor of their 30th anniversary, Journey would be getting their own plaque on the Bammies Walk of Fame. After praising the band and announcing the award, which got an enormous response, Dennis told the football players (there for a golf tournament) in the front row to sit down because the JPP2002 committee which had originated this idea were sitting in the third row! (We learned later, we were on the video screen!)

Due to the chaotic nature of my evening, I was unable to obtain a copy of the set list, much less jot one down!

In closing, thanks to the attendees for making the event what it was, and special thanks to Mary Ann Bohne and Emerson Dong for their assistance in planning this event and to Caryn Sinagra for all of her work on our behalf.

July 4, 2002: Somewhere in Canada

Orillia, ONT Canada
Casino Rama

It's been a loooooooooong day, but have laptop, will travel.

Canada has been invaded by Journey fans. Starting yesterday, fans from across the US, Canada, and the UK arrived in the small town of Orillia, Ontario, about an hour's drive north of Toronto for the first show of the "Under the Radar" tour. There were many gatherings of friends old and new, and far too numerous to mention, but just a reminder to folks planning on hitting a show this summer, try to hook up with your fellow fans for a time you will never forget!

Most of today was spent with the everyone doing their own various things -- going to the casino, shopping, taking a jog around the lake. Folks gathered for a small pre-show meal at the casino sports bar, then took off for a little pre-concert gambling.

The show started off right on time, despite the fact that a good number of the seats weren't filled yet (from what I could tell, they did fill in quickly.) As usual, I was on my feet immediately, and I noticed that most of the other fans I'd been spending time with had migrated down to the front of the stage. Since everyone ELSE was sitting down (and would remain so for most of the show), I grabbed my things and spent the night up against the stage at Neal's feet.

One of my criteria for how good a show is or isn't is based on the crowd reaction. The group of dedicated die hards at the front of the stage were having a GREAT time. The rest of the crowd seemed pretty sedate, not getting on their feet until Steve asked them to during "Escape." Again they opened with "State of Grace," and this time I got to pay more attention to it since I didn't have to guess what it was! All I can say is, wow! When does Red 13 ship???

Steve flubbed a few lines tonight, but recovered quickly. There also seemed to be some kind of monitor problem (??) during the acoustic set. Neal had to get off his stool and step back a ways from the rest of the guys to play. Those were really the only "glitches" of the night.

A quick wardrobe report -- Steve in blue suede pants and black shirt. Neal was sporting a blue vest with white stars (a la the US flag) that he said his mom made for him. Neal's looking great, by the way, and seems to have lost some weight.

OH! I nearly forgot! Prior to the show, I noticed a song over the PA that sounded like Steve singing and after conversing with a few fellow fans, we agreed it was one of the new tracks. Then, AFTER the show, they played "Walking Away From the Edge" over the PA. THAT sounded fantastic!!! (again, when does Red 13 ship????) 

All in all another fantastic show!

Set list:

State of Grace
Separate Ways
Ask the Lonely
Neal solo -- Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Only the Young
Send Her My Love
Lights
Jon solo
Open Arms
Feeling That Way
Anytime
I'll Be Alright Without You
Trial By Fire - acoustic
Liberty - acoustic
Higher Place
The Time
Don't Stop Believin'
La Raza del Sol
Faithfully
Escape
Neal solo
Wheel in the Sky
Be Good To Yourself

Encore:

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

...back on the road for Journeydigest.com