Journey Concord Pavilion

[The Sushi Hunter]

One of my co-workers left work early today. Apparently she and a group of her family are going to the Journey concert there tonight. She's a Filipina I've known for many years now. She's excited to see Arnel and I asked her to buy me something from the show. Anyone here going?

[The Sushi Hunter]

Had a nice little discussion with the co-worker of mine who went to the Journey Concert in Concord last night. To give you an idea about her, she's in her late 40's, 100% Filipina coming to the U.S. for the first time in the late 70's as a student, was the tini-bopper type in the early 80s. She was an average Journey Fan back then, but what attracted her to the band the most was SP's looks and his voice. She considers herself a serious SP fan. With all that in mind:

She tells me that the vast majority of the concert goers were young Filipinos and that the turnout was much bigger then she anticipated. She thought that Heart sounded very good, sad though to see how overweight the one sister is now. Regardless, she said that she can still sing very well like she did back in the 80's.

She explained that AP did very well last night on those classic Journey tunes, but she still prefers SP's voice over AP's. She's honest with me so I'm happy for that opinion. I asked what she thought of his stage performance. She said she liked it, but also emphisized that he may have been jumping around a little bit too much for her liking. Her exact words was the constant running and jumping around made her a bit dizzy. She added that the Filipino's who were at the show all around her, loved all of what AP was doing on the stage so she concluded that it's probably her age being a factor as why she wasn't hog wild over AP jumping around all the time. She also stated that all the Filipino's around her really didn't know much about CT or Heart, because they all just sat around like bumps on a log while those two other bands were playing. Once Journey took to the stage and AP started doing his stage performance, all the Filipino's were basically going ape-shit from start to finish.

She was center about 30 to 40 feet back from the stage. One of the three other people who went with her was the one who had gotten the tickets. She said they cost $80.00 each. They didn't get out of there until about 11:30pm. She was very satisfied with Journey. Adding that she was happy that they played from roughly 9pm until 11:30pm. Well worth it she said.

[StoneCold]

Once Journey took to the state and AP started doing his stage performance, all the Filipino's were basically going ape-shit from start to finish.

Thanks Sushi, that part was funny. Were these her words?

[The Sushi Hunter]

Once Journey took to the state and AP started doing his stage performance, all the Filipino's were basically going ape-shit from start to finish.

Thanks Sushi, that part was funny. Were these her words?

I had to massage that for the post, she actually said: "Ape-chit"

I asked her to buy me something, but she didn't

[Musician95616]

I was at the Concord show last night and had the most amazing seats - third row dead center! My wife and I were in heaven. We also noticed the large Fillipino contingent that turned out in masses last night. Granted, the Bay Area has a large Asian population, but the Phillipine Island love was definitely happening last night. I saw OLDER people in their 50s who you'd think would be going to a Celine Dion show or a casino cabaret, wearing Journey t-shirts, homemade Arnel shirts, and waving their Phillipine Islands flags.

Cheap Trick came on first and played a solid entertaining set. Rick Nielsen did his usual goofy stage antics and Robin Zander sounded like 1977 was only yesterday. All the songs were in the original key and Zander didn't shy away from any of the high notes. The band played a great 50 minute set, with Jonathan Cain coming out to play keys on "The Flame" and sticking around to play on "The Dream Police" and "Surrender". Deen Castronovo also came out during the last two songs to sing harmony, while Ross Valroy came out just to mug a a bit on stage.

Heart was totally mindblowing. Nancy Wilson was both a knockout physically and sonically. And while Ann Wilson is definitely built like a house these days, she also sings like one. Her voice was powerful and huge all night long. The band reinvented their 80s hits like "These Dreams, "Never" and "Alone", stripping away the 80s production and performing them in more of a classic Heart vibe. Again, a truly great performance that got the audience going.

But indeed the audience at Concord was largely there for Journey, particularly the Fillipino population. Arnel was indeed a bundle of energy jumping and diving everywhere, but it was an amazing energetic peformance. The smiles on his face told everyone that he was loving every minute of it. Great set list too.

[The Sushi Hunter]

Great to here you were there too. The chick who went that I know was telling me that there was a couple right in front of them that had to be in their 70's, who she said were wearing ear plugs. She explained that the drums were really loud throughout the show. And she mentioned that they were really getting into it when Journey was on stage playing. She said it surprised her that people in that age bracket were there.

