September 18, 2004: The Party's Over

Kelseyville, CA
Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa

The Party's Over I have gone away.... The Party's Over....

Well folks, the 2004 Detour has come to an end. (You folks in Japan and Hawaii, have fun next month when the guys hit town for you!) With tonight's benefit show cancelled due to rain (bummer!), the core dates of this year's tour have ended. Last night's show at Konocti lived up to the expectations I have for a show up at Clear Lake -- the "A-game" show at a fantastic venue.

The weather for this weekend was about the only down side of the trip. (Well, okay there was the usual slow and erratic service of the resort staff, but that happens for every show) Normally in the 90s this time of year, we were greeted with mid 70s and wind when we arrived Friday afternoon. By Friday night clouds had rolled in and the temperature dropped into the 50s. Fans had traveled from across the US (and at least one couple from the UK) and met for a wonderfully organized pre-show party at a new casino a few miles from the Konocti resort. Seeing so many familiar faces at dinner made the weekend that much more enjoyable.

Saturday morning was cold and overcast and the winds from Alaska continued to sweep through the lake valley, and lots of plans for "fun in the sun" were cancelled. It was just too cold! The up side of this was that as the Nor Cal gang headed to breakfast we happened to arrive at the lodge shortly after the tour buses arrived and got to see all 5 exhausted band members hop off the bus and on to the shuttle to take them to their rooms. They all looked beat so we didn't chat with them (though some of the folks who were there ahead of us did get to visit briefly) but I did notice Steve was toting a guitar on his back as he got off the bus, so I'll guess there was some writing going on!

The band skipped sound check, which was a big bummer for us since our room was across the parking lot from the amphitheater and would have had an EXCELLENT free performance from the balcony! After prepping the room for the post-show gathering, the Nor Cals bundled up for dinner (awful) and the show (wonderful.) When the show kicked off about 7:45, we were all freezing. The wind that had been blowing all day kept up and the temperature must have been in the low 60s at best. Thank god the show started so everyone was able to keep somewhat warm!

The crowd was on their feet the second the first note of the intro began. Of course, it didn't hurt that about 50% of the two center sections were filled with the tried and true fans who had journeyed from near and far for this show! (Even more awesome to see so many familiar faces in the good seats!) The set list was much the same as the show I saw last month in Turlock, but with a crowd that was about 5000 times better than Turlock they sounded MUCH better.

How the guys made it through the night with out absolutely turning in to popsicles though amazed me. At one point Neal took his jacket off, then turned around and put it back on! Jon was blowing on his hands by the end of the set. It was COLD!

The highlights of the show for me included Deen's singing of "Mother, Father" (my favorite song done beautifully, something I got a chance to tell Deen later), a GREAT moment between Ross and Jon early in the show where they kind of leaned on each other and flashed HUGE smiles (god I hope someone got a picture!), Neal launching into what sounded like a Santana medley after "Voodoo Chile" that just rocked the house, Jon's extended solo, and Steve's ability to keep the show so energized despite the icy weather! And then there was the improv moment between "Escape" and "Faithfully" that caused a few of us to look at each other and wonder "new song"? Alas, if so, it was only a tease...

After the show many of those roadtrippin' fans made their way back to one of the two party rooms. To those we saw back at our room -- Thanks for making Darla's bachelorette party such a great time. To those who were up at CJs -- sorry we missed ya and wish that the rooms had been closer together so everyone could have partied together!

When we woke this morning to rain we hoped the weather back in the Bay Area would be good enough for tonight's benefit show to go on, and we were encouraged when the weather cleared up for us. Alas, it was not to be, and so we've come to the end of the road. Hopefully some of the folks who had tickets for the show can make it back in December!

A few final thoughts on Detour 2004... I'm so glad that I was able to get to three shows when I initially thought I would only see one. The extended set list with the new old songs was a huge treat as was having EVERY band member take a turn on lead. I hope that's a trend that continues.

Set List:

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young Star
Spangled Banner (LONG version)
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky Keep on Runnin' -- Deen vocal
Higher Place
Suzanne -- Deen vocal
Lights
Walks Like a Lady -- Ross vocal
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile -- Neal vocal
-- Santana medley --
-- Jon's solo --
Send Her My Love
Open Arms
Mother, Father -- Deen vocal
Just the Same Way -- Jon vocal
Rubicon (I just LOVE this song live!)
Edge of the Blade
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

Alas, no Party's Over, which REALLY should have ended the set at the last show of the tour! This is it until the Rockin' Roll report from the Caribbean...

