I am sure time constraints were an issue considering they did not hit the stage until 9PM.
But here is a review from the show:
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/08/11/news/local/news11.txt
Review: Journey's power, energy woo skeptic
By Kariann Farrey, Journal Copy Editor
STURGIS — I must begin with: The dude is not, but eerily could be, former Journey frontman Steve Perry.
And frankly, that scares me a little.
I used to call the band's current lead singer, Steve Augeri, the Steve Perry clone. I've now revised that opinion after seeing him in action, live on the Buffalo Chip stage Tuesday night.
Now, I shall call him the Steve Perry doppelganger, which doesn't seem quite so dehumanizing. In fact, he has made it on my list of notable entertainers, having proven himself worthy of my ear.
There sincerely were times during the band's 30th anniversary concert performance that one could not tell the difference between the two singers. Both have claimed the title of Journey's lead singer.
At one point, the man next to me, Tito Castillo of Hawaii, said in disbelief, "He sounds like a recording!" Indeed, it was that uncanny.
But at other times, especially on newer songs that lacked a Perry connection, Augeri shined, adding just a hint of his own flavor to Journey's tunes — many of which outdated him. He even manned a guitar for the first few numbers, in a nod to a time when pianist Jonathan Cain did a good share of the vocals. But the real Augeri became apparent in the invigoration that emerged when he stepped behind the microphone — smiling, jamming, jumping around in circles, obviously enthralled with being on stage.
The band opened early — at 9 p.m. — with an instrumental jam, featuring Neal Schon wailing on his guitar while drummer Deen Castronovo hit it hard and heavy with a brilliant cacophony of cymbals that lit the stage with dazzling rainbow colors. The first few songs featured Cain on a fire-engine red grand piano, singing powerfully in hard-driving, bone-thumping jams, while Ross Valory's bass boomed straight into the ground.
Much could be said about the band as a whole — its style, that "new direction" it's taking — but often, a band becomes merely an extension of its lead singer in the eyes of the media. Drummers especially are often overlooked — in photos, interviews — and more often than not are taken for granted musically. But there is no doubt that Castronovo, with his boundless energy and bang-it-up style, drove the show.
"He's the best of them all," Castillo said, as "Wheel in the Sky" segued into a jam session that, although was the kind of groove that made you want to shake your hips — and I did — turned into The Never-Ending Jam Session, in which the guys dabbled somewhat haphazardly in a little blues and jazz.
You know — the kind that turns into that boring come-on-let'snrock lull?
Come to find out, there would be several of those.
"It's like they don't know what they're doing anymore," Castillo said, as I commented about the extended instrumentals that seemingly were going nowhere productive. "They started off doing their own thing but then went into this Santana kind of thing," he said incredulously.
I concur. Jam in your garage for fun, boys. Give us concertgoers what we want to hear: Classic tunes and, if worthy, a few select songs off your new album.
Lucky for the crowd at the Chip, the band served up many crowd-pleasing hits, including "Lights," Anyway You Want It," "Only the Young," "Faithfully" and "Be Good to Yourself." As part of the middle to younger generation of Journey fans — at least that's where I like to put myself — I'm into the band's "newer older stuff." And so when the band tore into "Separate Ways," I found myself headbanging until I realized I was on the job and should try to translate the exhilaration in my head into coherent thoughts on paper. Another highlight was Cain's soothing piano on "Open Arms" under a veil of tiny white lights. It was like dining on a satisfying meal and gaining the clarity that dessert would be overkill.
Another bonus: The band's song selection off its new and 13th studio album, "Generations," was on the upside of decent, for a first-time listen.
"Faith in the Heartland" could be a standout track, as well as the hard-driving "Chain Reaction." Also noteworthy was the band's tribute to U.S. troops serving overseas, "Out of Harm's Way," during which jumbo screens above the band displayed chaotic and emotional scenes of war amidst a frenzy of red, white and blue lights.
Valory was proud to mention that the band has three generations of fans and that they all have something in common: They all want to cruise, wear blue jeans and kick it to rock 'n' roll music. The song Journey dedicated to its youngest set of fans, "Every Generation," was, I have to admit, a guilty pleasure; it is original enough that its sometimes-cheesy lyrics didn't really matter. I believe the song could become a worthy anthem if given a chance on the radio. This was one case where I didn't mind "the new stuff."
Guitarist Schon also drew crowd approval — in the form of thundering, revving bike engines — when he played an extended guitar solo of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
During most of the show, his nimble fingers produced a sound that brought to mind the image of musical raindrops from rock 'n' roll heaven.
Power, energy and drive. This is what Journey brought to the Buffalo Chip stage. In other words, these guys can still rock. I admit that I was skeptical; they've been around for 30 years.
But I found myself highly engaged in their irresistible groove and overwhelmingly immersed in totally righteous music.
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:10 am