The traffic was hell too. She said they ended up bailing from their ride about a mile away from where the concert was held and hoofed it in. She said many people were doing that. Obviously it was gridlock and no parking up at the place.

[Lora]

Concord Pavilion was obviously not prepared for a sold out concert. Their main parking area was full and so they funneled people to a parking area at a college campus 3 miles away. They then neglected to provide proper shuttle service so hundreds of fans stood in a shuttle line (including me) for 90 minutes before we finally made it to the Pavilion. Missed all of Cheap Trick but saw most of Heart & Journey. What Concord Pavilion did was inexcusable and if I could figure out who to eviscerate, I would go for it.

We were sitting third row, right in front of Neal which was awesome. Loved Heart - Ann Wilson still has one of the most amazing voices in rock. Tons of love from the crowd for them. Arnel seems like a likable and hard working guy but I found his frenzied vaulting around the stage distracting and over the top. He sounded tired to me but was obviously trying to give his best. Seemed like the crowd was digging him and the set for the most part. I would have liked to see Neal stretch out a bit more but understand that with this 3 band line-up, the set is shorter.

[bluejeangirl76]

They then neglected to provide proper shuttle service so hundreds of fans stood in a shuttle line (including me) for 90 minutes before we finally made it to the Pavilion. Missed all of Cheap Trick but saw most of Heart & Journey. What Concord Pavilion did was inexcusable and if I could figure out who to eviscerate, I would go for it.

That's about what I ran into with my one experience going to the Hollywood Bowl (this was 2002)... parking situation was a major fail... picked up the "shuttle" by the Kodak Theater (a covered wagon would been faster)... just BARELY got to my seat in time for The Who. If I'd have missed one note of that show, I'd have been kicking ass and taking names. I could have walked and got there faster.

Parking in Cleveland sucked too... but no shuttle... had to HIKE up to the venue.
We missed all of CT and probably more than half of Heart, too.

(has anyone seen CT this tour... everyone that writes up their experience... "we missed CT"... lol)

[Saint John]

Concord Pavilion was obviously not prepared for a sold out concert. Their main parking area was full and so they funneled people to a parking area at a college campus 3 miles away. They then neglected to provide proper shuttle service so hundreds of fans stood in a shuttle line (including me) for 90 minutes before we finally made it to the Pavilion. Missed all of Cheap Trick but saw most of Heart & Journey. What Concord Pavilion did was inexcusable and if I could figure out who to eviscerate, I would go for it.

We were sitting third row, right in front of Neal which was awesome. Loved Heart - Ann Wilson still has one of the most amazing voices in rock. Tons of love from the crowd for them. Arnel seems like a likable and hard working guy but I found his frenzied vaulting around the stage distracting and over the top. He sounded tired to me but was obviously trying to give his best. Seemed like the crowd was digging him and the set for the most part. I would have liked to see Neal stretch out a bit more but understand that with this 3 band line-up, the set is shorter.

Cool review, Lora. 2 questions (if I may):

1) Was Cyndy with you?
2) Can you confirm if Neal or Jon recognized you in the crowd? I have this visual of Neal dropping his guitar or missing the first note of his life!!!

[chica]

The Concord show ROCKED!!! ... So cool to see Deen singing onstage (on the mic) during Cheap Trick!! Jon also did a few songs with CT. They were being silly and throwing a bunch of guitar picks to the CT guys. Another funny moment was when Arnel got on the shoulders of one of the security guards and went back and forth next to the barrier in the front row!! He was clapping hands with everyone. I was lucky enough to have front row tix, so it was very cool! I think it may have been the first time he did THAT, because of Neal's reaction. He was laughing (with Arnel) when Arnel climbed back on stage. I thought Arnel looked a bit tired during one song, but I believe he was just taking a breather ... cause in the next song, he expoded with energy. Plain and simple ... Journey ROCKED as always! ..... And dont even get me started on HEART. Those chicas ROCK!!!! Ann Wilson is amazing!!!

[Tito]

We were sitting third row, right in front of Neal which was awesome.

Did you wave to the man?

[Lora]

Cool review, Lora. 2 questions (if I may):

1) Was Cyndy with you?
2) Can you confirm if Neal or Jon recognized you in the crowd? I have this visual of Neal dropping his guitar or missing the first note of his life!!!

