A not so great San Diego show review

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LIVE AND DANGEROUS: 'Don't Stop Believing'
Sandy Chase, Staff Writer
Issue date: 7/21/08 Section: Tempo
Why would someone have spent $300 to be front and center in VIP seats at the Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey concert last Tuesday? When you watch them perform, it's easy to see why. After 30 years of show business, these bands know what it takes to make an amazing music experience for their fans.
Seeing three tried-and-true rock acts is a worthwhile investment, even if the lineup is a little...tweaked.
Cheap Trick opened the show with a bang by playing "That '70s Show" theme song first, aptly named "In The Street." Lead singer Robin Zander definitely still knows how to rock. He often screams into the mic for no apparent reason and asks the crowd how it's feeling. Lead guitarist Rick Nielsen changed guitars nearly every song, with each instrument more outlandish than the next. From a square-shaped guitar to a one with, count 'em, five necks, Nielsen is a true showman. The multi-generational audience reverted back to high school days and by the end of the set, was anxious to move their feet and dance. If you've already shelled out a small fortune for your seats, why not buy a few $15 margaritas? After all those drinks, the crowd was reeling.
The personal favorite of the night, Heart, did everything but disappoint. This was especially evidenced by all of the plastered middle-age couples grinding to Heart's Guitar Hero-like anthems. The Wilson sisters have seen many changes in their band's lineup in the last 30 years, but they have managed to ride the storm with talent and grace. With Nancy showcasing her fingerpicking skills on the mandolin and Ann wailing like a banshee into the microphone, everyone in the crowd was on their feet in a heartbeat.
Most importantly, Heart followed rock 'n' roll rule No. 1 when performing live: Always end the set with an upbeat, popular song, such as "Crazy On You," to take the frenetic crowd over the edge and leave them wanting more. Heart is ranked No. 57 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Journey...not so much.
In case you haven't heard, things are not well in the Journey camp. After losing vocalist Steve Perry to a hip injury and drummer Steve Smith was subsequently canned, the remaining members of Journey have blindly forged ahead, refusing to call it quits. This determination has brought them to replace former lead singer Perry with a much younger Filipino man named Arnel Pineda.
The crazy thing is, Pineda sounds exactly like Perry. If you close your eyes, you wouldn't even notice the difference. Eyes open, however, and you get a 25-year-old, excuse me, 40-year-old man in a black tuxedo vest and neon yellow skinny pants, hopping around the stage while the other members of Journey try to ignore him.
It was a little sad.
It seemed like a very talented and lucky superfan (Pineda was in a Journey cover band before his big break) was trying on the oversized shoes of his rock heroes in hopes that no one would notice the difference in stature.
Disappointingly, Journey blew all its steam before the show was over, playing all their hits save for the ballad "Faithfully" before the encore. Fans were actually sitting during the encore, leaving this writer to think that Journey had broken several of those rock band rules: They ended with a ballad, they didn't save their hits for the end and they apparently don't know when to call it quits.
-For more information on upcoming concerts go to: www.livenation.com. For premium seating at Cricket Wireless Ampitheatre call (619) 671-3512 or e-mail VIP.SanDiego@livenation.com.
LIVE AND DANGEROUS: 'Don't Stop Believing'
Sandy Chase, Staff Writer
Issue date: 7/21/08 Section: Tempo
Why would someone have spent $300 to be front and center in VIP seats at the Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey concert last Tuesday? When you watch them perform, it's easy to see why. After 30 years of show business, these bands know what it takes to make an amazing music experience for their fans.
Seeing three tried-and-true rock acts is a worthwhile investment, even if the lineup is a little...tweaked.
Cheap Trick opened the show with a bang by playing "That '70s Show" theme song first, aptly named "In The Street." Lead singer Robin Zander definitely still knows how to rock. He often screams into the mic for no apparent reason and asks the crowd how it's feeling. Lead guitarist Rick Nielsen changed guitars nearly every song, with each instrument more outlandish than the next. From a square-shaped guitar to a one with, count 'em, five necks, Nielsen is a true showman. The multi-generational audience reverted back to high school days and by the end of the set, was anxious to move their feet and dance. If you've already shelled out a small fortune for your seats, why not buy a few $15 margaritas? After all those drinks, the crowd was reeling.
The personal favorite of the night, Heart, did everything but disappoint. This was especially evidenced by all of the plastered middle-age couples grinding to Heart's Guitar Hero-like anthems. The Wilson sisters have seen many changes in their band's lineup in the last 30 years, but they have managed to ride the storm with talent and grace. With Nancy showcasing her fingerpicking skills on the mandolin and Ann wailing like a banshee into the microphone, everyone in the crowd was on their feet in a heartbeat.
Most importantly, Heart followed rock 'n' roll rule No. 1 when performing live: Always end the set with an upbeat, popular song, such as "Crazy On You," to take the frenetic crowd over the edge and leave them wanting more. Heart is ranked No. 57 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Journey...not so much.
In case you haven't heard, things are not well in the Journey camp. After losing vocalist Steve Perry to a hip injury and drummer Steve Smith was subsequently canned, the remaining members of Journey have blindly forged ahead, refusing to call it quits. This determination has brought them to replace former lead singer Perry with a much younger Filipino man named Arnel Pineda.
The crazy thing is, Pineda sounds exactly like Perry. If you close your eyes, you wouldn't even notice the difference. Eyes open, however, and you get a 25-year-old, excuse me, 40-year-old man in a black tuxedo vest and neon yellow skinny pants, hopping around the stage while the other members of Journey try to ignore him.
It was a little sad.
It seemed like a very talented and lucky superfan (Pineda was in a Journey cover band before his big break) was trying on the oversized shoes of his rock heroes in hopes that no one would notice the difference in stature.
Disappointingly, Journey blew all its steam before the show was over, playing all their hits save for the ballad "Faithfully" before the encore. Fans were actually sitting during the encore, leaving this writer to think that Journey had broken several of those rock band rules: They ended with a ballad, they didn't save their hits for the end and they apparently don't know when to call it quits.
-For more information on upcoming concerts go to: www.livenation.com. For premium seating at Cricket Wireless Ampitheatre call (619) 671-3512 or e-mail VIP.SanDiego@livenation.com.