Salt Lake show

[JRNYFan]

Here's the setlist (mostly in order):

SW
ATL
COH
OTY
SHML
WCN
WITS
LIGHTS
SIL
OA
ESCAPE
EOTM
COL
FAITHFULLY
BGTY
DSB
ENCORE: AWYWI

The sound seemed better for this show, except for the new songs. Those were way too loud, like white noise. Arnel messed up a couple of times on COH with lyrics and timing. Other than that, he was fantastic. The confetti at the end of DSB was awesome!

[Don]

Sounded like you enjoyed the show overall so I'm pleased for you.

That's a shame about the new songs, Eclipse seems to be jinxed all the way around.
I'm a bit disappointed to hear about Arnel fumbling the lyrics yet again. The first week of a tour is usually the time for that (See Journey in Tokyo 81) but this has gone on way too long this time out.
With a TV appearance comng up, the pressure will definitely be on if they're going to play any of the new tunes during that broadcast.

How were Foreigner and Night Ranger? Those bands are usually solid show after show, it seems.

[JRNYFan]

Night Ranger and Foreigner were incredible. I'm not a fan of triple bills, but I'll take this one.

[Gideon]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand no 'Resonate' again. Neal, my friend, you are severely disappointing me.

[JRNYFan]

I forgot to mention that Cain brought out his harmonica during the solo of Wheel in the Sky. They brought back HSAS as part of the solo as well.

[JRNYFan]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand no 'Resonate' again. Neal, my friend, you are severely disappointing me.

Judging by the response last night, we won't get more than three Eclipse songs. The crowd did not get them at all.

[RocknRoll]

Here's a review from the Salt Lake paper. Surprisingly, this reviewer felt Foreigner should have been the opener.

SANDY â€" Combined they have over a century of music and more than 40 top 40 hits.

Thursday night, three of classic rocks biggest names not only performed four hours of some of the most well-known songs in rock history, but delivered them with an enthusiasm and quality that it was easy to forget most of the men on stage were well into their 50s (in some cases 60s).

Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger played their greatest hits before a large and enthusiastic Rio Tinto Stadium crowd like it was 1982 all over again.

Journey hit the stage with "Separate Ways (World's Apart) and continued with a crowd pleasing set list that included "Only The Young," "Wheel in the Sky," "Send Her My Love," "Stone in Love," "Faithfully," "Be Good to Yourself" and "Open Arms."

Though there are many who argue Journey can never be the same without Steve Perry, Arnel Pineda is the best singer the band has had since Perry. And his voice and energy on stage are a perfect match for the band today.

Pineda was very Perry-ish on songs off the Escape album, including "Don't Stop Believing" and "Who's Crying Now." In addition to the classic Journey songs, the band mixed in songs from their heavy new album Eclipse including "City of Hope" and "Edge of the Moment," with deeper Journey tracks like "Ask the Lonely" and the title track from "Escape

Guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory and hard hitting drummer Deen Castronovo were a tight playing unit all night. The band ended with "Anyway You Want It."

The ever changing Foreigner lineup looks a lot different today than it did in the 1970s and '80s. The one constant, however, is 66-year-old guitarist Mick Jones.

Jones and Foreigner didn't introduce any new material in their set, sticking to classic Foreigner staples like "Double Vision," "Head Games," "Cold As Ice," "Hot Blooded" and "Dirty White Boy."

The current Foreigner lineup has an 80s rock feel with former Hurricane singer Kelly Hansen on vocals and original Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson in the rhythm section. As much as some Journey fans miss Perry, Foreigner fans miss Lou Gramm (who parted ways with the group in 2003) just as much. While Hansen and Foreigner were good and displayed a lot of enthusiasm, at times they came off as just an excellent cover band.

It didn't seem to matter to the crowd who cheered with approval for "Jukebox Hero," "Feels Like The First Time," and "I Wanna Know What Love Is."

Night Ranger, a band that should have played the second spot, were a tight outfit that played a way too short opening set. Original members Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy and Brad Gillis opened with their new single, "Growin' Up in California" before ripping through "Sing Me Away," "When You Close Your Eyes," "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," "Sister Christian" and "(You Can Still) Rock in America."

http://www.deseretnews.com/blog/74/1001 ... .html?pg=1

[SF-Dano]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand no 'Resonate' again. Neal, my friend, you are severely disappointing me.

