Journey @ Pala Casino, Pala, CA. - July 29 & 30, 2009

[perryswoman]

Here's a review from NTS of Global Forum with some nice tidbits.

There's likely going to be more out there......was at the 1st of 2 Pala concerts and noticed lots of cameras around....security seemed more concerned about keeping the side aisles clear ......a lovely Pinay taking videos even invited this secu to dance with everyone .....nope ....he just smiled and high-fived her.......but he would give everyone a chance to click away ......so one could carefully get very close to that stage....and watch as one's heart stops everytime Arnel did his jumps....each one seemingly higher than the one before......just as awesome to see Deen in action.......his whole body seemed to be in motion with so much in front of him .....drums...surrounding him......
Neal was ever so fan-friendly...waving at all of us through the glass door even giving the shaka sign......
Arnel surrounded by Pinoys....ever so gracious for the cameras ....even after such a rugged high-energy a little over 2 hrs long performance.
Crowd on their feet throughout ......cheering loudly for DSB ........most likely Sold Out for both nights. There were 4 tickets left July 30 for the $115 seats ....and it was 5pm....another plokker mentioned July 29 had a few but she overheard the Box Office people mention later that there were some still needing tickets.

Nice small outdoor venue right outside the Casino floor....Starlight theatre name appropriate...watching Journey under the stars....The hotel sort of wrapped around the stage on 2 sides....Arnel waved a few times to people who were watching and rocking from the windows.....There was a small kid at one of the windows rocking away and people had their heads turned to watch ...and we were wondering ....could it have been Cherub?
Arnel kept calling out "San Diego ....are you having fun?" ......And we sure were...!!!

Easy there Chubs.....I love your enthusiasm, but it's not like they are playing Madison Square fucking Garden. they are playing the disco floor on a casino in the SoCal desert. I am happy you are pumped for their "success" but dude, chill...it's pala casino, not the Staples Center.

The pala casino is a Fucking dump!
Ok here we go,this is a fact!Journey will never play the Pala casino again,period!
I was told this by Neal Schon,Ross and management.Journey were on Fire,they played their harts out big time.
First off,Journey got screwed by the Pala casino.Pala had the nerve to give the band's suite's to the High Rollers,
leaving the band with standard room's.They got screwed on meals and things that they were promised by the Pala casino.
5star,what a fucking Joke,the high Rollers got the first two rows and they sat down during the whole concert.
Journey fans were not in the first 2 rows.
People who payed 375 for 5 star got screwed because of the high roller thing!
4 star people got 18th row behind all the people that got hotel concert package's.
So many people from all around the United States travle'd and payed big money to see their favorite band!
Ok,plane ticket,rental car,hotel room,5 star bogus package.
The 5 star people were promised a back stage tour,part of the package deal,they were denied that,the excuse was there was no Back stage.No band members showed up at the 5 star party!

The high Rollers got the red carpet rolled out for them and die hard Journey fans got screwed!
The very small seats were tie rapped together and people were packed in like sardines!
If you were sitting down if you could, you were constintly hit in the back of the head by the person standing in back of you.
It was so jammed packed a friend of mine with a pace maker in her heart was denied a place to sit in the handicap section,
where there was so much room,only two wheel Chair's in that area.
I had to convince the security manager and my friend had to show them her disability plackerd to be able to enter.
This place does not know how to throw a concert.
The Pala's sound company sucked big time,I know they sucked but I was told this by band member's!
The lighting was lame and the moniter system sucked.
Ross told me that all he could hear in his Ear Moniter was swish,swish.
The meet and Greet was canceled at 2 pm on Thursday because the band and management just wanted to get on the road and split out of that dump as fast as they could!
If Journey were ever to play the Pala Casino again,I know so many die hard fans who would not go back,Including my self.
Thats ok with me because the band will never play there again,what a Joke.
The service at this place sucked big time.Every meal was cold,we ordered salads at the Cafe by the pool,it took
30 minutes for them to get us menue's.15 more minutes to take our order and a hour after that to get us our salad's.
When we got our salad's the order was wrong and they would do nothing about it.

I have recieved many reports by many people about the same thing I am writing about.
Out of 5 stars I will give the Pala casino 1 star and that is because the resort is beautiful,but they did not take care of Journey and their fan's.
If you were not a high roller,or you didn't have a players card,you were treated like shit!
If you did not gamble in the casino,they did not care about you even if you were staying in that place.
Althoe we had a very nice room,the stay was not pleasant.
There was also no place for all the fans to hang together unless you wanted to hang in the loby!
Good by Pala,you people have a fucking lame casino.
The boy's will play Pechanga in the future,they love that place!

That does Suck Frank!! I would have been pissed beyond belief expecially getting 5 star passes. I guess the hotel figures the high rollers will constantly send them money and the Journey fans won't be! Sad just sad!!

