|
This year has definitely been one of great
rock reunions, bringing classic rock back into the spotlight and fantastic concerts. After all, this is 2008 and artists that
were on the lips of everyone this year, and/or interviewed by yours truly, were artists like Bret Michaels, Night Ranger,
Sebastian Bach, and so on. By far, the highlight of the summer concert season for me was the lineup to end all lineups.....Cheap
Trick, Heart and Journey. As a confirmed rock chick from the 80's, just typing that last line gave me goose bumps. I can almost
feel my hair getting higher as I sit here.
When I first received the press release that this aforementioned
legends would be sharing a stage near me it immediately brought two people to my mind; my mom and dad. There is no way I can
write this review without a brief mention of them and how it relates to Journey....so indulge me for a second if you will.
When
I was 16, my older sister came home very excited and announced that she had two tickets to see Journey, and she wanted me
to come with her. We shared a love of rock and roll you see, and this was going to be my first concert ever. I soon found
out that my excitement was going to be short-lived after my parents informed me I would not be allowed to go. They thought
I was too young, and quite honestly I do not think they trusted my sister (okay, so they may have had a point there). I was
devastated at the time, and later when Steve Perry left the band I remember thinking that I had permanently missed my chance
at ever seeing one of my favorite bands perform live. Well Mom and Dad, I guess I finally get to have the last laugh.
So
how was the show of shows? It far surpassed any of my expectations, and my expectations were incredibly high. Cheap Trick
opened the show and set the tone for what would be a trip back in time in one respect, but in another just a great rock show
that felt as current as when I had seen Linkin Park at the same venue a few weeks earlier. After Cheap Trick performed their
classic anthems, Heart took the stage and completely blew the crowd away. Ann Wilson's vocals were flawless from start to
finish, and Nancy was truly inspirational on guitar as always. The packed house responded by standing nearly during the entire
performance, and it was going to be interesting to see how Journey would be able to impress this crowd any further.
Journey
has been down the bumpy road of rock and roll and back again over many years, and I doubt anyone would argue their status
as true rock gods was solidified a long time ago. While they have had their share of turmoil with a former high profile lead
vocalist, and subsequently been through replacement leads over the years, they have continued to entertain loyal Journey fans
long after the "Steve Perry era" came and went. So when they found themselves yet again trying to fill the lead vocalist spot
in the band, where did they turn this time? YouTube, of course.....and thank heaven they did. It was there that they found
Arnel Pineda, a YouTube staple known for his ability to cover a Journey song like no other (except maybe Steve Perry himself).
I had seen the videos of Arnel belting out 'Any Way U Want It,' 'Faithfully,' and so on, so I knew he could cover the material
quite well, but would he be able to hold his own with Journey actually behind him?
The answer for
the above question is, without a doubt, yes he can. He not only held his own, it was like seeing a newer, better version of
an already legendary band being born right before your eyes. Pineda's vocals were stellar, and had I wanted to I know that
I could have closed my eyes and easily imagined the original lead vocalist from back in the day singing that night. Then I
would have had my revenge on Mom and Dad, right? That was when it hit me; I had no need or desire to imagine anyone other
than Arnel Pineda fronting Journey that night. The entire set gave me a new appreciation for a band I had always admired and
whose music I thoroughly enjoyed. Seeing and hearing Neal Schon playing live was incredible. He is a genius with his instrument,
and the crowd clearly worshipped every strum he made. I have played the concert over and over in my head many times before
writing this piece, and every time I would simply get lost in it all over again. It made the wait I had from age 16 until
now seem to vanish and I could not have asked for a better way to top off my summer concert season. I hope this incarnation
of Journey is around for a long time to come.
As a special note to my Mom and Dad.....thanks, for
making me wait to see Journey all these years. I would not have had it any other way.
|
