Salt Lake Review
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:29 amroycap wrote:Here is a review from the Salt Lake City show:
http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_9858687
USANA triple-bill takes fans on 'Journey'
By Tom Wharton / The Salt Lake Tribune
WEST VALLEY CITY -- The Fourth of July may have passed, but the ritual of listening to classic rock bands outside on a hot Friday night with thousands of like-minded fans seemed like a good way to celebrate freedom at the USANA Amphitheatre.
With Cheap Trick opening, Heart warming up the crowd and Journey using new lead singer Arnel Pineda to put an exclamation point on the evening, four hours of classic hits, loud rock and roll and old-fashioned theatrics had fans on their feet singing at the top of their lungs and playing air guitars in the aisles.
In fact, with the three bands' hits so familiar to so many, it was sometimes almost impossible to hear the lead singers because people stood, danced and shouted the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
Though Heart provided perhaps the most interesting and musically diverse set of the evening and Cheap Trick showed it hasn't lost much after more than 5,000 live performances in nearly 40 years on the road, Journey was the band most came to hear.
Using video screens and lighting to full effect as the night turned dark, the somewhat reconstituted band with original members Neal Schon on the guitar Ross Valory on the bass, delivered the goods.
Pineda is a Filipino who Schon discovered by watching him do covers of Journey songs on YouTube. And in the kind of turn that only usually happens in the movies, he was invited to audition for lead singer in the role Steve Perry played during much of Journey's career.
Schon obviously knew what he was doing. Pineda, in short, was amazing, a dancing dervish of energy and passion who simply took over the stage from the more veteran members of the band.
Whether exhorting the crowd, kneeling at the stage, leaping off drum stands, prancing all over the stage or twirling in endless energy during instrumental portions of the show, Pineda dominated the night. He did justice to rock anthems such as "Don't Stop Believin," "Open Arms", "Wheel in the Sky," "Anyway You Want It," "Separate Ways," "Send Her My Love," and "Be Good to Yourself" as well as a couple of new songs from Journey's new album Revelation.
It's a minor quibble, but the sound mix was wanting at times. As strong as Pineda's voice was, it was almost hard to hear the lyrics above not only the guitars and the keyboard but above the voices of thousands of fans singing along with every word. The interesting thing about this concert was that, as good as Pineda was, he might have been the second-best lead singer on the stage Friday night.
The honor of the best would go to Heart's Ann Wilson who despite over 30 years of touring and singing has not lost a thing. With younger sister Nancy, wife of director Cameron Crowe, playing the guitar and adding vocals, Ann showed range in rockers such as "Crazy on You," "Magic Man," and "Barracuda" and a softer side in the acoustic "Dog and the Butterfly."
Heart offered the most eclectic set of the three bands, playing not only the classic rock but adding a bit of blues and some folk rock to the mix in what for me was the best set of the bunch.
Cheap Trick opened as many of the thousands of fans were still filing into USANA after battling the usual frustrating traffic and parking woes. Those who arrived late missed a hugely entertaining show featuring hits such as "Dream Police," "I Want You to Want Me," and "Surrender."
While Robin Zander provided the lead vocals in a band that has largely kept its original lineup since forming in 1968, lead guitarist Rick Nielsen provided the most entertainment. Whether throwing out hundreds of picks into the front rows or bringing out unusual guitars from his vast collection or dancing from one side of the stage to the other, he was the obvious showman. The highlight might have come on the final song when Nielsen hauled out a five-headed guitar that was so large it was almost silly, bringing gasps and chuckles from the crowd.
All things considered, there were likely few better places to be Friday night than outdoors at USANA listening to these three classic rock bands.
...as difficult as it may be for some here to admit.
