November 27, 2004: Rockin' Roll Report -- Cruise Diary, Day 1

Miami, FL and The Caribbean Sea
Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph

While on the Rock & Roll Holiday Escape Cruise in 2004, I made sure to keep a diary on my laptop to record the events of the 7 day cruise so that I would be able to do a complete write up for my anticipated "Rockin' Roll Report" upon returning to dry land and available Internet access. Here is what I journaled and later used as basis for my two reports on the cruise.

Cruise Day One.

Flew in to Miami yesterday and met Janice at the airport. We caught a cab to our hotel then dashed across the street for dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Weather in Miami wasn't too bad… mid 70s both in temperature and humidity – humid enough for this California girl to notice.

After a late nite of gossiping and getting to know each other, Janice and I headed down for the breakfast buffet. The elevators on cruise day were an interesting challenge. Frequently full of guests and luggage. By the time we were ready to check out, it took us about 15 minutes to get downstairs. All the elevators were full, and when I finally got on one, I went down 2 floors before going all the way back up to the 8th and then back down – stopping at every floor. Once we finally got to the lobby and met Debbie, Krystal, and Krystal's boyfriend Andrew we got ourselves checked out and into cabs to the port.

The port was an absolute zoo with cabs and shuttles and buses going every which way for the half dozen or so ships making ready to set sail. Janice and I lost Debbie and her crew in the cab shuffle, but arrived at the dock right behind Journey's road crew. While waiting to board, we did see one of our "celebrity" passengers – Ricky Phillips from Styx boarded the ship shortly before us. A pleasant surprise since we'd heard Styx would not be on board at all. Turns out only SOME of Styx would not be on board. Later in the day we saw Chuck Panazzo (Styx), Dave Amato (REO), and Bruce Hall (REO.) None of the Journey boys were on board, and they aren't expected until Thursday in Jamaica.

The ship is a total maze and god knows if we'll ever find our way around, but we managed to find our room successfully and drop our bags off. We explored the ship looking for people we knew and kept running into Rocko Ready – Journey's stage manager. We found the check in desk for the Rock & Roll Holiday Escape (R&RHE) and to get our registration materials – passes to the concerts and a T-shirt – but they had just gotten in themselves and weren't ready for us, so we headed up to the Lido deck for a quick snack (encountering more Journey crew members in the process.)

We hadn't seen any of our friends since boarding the ship, so kept exploring. When I pulled out my cell phone to call Mom, however, I discovered I'd missed a call from Darla – she and Emerson were on board an up at the Lido deck with Cat, Jenn, and Debbie and the kids. We headed back up and visited for a few minutes before the whole crew of us trooped back down to the Promenade deck and the registration for the R&RHE. The line was amazingly long, so we got to hear the story of how Cat got a call from Steve Augeri on Monday asking her if she wanted to go on a cruise. Lucky girl!

There was lots more exploring to do, but first we had to pass the muster – our drill should we need to abandon ship! Standing around with bright orange life vests – oh so attractive! We killed some time after muster by picking out our shore excursions. I really only wanted to go snorkeling, so I signed up for snorkeling at the reef with the stingrays in Grand Cayman. Cozumel and Jamaica will be improvised. Janice signed up for an island tour, and the rest of the gang signed up for various other activities.

The R&RHE cocktail party was at 7 and there we ran in to Styx fan Sharon and her Journey pals Julie and Judy. Sharon reported that Tommy Shaw was on board ship – WOO HOO! A full day tomorrow to see if I can find him. The cocktail party was quite nice and we met up with a bunch of other Journey fans and got our official "group photo" – my camera and about 35 others! LOL! A couple of nice people volunteered to take pictures and it took a good ten minutes to get them all done! Hopefully they'll turn out. We did find the couple from the Netherlands, but none of the UK folks unfortunately.

Then it was off to dinner, which was delicious, but the ship was a little wobbly around then. Fortunately I felt fine – don't think the motion of the ocean is going to be much of a problem. After dinner, it was off to kill some more time checking out the shops which had finally opened before meeting up again with Darla and Emerson for the "welcome aboard" night which was an enjoyable comedy show. A little cheesy, but fun.

Then it was back to the room to finally finish unpacking and getting ready for the next 7 days at sea. Tomorrow is a "fun day at sea" – so basically I plan to hang out at the pool and get some sun! (I hope! It was a little cloudy when we pulled out of port with showers in the distance.)

September 30, 2004: Styx in Journeyland

Saratoga, CA
Mountain Winery

When Journey went out on tour with Styx and REO Speedwagon in 2003, I subscribed to mailing lists for each band. I didn't post often, but I had met a few members of the Styx list, including some from the Bay Area. I remained on the list after the 2003 tour, so when I came out of lurking to let the Bay Area contingent I'd be at the Styx show at the Mountain Winery, I was asked to report back my perspective. This is what I wrote.