August 2, 2004: My Concert Season FINALLY Begins

Turlock, CA
Stanislaus County Fairgrounds

Yesterday greeted Bay Area residents with yet another cold, cloudy, miserable summer day. The awful summer we've had in the Bay Area means that the Central Valley is having a cooler summer too. This is a good thing. Instead of being 100+ yesterday when we drove to Turlock, it was only 85 -- quite pleasant!

Leslie and I took off early for Turlock to avoid the traffic, so when we arrived at the fair as it opened at 5:00, we were able to hear the end of sound check. Deen was working on "Suzanne" as we pulled in to the parking lot, and once we were inside of the fair we kept walking toward the music -- which meant past the huge cow display. (Okay, this is not your "typical" Journey show.... I mean, COWS!) We found a place to sit in the shade and listened to the end of sound check, which meant we got a preview of "Walks Like a Lady" -- Yes, Chris, Ross does sing!

Once sound check ended, Leslie and I, along with our friends from Sacramento that we'd run into, headed over to the Back Talk gathering. I gotta say, it was the first time in a LONG time I showed up at a fan gathering and only knew 6-8 people! As always, it was nice meeting new Journey fans and seeing everyone's enthusiasm for the show. (Not to mention all the treats! The JPP Committee may have to steal a few ideas!)

We headed over to the show about 7:30, and were generally pleased with our front row seats. The only down sides being (1) we were right in front of a set of speakers and (2) we were on the aisle, which meant traffic kept crossing in front of us all night long. The show started promptly at 8:00 and Leslie, Darla, Emerson and I were on our feet at the first note of the Intro. Turns out, we (and the couple next to us) would be the ONLY people in the front row on our feet for nearly the entire concert.

I have never seen a crowd as dead as this one -- ever at any concert. Thank goodness there were some Back Talkers sitting behind us, or we may have suffered the same fate as many of our friends seated around the show -- forced to sit down by the rude people sitting around them. You could count the number of people on their feet for this show -- it was very sad. The first reaction I noticed from the crowd came during "Open Arms" -- well over an hour into the show. People didn't start standing up and looking like they were having a good time until the end of the set. When the show was over, people were chanting "One more song, one more song" and I thought "Why on earth would they want to come out for one more song for a crowd that was only into a 2 hour plus show for the last 30 minutes!" Note to the band -- skip the Stanislaus County Fair in the future!

As with most shows, the audience's reactions fed the band's performance, so while the guys were good as they always are, there was a lack of fire in their performance that I've seen at other shows. That said, it was another enjoyable evening listening to great music. Watching the Ferris wheel start up as "Wheel in the Sky" began. Ross's rendition of "Walks Like a Lady" was a real treat -- much more bluesy than Perry's original in Ross's lower, rougher range. Deen continues to impress and amaze when he takes his turn on lead, nailing again the high note in "Keep on Running" -- wow! Neal and Jon again were a treat during "Voodoo Chile" -- Neal channeling Jimi Hendrix and Jon on the harmonica playin' some serious blues. And of course Steve was the front man with the impossible task of getting the lackluster crowd on it's feet.

As we headed out from the show, it was generally agreed -- a good show, but man, we can't wait for Konocti!

Set List:

Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Higher Place
Suzanne -- Deen vox
Lights
Walks Like a Lady -- Ross vox
Just the Same Way -- Jon/Steve vox
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile -- Neal vox
Keep on Running -- Deen vox
-- piano solo --
Kiss Me Softly
Open Arms
Mother, Father -- Deen vox
Rubicon
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Party's Over

June 13, 2004: Wedding and Work Stress Relief

Del Mar, CA
Del Mar Fairgrounds

A little note about this report before the actual entry. In 2004 my office was moving from it's long standing location to a newer, larger space and as such I was a critical member of the move team. Our move was slated for July, one month after my younger brother's wedding in which I was a bridesmaid. Helping my brother and sister in law with wedding details along with the office move had me totally stressed out and also meant for the first time since Journey went back out on tour I would be missing the opening show of their tour. I hadn't planned on attending any of the first weekend's shows, but as you will see below, I changed my mind and took advantage of the time I had planned to take off for the wedding. I got home from the wedding around 3 a.m. and had to make a decision do I spend 20 minutes getting the layers of make up off or 20 minutes taking down the up-do. I opted to clean off the make up and go to bed with my hair still pinned up and deal with it in the morning. When I got up, the up-do had held up overnight so I decided to leave it alone and hopped on the plane and didn't take it down until after the concert! Returning home, I ran into a co-worker at the airport who was surprised to see me as I was supposed to be home recovering from my brother's wedding!

