Journey NJ PNC 8/26/05 Review

Just got back from the three hour Evening With Journey. And I have nothing bad to report. They sounded great. The first set was right up my alley. They did 5 songs from the first pre-Perry albums. They opened with the intro to People And Places and broke into Kohoutek. They continued on with Of A Lifetime, I'm Gonna Leave You, Nickel & Dime and Mystery Mountain. I NEVER thought I'd get a chance to hear those songs and if I ever meet Neal I'm going to thank him. Most people were sitting waiting patiently for the hits. It took a lot of balls for the guys to do what they wanted to do. They rounded out the first set with Just The Same Way, Feeling That Way, Anytime, Gone Crazy and In Self Defense. They ended set one with Anyway you want it, everybody was suddenly standing. 11 songs til Augeri gets one by himself, pretty cool. The only complaint would be that it's too bad Gregg Rolie wasn't there to sing those songs. Cain did a commendable job though.
Set two blasted off with Be Good To Yourself. They played most of their hits and when they did the crowd went nuts. Especially during Separate Ways. Escape was great too. They did 4 more songs form Generations (total of six) and they sounded great. Heartland, Place In Your Heart, Every Generation, and Out Of Harms Way which cooked. But many in the crowd didn't know the songs so they sat down waiting for another Greatest Hits song. They did Higher Place and sounded great. It got a real good reception from the crowd, which it didn't get four years ago. I guess it's a classic song now. Maybe when some people reach a certain age they only like songs when they become a few years old. Augeri sounded really good. I still don't think he sounds ANYTHING like Steve Perry but Deen on the other hand... He sang Where Were You and Still They Ride. He was incredible. He's closer to Perry than Augeri is. Who knew??? He also played his ass off as did everyone else. And Neal is still the best. He was his usual awesome self. Just kicked my ass.
If you're a big fan of Journey music and all their history then this show is a must see. Great show.
Set two blasted off with Be Good To Yourself. They played most of their hits and when they did the crowd went nuts. Especially during Separate Ways. Escape was great too. They did 4 more songs form Generations (total of six) and they sounded great. Heartland, Place In Your Heart, Every Generation, and Out Of Harms Way which cooked. But many in the crowd didn't know the songs so they sat down waiting for another Greatest Hits song. They did Higher Place and sounded great. It got a real good reception from the crowd, which it didn't get four years ago. I guess it's a classic song now. Maybe when some people reach a certain age they only like songs when they become a few years old. Augeri sounded really good. I still don't think he sounds ANYTHING like Steve Perry but Deen on the other hand... He sang Where Were You and Still They Ride. He was incredible. He's closer to Perry than Augeri is. Who knew??? He also played his ass off as did everyone else. And Neal is still the best. He was his usual awesome self. Just kicked my ass.
If you're a big fan of Journey music and all their history then this show is a must see. Great show.