[Duncan]

Interesting comments by Frank. I got my tickets from the casino and got 4th row. The way that the seats were arranged meant that we were directly in front on Neal with no one ion front of us. These were the best tickets I have ever had for any concert. Hasving trvalled from the UK I was thrilled with that.

I did witness a couple of things that may back up Franks comments. Our hotel room looked directly on to the back of th stage so we got to watch and hear the sound check. I did hear Neal saying to the sound guy that he didn't like the sound, but I have no idea in what context that comment was made (they sounded great on the night to me)

The other thing I saw was that on our floor there was a security guard sitting on a chair outside a couple of rooms. everytime we came in to the corridor he stood up as if to stop uis going any further, but we got to our room before we reached him. This was onthe second floor.

Coolest thing - decided to wear my melodicrock.com t-shirt, which Arnel spotted and acknowledged from the stage.

[Maui Tom]

I fucking love my man Gator...rock ON brother!

Tom, you gotta be more specific here...this could get confusing....

Frank is a good friend...this isn't like you wanting to cornhole Tebow....

[Duncan]

Interesting comments by Frank. I got my tickets from the casino and got 4th row. The way that the seats were arranged meant that we were directly in front on Neal with no one in front of us. These were the best tickets I have ever had for any concert. Having travelled from the UK I was thrilled with that.

I did witness a couple of things that may back up Franks comments. Our hotel room looked directly on to the back of the stage so we got to watch and hear the sound check. I did hear Neal saying to the sound guy that he didn't like the sound, but I have no idea in what context that comment was made (they sounded great on the night to me)

The other thing I saw was that on our floor there was a security guard sitting on a chair outside a couple of rooms. everytime we came in to the corridor he stood up as if to stop us going any further, but we got to our room before we reached him. This was on the second floor. I joked to my wife that Neal must be in the next room. Looks like he might have been!

Coolest thing - decided to wear my melodicrock.com t-shirt, which Arnel spotted and acknowledged from the stage.

Also forgot to say that frank is correct about the3 front two rows sitting down. Not for all the concert, they stood until the first ballad and then sat down. I was amazed that so many people in the venue sat down for the ballads. I kept standing and got heckled for it and a security guard told me to sit down!!!

[Rick]

Interesting comments by Frank. I got my tickets from the casino and got 4th row. The way that the seats were arranged meant that we were directly in front on Neal with no one ion front of us. These were the best tickets I have ever had for any concert. Hasving trvalled from the UK I was thrilled with that.

I did witness a couple of things that may back up Franks comments. Our hotel room looked directly on to the back of th stage so we got to watch and hear the sound check. I did hear Neal saying to the sound guy that he didn't like the sound, but I have no idea in what context that comment was made (they sounded great on the night to me)

The other thing I saw was that on our floor there was a security guard sitting on a chair outside a couple of rooms. everytime we came in to the corridor he stood up as if to stop uis going any further, but we got to our room before we reached him. This was onthe second floor.

Coolest thing - decided to wear my melodicrock.com t-shirt, which Arnel spotted and acknowledged from the stage.

Also forgot to say that frank is correct about the3 front two rows sitting down. Not for all the concert, they stood until the first ballad and then sat down. I was amazed that so many people in the venue sat down for the ballads. I kept standing and got heckled for it and a security guard told me to sit down!!!

Did he realize there was a rock 'n roll concert going on? And that it wasn't happening in Tokyo?

I was at the show in Dallas last year, and there was some idiot, during the Heart set, yelling at people to sit down. He went to a security guard, and that guy, evidently, told him something that he didn't care to hear.

[Duncan]

Couldn"t believe it Rick. Which also reminds me. Sods law, but I was sat next to America's biggest gob.In the run up to the show he was mouthing off at everyone, until this guy walks upto him, and only loud mouth and I heard this, but the guy says "if you don't fuckin shut it, I'm going to flatten your fuckin face". The fella was quiet as a mouse after that. Well played that man.

[faith20yrs]

I'm listening to "Stone In Love" and now "Who's Cryin' Now" as we speak. Thanks, T!!!!

You're welcome, Rip! (GREAT to meet you, Ttango! )

[Rip Rokken]

the high Rollers got the first two rows and they sat down during the whole concert.
Journey fans were not in the first 2 rows.
People who payed 375 for 5 star got screwed because of the high roller thing!
4 star people got 18th row behind all the people that got hotel concert package's.

I heard about this too, and it's a shame. They really should reserve something like 10th row for people who want to sit down. The same thing happened in Manila -- the first few rows were filled with local celebs and VIP's, and I don't think I saw the first row stand once. Especially for nights they are filming for DVDs, they need to kick these people back in the crowd or give them a skybox to mellow out in or something and give those seats to the real fans who know how to rock the house.