Yes, Neal saw us and acknowledged us as we did him. He wouldn't be surprised to see us at a show. I think Jonathan saw us but I'm not sure since he spent most of the time on the other side of the stage. CP was with me. We spent much of the time watching Neal cause he's our fave.

[artist4perry]

Cool review, Lora. 2 questions (if I may):

1) Was Cyndy with you?
2) Can you confirm if Neal or Jon recognized you in the crowd? I have this visual of Neal dropping his guitar or missing the first note of his life!!!

Yes, Neal saw us and acknowledged us as we did him. He wouldn't be surprised to see us at a show. I think Jonathan saw us but I'm not sure since he spent most of the time on the other side of the stage. CP was with me. We spent much of the time watching Neal cause he's our fave.

Sounds like you had fun. Sorry about the idiots who messed up the first half of the show. Thanks for sharing, as you always do!

[Saint John]

Cool review, Lora. 2 questions (if I may):

1) Was Cyndy with you?
2) Can you confirm if Neal or Jon recognized you in the crowd? I have this visual of Neal dropping his guitar or missing the first note of his life!!!

Yes, Neal saw us and acknowledged us as we did him. He wouldn't be surprised to see us at a show. I think Jonathan saw us but I'm not sure since he spent most of the time on the other side of the stage. CP was with me. We spent much of the time watching Neal cause he's our fave.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing your story.

[Tito]

Cool review, Lora. 2 questions (if I may):

1) Was Cyndy with you?
2) Can you confirm if Neal or Jon recognized you in the crowd? I have this visual of Neal dropping his guitar or missing the first note of his life!!!

Yes, Neal saw us and acknowledged us as we did him. He wouldn't be surprised to see us at a show. I think Jonathan saw us but I'm not sure since he spent most of the time on the other side of the stage. CP was with me. We spent much of the time watching Neal cause he's our fave.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing your story.

He's a nice person. I wouldn't have expected less.

[Saint John]

Cool review, Lora. 2 questions (if I may):

1) Was Cyndy with you?
2) Can you confirm if Neal or Jon recognized you in the crowd? I have this visual of Neal dropping his guitar or missing the first note of his life!!!

Yes, Neal saw us and acknowledged us as we did him. He wouldn't be surprised to see us at a show. I think Jonathan saw us but I'm not sure since he spent most of the time on the other side of the stage. CP was with me. We spent much of the time watching Neal cause he's our fave.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing your story.

He's a nice person. I wouldn't have expected less.

From what I've heard Neal likes Lora and Cyndy very, very much...and he should. They did a lot for that band.

[Ballzee]

I was at the show, and it was great. The place was more packed than I've ever seen it. I was dead center..standing in the very back . There wasn't even anywhere to sit on the lawn.

No matter though, tomorrow is Mountain View and I have I love all access for the first few rows (if only that meet and greet didn't cancel, darn it!).

I didn't think much of Cheap Trick, and it was crushing, since I love those guys. Really not sure what happened, I've seen them many times in the past and all were great. Not trying to slag them, they are one of my faves, but they were missing something this night. Hadn't seen Heart in years and Ann Wilson still can sing like she did in the 80's, maybe better. Unreal! Great band, liked the song selection and the crowd was appreciative. I do wonder though, for a band that's been around so long, do they REALLY need to do cover songs? Mind you, they were great, but how about "Dreamboat Annie", "Dog and Butterfly", "If looks could kill", "How can I refuse?"...again, not giving them a hard time, looking VERY forward to seeing them again Saturday, just saying.....

Journey, very simply, was fantastic. Arnel was in GREAT voice, I hope he's a long-lasting member with the band, because they truly sound fantastic. Of course, everyone in the band rocks, but that goes without saying. Neal Schon is a monster.

Was good to hear them pull out "Keep on Running" with Dean (or is that Deen?) on vocals. Maybe "Mother-Father" on Saturday? I'll keep my fingers crossed. Can't wait for tomorrow night.

Here is a Concord review from the local paper. I thought it was fair (although, you can never say enough good things about Journey for my money)...


http://www.contracostatimes.com/entertainment

By Jim Harrington
STAFF WRITER
Article Launched: 09/25/2008 06:51:42 AM PDT
The triple bill of classic rockers Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick is arguably the least hip tour of the year.


In order to attend the bands' show Wednesday night at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord, I basically had to refund all the cool-music-guy points I've scored by going to the last 10 Noise Pop festivals and promise not to listen to my Guided by Voices collection for the next 12 months.


