- August 9th, 2011
Mike Bax
http://www.lithiummagazine.com/journey- ... t-9th-2011
A few months ago I attended the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, which was three days of solid metal and thrash scattered over four stages. Both Journey and Foreigner performed on the first day of Graspop. The last thing I thought I'd leave Graspop saying was that both Journey and Foreigner ranked amongst the finest performances I saw there. With both bands operating sans their original lead singers, I more or less expected a big fat belly flop from both bands. Both Arnel Pineda (43) and Kelly Hanson (50) of Journey and Foreigner respectively, have managed to step into the lead singer roles of each of these bands and deliver vocals surprisingly similar to Steve Perry and Lou Gramm. And while I wouldn't exactly call both of these lead singers 'young', they are definitely younger and more agile then their respective original line-up band mates. Based on the strength of what I got to see in Belgium, I was eager to see both bands perform again, and catch their entire performances this time around.
As Arnel Pineda bounced around like a man half his age, inciting handshakes and high fives from the crowd as he ran from side to side of the massive Molson Amphitheatre stage, it was obvious to me that his place in Journey is now cemented. Any nervous jitters Pineda might have had stepping into Steve Perry's massive shoes as Journey's vocalist are long gone, and what fans attending a Journey show will now see is the next phase of the band, Journey 2.0 if you will, performing as a well oiled machine.
The same can be said of Foreigner. Kelly Hanson, with his lengthy 1970's rocker hairdo and a Steve Perry swagger, coaxed out vocals so keenly close to Lou Gramm that when you closed your eyes, you could hardly tell where Gramm stopped and Hanson started. And with a tightly packed set of yesteryear’s hits, Foreigner was greeted with (ahem) Open Arms in the same capacity as headlining band Journey, for the majority of their performance. As an opening act, Foreigner even got to walk out on stage and deliver an encore, ‘Jukebox Hero', to a hail of howling from the crowd. It was quite spectacular. Add in tracks like 'Hot Blooded', 'Urgent' and 'I Want to Know What Love Is' and fans pretty much had their money's worth before Journey even took the stage.
This evening was sold out by the way… people were jammed into the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre from the security rail in front of the stage to the gate at the back of the lawns separating the capacity audience from the surrounding trees that ring the grounds. With Mr Grohl and company ALSO performing a sold out show at the ACC this very same evening, Toronto was certainly alive with live rock n’ roll.
It is of note that Journey's new album Eclipse, the second album with vocals by Arnel Pineda, is actually a very strong Journey album. I'd go so far as to say it's the best material they have recorded as a band since 1983's Frontiers, but having not heard Arrival and Generations in entirety, you'll have to take that assessment with a grain of salt. I say it's the best thing since Frontiers, because the included songs from Eclipse during the performance fit into the band’s early repertoire seamlessly. That collective groan you can hear at shows when a band with a back-catalogue of great material announces they are going to play "A NEW SONG" was nowhere to be heard, because 'City Of Hope' and 'Edge Of The Moment' harken back to the sweet sounds of Journey's yesterdays so well, I don't think anyone realized they were new songs when the band played them.
As for the old stuff… well, getting to hear 'Open Arms' live was on my bucket list, and I can now scratch that bad-boy right off the list. That song alone was worth the evening’s ticket price. Skim over the set list below and tell me that anyone who loves the band wouldn't leave the venue a happy camper from this show.
Founding members Neal Schon and Ross Valory still function as the band’s backbone on stage. Schon's intricate guitar solos intermixed with Valory's vibrant bass work were nothing shy of amazing to behold. Hidden behind a massive keyboard and piano, keyboardist Jonathan Cain diligently worked his way through song after song. It is arguable that the signature sound on the majority of Journey's biggest hits are thanks to Cain's phenomenal keyboard work, and he was in fine form on tracks like 'Separate Ways' and 'Open Arms' this evening.
During a guitar solo (I think it was during 'Wheel In The Sky'), I lost track of Arnel Pineda and assumed he'd buggered off stage to get a drink of water and maybe towel off a bit. When he popped up right beside me (in the front of the 300s) and started high-fiving people in the crowd as he continued to sing the song, and then ran off towards the AMex Lounge with security trying to keep up to him… the deal was sealed for me: This evening was a great one. And I didn't even get into the venue in time to see 'Sister Christian' performed live.
Set List:
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Ask the Lonely
City Of Hope
Only The Young
(Guitar segway)
Stone In Love
Edge Of The Moment
Lights
Who's Crying Now
Wheel In The Sky
(Keyboard segway)
Open Arms
Be Good To Yourself
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believing
Encore:
Anyway You Want It
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
