Concert Reviews

Immediately after the Fabulous Thunderbirds set, I raced for the men's room, something I shoulda done about 5 songs before I did, but I kept thinking that the next song would be "Tuff Enuff"! This turned out to be a very smart move because when I left the men's room, the line was well out in the hall and I don't think I woulda made it back for Journey's start had I not gone when I did (plus I mighta wet myself.)

I didn't have a watch, but it didn't seem like they took that long in getting the Fabulous Thunderbirds' stuff off the stage and getting ready for Journey. Lights went down and Neal Schon, Ross Valory, Jonathan Cain, Steve Augeri and Dean Castronovo exploded into "Be Good To Yourself" to start the show. Couple things I noticed right away was that Steve Augeri was ON! I had seen him several times before, but he REALLY sounded great last night. Also, noticed how old Ross Valory looked. He's gotta be around the same age as Schon and Cain, but they didn't look nearly as old. Also noticed right away how great a drummer Dean Castronova is. The guy's drum kit was huge and I think he used every tom and cymbal on the first song! Third song in was Neal playing a beautiful version of "Star Spangled Banner" with Cain playing keyboards in the background. This led into "Stone In Love" which had the whole arena rockin' and boppin' along as if it was still 1983! After "Arrival"s "Higher Place", Augeri left the stage handing the vocal duties off to Castranova. I knew the song he did, but I couldn't think of the title. he wore a headset mic and you couldn't hear him real well, but he seemed to be singing his heart out, yet still playing some amazing shit on the drums simultaniously.
The only weak spot in their set was a song called "Kiss Me Softly". Not very well known and kind of a snoozer even for those who did know it, this was the only song that the majority of the crowd sat down for. Luckily, they got people on their feet again for "Chain Reaction" which could passed for one of the Pop-ier moments in Iron Maiden's catalog if you didn't know any better. Next was Neal Schon's turn at the mic, playing and singing an incredible version of "Voodoo Chile" which led into Dean getting anothe chance at the mic for "Keep On Runnin'". This time you could hear him a lot better and HOLY SHIT! That guy can sing! I wouldn't say he's better than Augeri, but I would say he's every bit as good and they certainly won't ever have to look very far should they need a replacement for Augeri! The guy BELTED out "Keep On Runnin" all the while flailing away on the drums. After a few other snoozers that happen to be hits ("Open Arms" and "Send Her My Love") Castronova got a third song to sing in "Mother, Father" which has always been one of my favorite Journey songs. He sang it flawlessly, though Augeri joined in at the end for the "Oh OOOOOHHH Oh oh oh AAAHHHHHHH" s at the end. Jonathan Cain sang the Greg Rolie parts to "Just The Same Way", then it was hit after hit until they ended with "Anyway You Want It".
The encore was the bluesy "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" which woulda been better had we not already gotten our fill of blues jamming from the Fabulous Thunderbirds earlier in the evening. Then they ended for good with, what I always thought was, the ultimate show closing song: "Party's Over". Overall, it was an outstanding show, should you ever get a chance to see them....GO! Though they're known for their power ballads, this was a ROCKIN' concert! I think Jonathan Cain played guitar almost as much as he played keyboards and Schon proved he is among the best in the business with his majestic leads. Ross Valory is an incredibly underrated as a bassist and in Augeri and Castronova, they have 2 of the best singers in melodic rock today......who needs Steve Perry?