Not a bad trade, in retrospect, since those three groups delivered more sing-along classics in one night than I'd hear in a thousand Noise Pops. Journey and Heart both turned in fine sets, good enough to make one nearly forget about the embarrassment that was Cheap Trick.

The tour has surpassed all expectations at the gate, becoming _ believe it or not _ the most successful road show to hit local amphitheaters in 2008. It's the only tour this year to post sell-outs at both Sleep Train and the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View (where the band performs Saturday), a feat that the Police, Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers all failed to accomplish. Factor in the date at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in the Sacramento area, set for Friday, and this tour has sold some 55,000 tickets in Northern California alone.



Amazing.


One can assume that the ailing economy had something to do with this success of this tour, since it promised plenty of bang (i.e., big hits) for the buck (ticket prices were

reasonably priced, starting at roughly $25). There's also the fact that the Journey guys are hometown heroes, thus expected to draw well in Northern California.



Whatever the reason, the tour worked _ especially once the openers, Cheap Trick, got off the stage.


The group's performance was surprisingly sloppy, rough and unexciting, especially during the first half of the short set, and the audience reacted appropriately. The band members definitely realized that they had failed to connect with the fans.


"I'm not trying to pick on anyone," commented Rick Nielsen, Trick's guitarist. "But this is the quietist crowd we've had in the last three months."


The audience would find its voice, and its feet, once Heart came on. The sister act, featuring vocalist Ann and guitarist Nancy Wilson, turned the evening around by performing solid versions of "Magic Man," "Never" and "These Dreams." When it ran low on its own batch of big hits, Heart pumped up the covers collection and thrilled with renditions of the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" and Led Zeppelin's "Going to California."


The fan-friendly vibe continued with Journey, which opened its set by running through four gargantuan sing-alongs, "Never Walk Away," "Only the Young," "Stone in Love" and "Ask the Lonely."


The four instrumentalists in the band _ guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and drummer Deen Castronovo _ are all quite strong and gel incredibly well, providing a platform that equals what was heard during the band's prime in the '80s.


On the vocal front, the group definitely made the right choice with Filipino singer Arnel Pineda. The vocalist, who was hired in late-2007 after Schon saw him singing Journey covers on YouTube, does a fine imitation of Steve Perry, the band's old front man and the voice behind most of its greatest hits.


Another thing that Pineda brings to the table is his own fan base. The Concord crowd was full of people waving flags of the Philippines and handmade signs of encouragement for Pineda. He made his fans proud as he sang versions of "Open Arms" and "Don't Stop Believin'" that were so faithful to the originals that they brought back memories of primetime Perry.


Admittedly, Journey loses hipster points for being led by a guy from a cover band. I'm guessing, however, the musicians are willing to trade that for sold-out shows any day.

[Rick]

Welcome Ballzee, thanks for the review. Please post the next one, as I'm sure your experience will be something positively different than standing on the back wall, as I have also done. That's grueling.

[Lora]

Hadn't seen Heart in years and Ann Wilson still can sing like she did in the 80's, maybe better. Unreal! Great band, liked the song selection and the crowd was appreciative. I do wonder though, for a band that's been around so long, do they REALLY need to do cover songs? Mind you, they were great, but how about "Dreamboat Annie", "Dog and Butterfly", "If looks could kill", "How can I refuse?"...again, not giving them a hard time, looking VERY forward to seeing them again Saturday, just saying.....

Agree on all points. Cover songs? Why.

[Rick]

Hadn't seen Heart in years and Ann Wilson still can sing like she did in the 80's, maybe better. Unreal! Great band, liked the song selection and the crowd was appreciative. I do wonder though, for a band that's been around so long, do they REALLY need to do cover songs? Mind you, they were great, but how about "Dreamboat Annie", "Dog and Butterfly", "If looks could kill", "How can I refuse?"...again, not giving them a hard time, looking VERY forward to seeing them again Saturday, just saying.....

Agree on all points. Cover songs? Why.

I agree also, but Ann's rendition of Reign O'er Me was flat out incredible.

[Ballzee]

No doubt, Reign O'er Me was nothing short of amazing.

[blondn6ft]

{{ cut and pasted from the Journey forums}}

OK … well I have gotten some sleep and now figure it is time to give my account of last night.