It was a great show! I'm going to start my rave at the end because that encore was just amazing! My mom listened to Ray Charles a bit when I was a kid, so to hear such a wonderful tribute was just incredible. And for the second time in two weeks, Jimi Hendrix was resurrected I'm not sure which has amazed me more Neal Schon's cover of "Voodoo Chile" or JY's cover of "Manic Depression." Holy cow! If I'd closed my eyes I woulda sworn Jimi was on stage! Then the cover of "I Am the Walrus." Okay, I am a HUGE Beatles fan and if someone is gonna cover a Beatles song they'd better do it right or just not do it at all. All I can say is John Lennon would be proud. I really think it's incredible when performers pay tribute to their heroes in this manner!

Okay, so as for the rest of the show.... My friends and I arrived just as Styx hit the stage and were pleasantly surprised when the whole crowd was on their feet immediately. Winery shows can be kind of dead sometimes with that whole "wine and cheese" enthusiasm that comes along, so to have the 1200 or so people on their feet that quickly was a treat. Even more amazing, they STAYED on their feet through "More Love for the Money" (which I was grateful came early in the set so I could do a quick duck out for the restroom -- I really like Cyclorama, but if I have to miss a tune those are the ones I'm gonna choose. Sorry folks!) Though I can't figure out quite why everyone then sat down for "Snowblind." From that point on the crowd was a bit of what I call a "yo-yo" crowd. Up, down, up, down... Considering how cold it was, you'd have thought people would have stayed on their feet and danced just to stay warm. (I was almost as cold as I was at Journey's show at Konocti last week, and if there had been a wind in Saratoga last night, I probably WOULD have been! Getting too cold for outdoor shows now. Bummer!) The crowd was pretty awesome though, singing along with loads of enthusiasm. I wish the Journey crowds would sing along as well! That sound of a thousand voices is just such a rush, I can only imagine what the band feels when they hear that kind of response!

The guys really were having a great time on stage, which always makes for a great show. Tommy and JY doing a do-si-do while Lawrence played a little ragtime piano was absolutely hysterical. The stage was pretty low, so JY came out into the crowd at one point and there was a very obvious die-hard Styx fan right there in the front row, who looked to be in 7th heaven! She was having a GREAT night.

The Mountain Winery is really a fun place to see a show, small, intimate, good sound. My only complaint is that the stage is too low for the folks on the floor since the incline of the floor isn't very steep.* This meant that all I really could see well throughout the whole show was the top of JY's head! LOL! Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but Tommy was darned near impossible to see from where I was. (And could someone mention to Ricky Phillips that he needs to cut his hair... from the 19th row when all anyone can see are two dudes with long blonde hair covering their faces and white shirts on their shoulders it makes it a little hard to identify who's playing. A couple of times I said to myself "what the heck is Tommy doing on THIS side of the stage and how'd he get there so fast??!" Thank goodness Ricky took off his jacket about half way through the show so I knew if I saw a flash of blonde hair and a black sleeve I knew who I was looking at! LOL! (And as long as I'm in this non-sequitur ramble, man has Tommy's hair gotten long since last summer!) Okay, where was I? The venue, right... I sure wish I could see more shows there, but alas, they put their full slate of shows on sale all on the same day! That means buying tickets months in advance and since they're always $50+, it's a pretty expensive proposition when you want to see 6-8 shows! Of course, it also means I've been waiting SIX MONTHS to see this show!

*The Mountain Winery remodeled their concert venue in about 2008 and it's laid out MUCH better now than it was then. Still a great place to see an intimate show, despite being a hassle to get to and from.

Shew... that's a lot from a lurker isn't it?? In closing, I'd like to say how glad I am that I've rediscovered Styx the last few years and that I've finally had the opportunity to see them by themselves after having seen them 7 or 8 times with my Journey boys. I'd forgotten how much I loved this band back in the day and how due to the vagaries of being a typical impoverished teenager meant picking up the Journey records instead of the Styx ones when forced to choose that ONE album to buy for the year. Now, if only November would hurry up and get here so I can get a full dose of concert fun while cruisin' the Caribbean!

Oh, and before I forget, I'm sure I've seen it posted before but I've never really paid all that much attention to it -- what are all the songs in the medley?* Other than the really obvious, I didn't recognize much and neither did my friends. It was great, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was more sure what I was hearing!

*I never did get an answer to this question, so I still have no idea what the medley contained other than parts of one song from each album. The only one I remember now is "Mr. Roboto."

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