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The Concerts
The following reviews were written the morning after each show, so I think they contain my most accurate recollections and observations. The review for the December 20 show was posted on Steven Lake's Journey Tribute Page, and although I've sent the review for the August 8 show to both Steven's and the band's websites, they haven't been posted yet. So enjoy them here
December 20, 1998--Theatre of the Clouds, Portland, OR
I've
been a Journey fan for six years, from the tender age of 13. My
parents had always been fans of Journey and finally, when I hit
"teenagehood," I begun to understand why they liked the
band so much. (I won't go into the reasons why--other Journey
fans know!) It had always been a dream to have them release a new
CD and someday go on tour, so last night, my dream came true. The
show was incredible. I had floor seats, seven rows back, and
right in front of Jonathan Cain and his piano. Jon has always
been my favorite Journey member and to have him in front of me
all night was unbelievable. He sang lead vocals with Steve Augeri
on "Just the Same Way" and "Anytime," and
also did an instrumental with Neal Schon, which sounded very
similar to the stuff on his solo instrumental albums. (I'm hoping
Jon will go on a solo tour someday so he can really show off his
solo work.)
Since I am a bit of a "Perry Purist," I was a little bit leery about hearing Journey's songs sung by Steve Augeri. I really had little reason to be worried though, since the guy is amazing. He sounds and looks so much like Steve Perry, you don't really miss him at all. Steve Augeri seemed to really make an effort to win over the crowd and I think he suceeded. (Hey, he won me over.) The guys more or less played all the big hits, as well as "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," off a new CD called "Merry Axemas 2." There was also a long instrumental section that ended with a really loud (but really cool) drum solo from Deen Castronovo. They only played one song off "Trial by Fire"--"Can't Tame the Lion".
Like a lot of other women at the show, I
was moved to tears when they performed "Faithfully."
Before they began to play the song, Steve told the crowd how
Neal, Jon, and Ross Valory tried to explain to him and Deen how
much the fans loved the band, how "faithful" they were.
I really think Steve and Deen got a taste of that last night. The
band was surrounded by fans, old and new, who absolutely love the
band and their music. And hopefully they will be back very soon.
August 8, 1999--L.B. Day Amphitheater, Salem, OR
Last night's show in Salem, Oregon was the second Journey concert I've attended, the previous show being last December in Portland. Although the Portland show was a dream come true for me, as I FINALLY got to see my favorite band perform live, I think last night's show was my favorite.
The show was absolutely fantastic--the band played
really well and I was glad to see Deen back in the line-up. Steve
Augeri seemed much more comfortable this time and was very
animated--he made a lot of physical contact with the audience,
danced his butt off, and even climbed on top of Jonathan's piano.
I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't play any new
material (they didn't even play "Remember Me"), but at
least they played some of my personal favorites including
"Escape" and "Stone in Love."
While the show itself was incredible, my favorite part of the evening was right before the guys went on. There was a fenced-off area near my seat and when you peered through the chain link fence, you could see the roadies moving equipment around--as well as a band member or two. I spotted Ross and Jonathan from this vantage point and another woman and I begged the roadies to get one of the guys to come and say hi to us. All but one of the roadies ignored us, and he made our day by bringing Neal and Deen to the fence. The guys waved and said hi, but all I could do was laugh, I was so excited and in total disbelief. Finally, I was able to move and I then blew the guys a kiss and told them I loved them, which is total groupie-like behavior and totally uncharacteristic for me. Neal and Deen just kind of laughed and then went back to preparing for the show. I went back to my seat with my legs shaking and almost in tears, having difficulty believing that Neal and Deen came out to say hello to just me and this other woman-- JUST THE TWO OF US!
So, the show was terrific and I had a very special moment with the two guys. I'd just like to say thank you to the roadie (whoever you are), for bringing Neal and Deen out. It made for a night I'll never forget.
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