First … thank you to my “dates” Cheryl and Emerson. A wonderful time was had and sharing it with the two of you and “our angel” overhead was amazing.

ILAA … well no meet and greet, but we knew this in advance. Was I bummed … sure … but since I have had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with the guys before (just not Arnel) I wasn’t that disappointed. I did feel a bit sorry for those who were clearly there to meet Arnel. The food was … well, nothing to write home about. Classify it as finger food at best. The bar was free to us until 7pm (beer, wine, soda & water) anything “hard” you had to buy. Jeff from ILAA is a fun and great host. They gave away lots of great SWAG … bonus for me … I won an autographed drum head! I splurged this time and went 5*. I have always done 4* in the past. The gift bag is better than years past in my opinion. The beach towel is VERY COOL along with the water bottle and tote … NICE. Then came time to hand out the seats. Cheryl opened our envelope … ROW AA !! Front row! Now we had to figure out just where our seats were in that front row. We headed up top … followed our usher … OH MY GOSH !!!
FRONT ROW CENTER !!! Never before in all my years or following the band have I had FRONT ROW CENTER !

Cheap Trick came out to a pretty small and not so vocal crowd. I knew their music but had never seen them perform live. Great sound … didn’t miss a beat. Had a blast having Robin Zander sing to me ! We had little treat when Jon came out and played keyboards for “Surrender” and then a BIGGER bonus when Jon stayed on keyboards and Deen came out and sang backup on “Dream Police”. What a treat ! The guitar pick war was pretty funny too … they threw more at each other than at the fans !

Moving onto Heart … WOW ! Again a band I grew up listening to but have never seen live. Not only are these women both more beautiful in person than on video but their voices and guitar playing is AMAZING. Emerson was in his glory with Nancy playing do close to him!

OK … now for what you all are really here to read about. AC/DC’s “Back in Black” starts up and the big screen goes back stage as you view the guys in a pre-show pow-wow of sorts. Deen was in rare form … hamming it up to the camera almost in Ross fashion. This is a great added item … it really shows you the guys getting pumped up right before hitting the stage. I won’t go into the set list as others have so graciously posted it! (Thank you … I am horrible at remembering). However … having Deen sing “Keep on Running” had me dancing like a fool. I did a cheerleading routine to this in Jr High! Hahaha
Hearing “Escape” was a treat that I have missed over the last few years. This song always gets me pumped up. Having never seen Arnel … I was unsure of how I would react. I was lost in the music as always … transported to some other place and time. Arnel is a showman and a half ! If I could bottle his energy and sell it Red Bull and Monster energy drinks would go out of business ! The boys really seemed to be having a great time with one another. Neal and Jon had a little push and shove match … Ross never to be outdone, made more faces that I have seen in a long time and Deen … well my friend, the new hair and eye liner … the full sleeves on the arms … you have a renewed drumming monster that is coming through. You killed it … I personally want to hear you sing more, but was happy for the one song.
I am glad I spent the big bucks … I wasn’t going to go this year … but am happy I change my mind.

My heart still soars listening to the music … THANK YOU JOURNEY.

I have photos posted on my page of all 3 bands ... www.robinsbirdseyeview.com
Head to the "Rock On" section ... you find a separate sectipon just for the Journey pictures from that night and then
galleries for CT and H there also.

Enjoy and always let me know what you think!

[Momof2]

Once Journey took to the state and AP started doing his stage performance, all the Filipino's were basically going ape-shit from start to finish.

Thanks Sushi, that part was funny. Were these her words?

I had to massage that for the post, she actually said: "Ape-chit"

I asked her to buy me something, but she didn't

I have remained a lurker here for quite some time and have not posted anything. I do now, this "Ape-chit" thing is just irresistible!!!! LMAO!!! You made my day!

[StoneCold]

Once Journey took to the state and AP started doing his stage performance, all the Filipino's were basically going ape-shit from start to finish.

Thanks Sushi, that part was funny. Were these her words?

I had to massage that for the post, she actually said: "Ape-chit"

I asked her to buy me something, but she didn't

I have remained a lurker here for quite some time and have not posted anything. I do now, this "Ape-chit" thing is just irresistible!!!! LMAO!!! You made my day!

Welcome aboard. Yeah, that was hilarious 'cause it was preceded by them bored with CT and Heart.

Journey hits and the Ape-Chit flies!