Okay, so I lied. Work induced stress resulted in me being terribly irresponsible and thus purchase a ticket to the show last night in Del Mar. It meant hopping on a plane the day after my brother's wedding in a state equivalent to having attended three concerts back to back to back, but man, I gotta tell ya it was SOOOOOOOOOOOO worth the effort.

Last night's show has to be one of the best opening week shows I've ever seen. There were absolutely NO kinks and LOTS of surprises. Since I've been hip deep in wedding stuff this week, I told all the gang in Del Mar not to tell me what the show was like because I wanted to be surprised. Wow... wow wow wow....

First a few atmospheric notes before diving in to the whole show. Leslie F. and I originally had seats on the far side of the stage on Neal's side. Decent seats, but not great. Due to ticketing snafus, a couple of Back Talkers wound up getting their seats moved and we took over their seats one section over, same spot. A significant improvement. This really allowed me to see what I have been referring to as the "vomit ball" that was running behind the stage. It was some kind of ride that dropped people up and down like a yo-yo. ACK! We eventually wound up in even better seats thanks to a couple more very cool people.

One of the few things I knew going in was that Deen was slated to sing 4-5 songs. All I can say is OH... MY... GOD... I've known the boy can sing for a long time, but every time he got a turn on lead my jaw just hit the floor. To heck with "Steve Perry with a perm" it's Steve Perry on DRUMS! Besides "Mother, Father" which Deen has been singing for a while (and once again gave me Jell-O legs) he got a chance to sing "Suzanne," "Happy To Give," and "Keep on Running." When Deen hit that high note in "Keep on Running" and held it, my jaw just dropped wide open. Deen wasn't the only one who took a turn on lead. Neal took center stage with "Voodoo Chile" and Jonathan got in with "Just the Same Way."

The two-hour and 25 minute show can best be described as classic cuts meets greatest hits. There were tunes that hadn't been played in ages along with the tried and true fan favorites. Bonus, we got two Arrival tunes. (Full set list to follow.)

There were a few fun moments during the show that reminded me why I so enjoy hitting the road every summer. During "Wheel in the Sky" Deen threw in a drum fill towards the end that caught me by surprise and was very cool. Neal's performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" was treated to a few fans waving flags, and some classic moments from Ross and Deen. Ross was facing the back of the stage and noticed the "vomit ball" and kept tilting his head up and down watching it while Neal played. At the end, Deen did the "we're not worthy" bow which is just one of those things that I love to catch in the band interactions on stage. Neal's solo at the end of "Happy to Give" is something that was sorely missing from the original recording. Jon's omigod blues harmonica and improv vocals during "Voodoo Chile" was memorable. And his new solo this year led not in to "Open Arms" but "Send Her My Love." (Which, I was later told, replaced "Who's Crying Now" from earlier shows.)

I was dead on my feet when the show started. A long day before with the wedding (much of it on my feet, including 6 hours in 3 1/2 inch heels, how crazy am I?) coupled with very little sleep meant I arrived at the show totally spent. The minute the opening notes of the intro hit though, the adrenaline kicked in and I was no longer tired. I was having a great time listening to a great band with great friends. Life can seldom get much better than that.

On to the set list....

DVD Intro
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Star Spangled Banner (Neal solo)
Stone in Love
Wheel in the Sky
Higher Place
Suzanne (Deen vox)
Lights
Kiss Me Softly
Happy to Give (Deen vox)
Chain Reaction
Voodoo Chile (Neal vox)
Keep on Runnin' (Deen vox ****)
-- Jon solo --
Send Her My Love
Open Arms
Mother, Father (Deen vox)
Opened the Door
Rubicon
Edge of the Blade
Just the Same Way (Jon vox)
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Separate Ways
Any Way You Want It

Encore:
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' (with Jon on harmonica to intro)
The Party's Over

Before I go, a couple of notes on the set list... Deen took part of the choruses for "Edge of the Blade" and "The Party's Over." Leslie and I agreed that Deen should take "Edge of the Blade" as it is quite suited to him. And finally....

When the heck is Ross gonna get a chance to sing lead!

Now I wait until Turlock... enjoy the tour gang, you're in for a GREAT time.

May 2004: The Die-Hards

July 2014: As the 2004 touring season kicked off, I wrote the following article for JourneyDigest.com. The thoughts still hold true today despite the changes in the intervening 10 years.