Judging by the response last night, we won't get more than three Eclipse songs. The crowd did not get them at all.

I don't think it is a "don't get them" situation. It is simply the casual fan doesn't give a damn about anything but the hits. If they haven't heard them on the radio for years, the simply don't care. I remember during the 30th anniversary tour, how many fans were shouting "Play some Journey" during the fist set. Even though they were playing Journey songs. As has been stated here many times, this band is hand cuffed into playing a strictly greatest hits show by their casual fans, and in many cases by their self proclaimed"hardcore" fans too . Really a shame in my opinion.

[Don]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand no 'Resonate' again. Neal, my friend, you are severely disappointing me.

Judging by the response last night, we won't get more than three Eclipse songs. The crowd did not get them at all.

I don't think it is a "don't get them" situation. It is simply the casual fan doesn't give a damn about anything but the hits. If they haven't heard them on the radio for years, the simply don't care. I remember during the 30th anniversary tour, how many fans were shouting "Play some Journey" during the fist set. Even though they were playing Journey songs. As has been stated here many times, this band is hand cuffed into playing a strictly greatest hits show by their casual fans, and in many cases by their self proclaimed"hardcore" fans too . Really a shame in my opinion.

It certainly isn't helping if the new material is still suffering from sound issues like was the case in Europe. Too loud was the complaint then and appears to be the complaint now. I thought Neal changed the sound guy?

I voiced concerns before the tour started about this being a possibly difficult album to replicate live. Some shows it seems to be spot on and others, complete shit so we know they can get it done right, they just aren't being consistent for what ever reasons.
One thing they can't fix with a machine is the lyric guffaws. And no, tape is not an option.

[SF-Dano]

Here's a review from the Salt Lake paper. Surprisingly, this reviewer felt Foreigner should have been the opener.

Everybody has their own tastes. Personally, I would prefer having Night Ranger playing the longer set 2nd postion with Foreigner opening the show. (That might work out well in California since both Journey and NR are Northern California bands)

[Rick]

I forgot to mention that Cain brought out his harmonica during the solo of Wheel in the Sky. They brought back HSAS as part of the solo as well.

I wish he would lose that damn thing. Never been a fan of that.

[Gideon]

Really a shame in my opinion.

Ditto. When I was first introduced to Journey by my father years ago, I got so wrapped up in the classics and Perry that when dad bought me Arrival, Red 13, and the 2001 DVD, they sat in my room and collected dust for years, still tucked away in their wrappings. In fact, I never even wanted to see them live since Perry wasn't in the band.

But out of sheer boredom one day, I popped in Arrival and was instantly hooked by "Higher Place." Since then, I've never looked back. The classics still stay in rotation, but I listen to the '96+ years more than the classic era.

People get entirely too wrapped up in their memories and preconceptions. I've often said that in life you often find what you're looking for. People who of the Greatest Hits mentality will probably never learn to accept anything that isn't one of the dirty dozen, no matter who's on lead vocals.

[tater1977]

Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger leave fans 'Believin' at Rio Tinto

Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainmen ... iNZlgYDoug Fox Daily Herald | Posted: Friday, July 22, 2011 9:35 am

Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainmen ... z1SsiNYoJP
It’s one down, 45 to go for the Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger tour.

What will no doubt prove to be one of the top packages of the summer, the “Eclipse” tour debuted under beautiful skies and bright lights to a large crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Thursday night. If there’s one thing the kickoff concert proved, “(You Can Still) Rock in America,” a mantra that hundreds of thousands of fans will no doubt relearn for themselves as the tour wends its way around the country for the next three months.

The trio of bands spread out a road map of some of the most popular songs of the 1970s and ’80s over the course of the evening, with the entire production cruising through four hours of memories. By the sound of things, any of the lead singers could have turned vocals over the crowd at nearly any point in any song – and frequently did – with the masses not missing a word, let alone a beat.

Night Ranger started things off, blistering through a 35-minute set that seemed way too short in comparison to the band’s available catalog. Such, however, is the fate of drawing the short straw on a multi-act tour. Still, it seems like the production could find a way to give the Northern California-based band another 10-15 minutes on stage.