Every band has a contingent of fans that seem to live and breathe with the life of the band. These are the fans who can tell you the tiniest bit of trivia relating to their favorite band. They know all the words to all the songs – even the alternate "B" side single released only in Mauritania. These are the ones who pull out all the stops to make sure they get to a concert for "just one more show." These fans are often referred to as The Die-Hards. They will only give up on their band when the band gives up on themselves (and often, not even then.)

Why is it then, that these same fans seem to be the harshest critics of the band they are so dedicated to? Why do the Die-Hards nit pick every little thing until there is nothing left but a yawning void? Last summer, we got to enjoy a triple bill of REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Journey, and since I am a fan of all three bands, I started checking out the mailing lists and message boards for REO and Styx to find out what people were saying about the tour. While I’ve long joked that Journey and Styx were the same band with different names due to the similar conflicted history of the bands (particularly their recent history), I was surprised to find that the fans were also the same people with different names. There was a post on one forum about the Kansas City stop on the Main Event tour, and the fan was saying how “off” Styx was that night – not up to their usual standard. I was at that concert and didn’t notice a thing wrong with the Styx set; to my ears it was perfect. I’ve also seen similar comments regarding REO Speedwagon – most specifically how Kevin Cronin’s voice isn’t what it used to be. To my ears, he sounded like he did on the songs I remember from the radio. So what gives?

This got me thinking about how I respond to a Journey show. Since 1998, I’ve seen the band over 40 times, and naturally there are some performances that were better than others, but do I respond with disappointment when the show doesn’t live up to what I expect it too? I can honestly say I’ve never walked away from a show disappointed – I enjoy the chance to see my favorite band too much to be disappointed – but I know I have left shows thinking it could have been better.

A casual fan isn’t likely to notice the subtle differences, primarily due to the fact that the casual fan isn’t likely to see more than one show a year or follow the tour via the Internet. They’re at the show to hear the music, period. They will go home either happy after a night out seeing a band they loved in their youth, or they will go home unhappy because the band didn’t live up to their memories of a different time. The Die-Hard, however, will notice that the transition from Song A to Song B wasn’t smooth, and the bass player seemed a bit “off,” and why oh why haven’t they changed the set list in 4 weeks?

What is it that makes the experience of the Die-Hard so different from the casual fan? My theory is that the Die-Hard is looking for a level of perfection that will never be reached. They are searching for the one true show – the one that plays ALL the songs they hold near and dear to their heart, the one where the band is performing on a separate plane of existence, where the venue, the vibe, the sun and the moon, and everything between heaven and earth converge for that one perfect moment in time. What the Die-Hard forgets is that these shows are rare, if they exist at all. What is forgotten is that compromises are a part of life, so for every fan that wants to hear “Edge of the Blade” there are 1000 that want to hear “Open Arms” so they can slow dance with their partner and flick their Bic.

It is often hard for the Die-Hard to recognize that in a crowd of 10,000 people there are perhaps 100 people who share the same deep passion so common among the Die-Hards. That’s 1% of the audience. If that number seems low, consider that as of March 30, 2004, there were 735 email addresses subscribed to the Journey Digest and 7992 user names subscribed at Back Talk. That’s a worldwide membership. Even if there were no duplication or double subscription, that number wouldn’t fill our 10,000-seat concert hall. When you scatter those people across the globe (with the overwhelming majority being concentrated in the United States) it’s not hard to imagine that 99% of the audience at a given show does not fall in to the Die-Hard category.

As we look ahead to the 2004 touring season, the Die-Hard fans can hope for some changes in the set list – new songs perhaps, or classics not played in a while – but we should not expect any radical changes. There will still be a set list made up of mostly tried and true songs that are familiar to the majority of fans. There will still be shows where we come away wanting more or thinking that a previous performance was better. Hopefully, however, we Die-Hards can learn something from the casual fans – that a night out seeing our favorite band is a treat in and of itself. It’s something that we’ve begun to take for granted since Journey went back on the road in 1998. We too often forget there was a twelve-year break when we couldn’t see this band perform, couldn’t hear “Open Arms” for the millionth time. At the end of every tour, I can’t help but wonder if maybe this year was the last year. One of these years I know it will be, and I don’t want to spend that time thinking “well, that wasn’t up to par” – I want to enjoy a night out listening to live music from a band that has been a part of my life for over 25 years. And perhaps in letting go of the hyper-criticism we will actually find we get the one true show of our dreams.