Night Ranger did take advantage of the time it had, however, as original members Jack Blades (bass and vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums and vocals) and Brad Gillis (guitars) frenetically led the band through well-known numbers like “Sing Me Away,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” “Sister Christian” and the anthemic “(You Can Still) Rock in America.” The band even found room for “Coming of Age,” a hit by Damn Yankees, the early 1990s supergroup Blades was a part of during a hiatus from Night Ranger.

One bonus for Night Ranger was it was the only band on the bill that has its original lead vocal lineup intact, with Blades and Keagy serving as the group’s only lead vocal tandem from the beginning. Joel Hoekstra (guitars) and Eric Levy (keyboards) round out the current lineup.

Foreigner took the baton and completed the second leg of the night’s rock relay, sprinting through 10 songs -- every one a hit single in its day -- in 65 minutes. Guitarist and co-founder Mick Jones may be the only original member left standing, but the rest of the group is so energetic and the tunes so infectious that it’s nearly impossible not to just give in and enjoy the current lineup.

Jones’s hook-laden, pulsating guitar riffs have always been one of the band’s key drawing cards, a fact on full display Thursday in songs like “Double Vision,” “Head Games,” Dirty White Boy,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “Urgent,” “Hot Blooded” and “Juke Box Hero.”The British guitarist looked stately in a white shirt and dark vest combo, and also played the main keyboard parts in “Cold as Ice,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

The second core element to the Foreigner sound, historically, was the highly recognizable vocals of Lou Gramm, who is no longer with the band. Kelly Hansen, the former Hurricane vocalist, however, has proven to be an admirable replacement. Hansen, an extremely energetic live performer, sounds similar enough to the former Foreigner frontman that the band’s hits don’t seem starkly different in concert, yet he puts enough of his own spin on things that it allows him to peek out of Gramm’s large shadow. He’s proven to be a key addition to the group, which is rounded out by ex-Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, Tom Gimbel (guitars, sax), Mark Schulman (drums) and Michael Bluestein (keyboards).

The hits kept coming once Journey took the stage. While band members playfully refer to their stable of must-play classics as“The Dirty Dozen,” it was obvious after Thursday’s set that they are shortchanging themselves. There were no fewer than 14 chart risers in the band’s 17-song performance -- the other three being numbers off the brand new “Eclipse” record, so give them time --and there were easily another handful that could have been substituted in. It’s an enviable dilemma for any band to face.

It’s been four years since Arnel Pineda took over lead vocal duties, and it was obvious on this night, his second pass through Salt Lake City, that he has fully grown into the role of band voice and frontman. Guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain may still be the primary shapers of the Journey sound, but Pineda delivers an uncanny mime of Steve Perry, the once-trademark voice on nearly all Journey classics. (Former keyboardist Gregg Rolie sang lead on a few older hits.)

Pineda and Schon were the primary focal points on stage -- well, in addition to the eye-popping lights, lasers and video board displays. Pineda is a bundle of energy, running around the stage, slapping hands and interacting with fans, and jumping through the air while bringing songs to a thunderous conclusion.

Schon, one of rock’s most gifted guitarists, frequently roamed the stage while throwing out searing melodic leads. One of the great guitar segments of the show included the transition from“Who’s Cryin’ Now,” which features a memorable extended rideout solo, which segued into a two-minute solo showcase for Schon that in turn led into the opening power riff of “Stone in Love.”

Cain’s keyboards, of course, are another major factor for Journey, as evidenced in upbeat rockers like “Ask the Lonely,” “Be Good to Yourself” and the ubiquitous “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” as well as power ballads such as “Open Arms” and “Faithfully.” The latter song was the only one that sounded noticeably different, as, for some reason, Pineda sang it in a lower register than the original version.

Ross Valory (bass) and Deen Castronovo (drums) held down the bottom end, allowing everyone else to do their hit thing.

Among the band’s other highlights were the show-opening“Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Send Her My Love,” “Lights,” “Wheel in the Sky,” “Escape” and the evening-ending encore of “Any Way You Want It.” The aforementioned three new songs -- “City of Hope,” “Edge of the Moment” and “Chain of Love” -- also fit nicely into the set and were well received by the crowd.

But the steady stream of hits -- from all three bands -- clearly carried the night on this U.S.-opening performance, a fact that fans in the remaining 45 tour stops will undoubtedly attest to over the next 90 days.


Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainmen ... z1SshZb93u