Flashes of brilliance, but far from perfect Journey show
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:46 pmReview: Flashes of brilliance, but far from perfect Journey show
http://www.galesburg.com/entertainment/ ... how?zc_p=0
PEORIA —
By PHIL LUCIANO
So much talk about Steve Perry, not enough about Neal Schon.
Any mention of Journey invariably triggers tired complaints that it's not the same band without former frontman Perry. Um, yeah. But life moves on, as does Journey capably - if not seamlessly - under crooner Arnel Pineda.
But the outfit would be nowhere without Schon, whose always masterful guitar work somehow seems to still be getting better in his 58th year. Journey's pop hits include flashes of his brilliance - Exhibit A: the band's signature "Don't Stop Believin'" wouldn't have any punch without his solo - but the group certainly isn't renown (these days) for serious rocking. Yet that's why, even if the notion of "Escape"-era Journey ballads makes your eyelids heavy, the band is entirely worth the price of a concert ticket, as witnessed by more than 6,000 spectators at the Peoria Civic Center on Wednesday night.
Schon's piercing fret work filled the arena, expanding familiar Journey tunes with a lush but rocking soulfulness not captured on recordings. Even a warhorse like "Wheel in the Sky" exploded with barreling power, thanks to Schon's rich guitar underpinnings. And whereas guitar solos usually smack of tiresome self-aggrandizement, his nimble, riveting take on "The Star-Spangled Banner" would make even Jimi Hendrix marvel.
Schon, the lone remaining founding member of the group, enjoyed fantastic support from his bandmates, especially Jonathan Cain. His keyboard work, solid all night, included a glissando-esque piano solo - yeah, a piano solo at an arena-rock show, and it killed - and he even honked on a harmonica for a while. Cool.
Still, the 105-minute set — plenty of lights, but a bare stage save for a slew of video monitors — was far from perfect. The first six songs involved way too many ballads. The stringing together the likes of "Only the Young," "Who's Crying Now" and "Faithfully" did little to create any momentum early.
Meantime, Pineda boasts a commanding set of pipes, just about as strong as Perry's in his heyday. However, and perhaps unavoidably, Pineda lacks the visceral depth breathed into the songs by Perry, who crafted many of them. More apparently, after five years under his belt as the band's singer, Pineda still seemed awkward at times. He exuded energy with his ceaseless dashing and leaping about, but his repeated microphone flips came off as something he is still trying to master in Frontman 101 classes. And his stage patter included only requisite stage exhortations like, "How you doing, Illinois?!"
Earlier, Pat Benatar delivered a tight, punchy 50 minutes. At age 59, she still looks and sounds great, and Wednesday appeared genuinely happy to be doing so. The hits ("Hit Me with Your Best Shot," "Promises in the Dark," "We Belong") came off well, while the rarer gem "So Sincere," from her first album, stood out with heartfelt earnestness. Yet the place went nuts, and appropriately so, when she veered the closing number "Heartbreaker" into a rousing take on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."
Meantime, her backing band delivered a meaty sound, led by guitarist and husband (of 30 years), Neil "Spyder" Giraldo. He even tinkered around with a little Led Zeppelin: "Living Loving Maid," after "Heartbreaker," a nod to the Zep tune of the same name.
To start the night, Loverboy offered 35 minutes of hits. Lead singer Mike Reno still sounded great, bounding through the likes of "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," "Hot Girls in Love" and "Working for the Weekend." But he did little on stage except smile, while the band sounded limp. It might as well have been Loverboy Karaoke Night.
http://www.galesburg.com/entertainment/ ... how?zc_p=0
PEORIA —
By PHIL LUCIANO
So much talk about Steve Perry, not enough about Neal Schon.
Any mention of Journey invariably triggers tired complaints that it's not the same band without former frontman Perry. Um, yeah. But life moves on, as does Journey capably - if not seamlessly - under crooner Arnel Pineda.
But the outfit would be nowhere without Schon, whose always masterful guitar work somehow seems to still be getting better in his 58th year. Journey's pop hits include flashes of his brilliance - Exhibit A: the band's signature "Don't Stop Believin'" wouldn't have any punch without his solo - but the group certainly isn't renown (these days) for serious rocking. Yet that's why, even if the notion of "Escape"-era Journey ballads makes your eyelids heavy, the band is entirely worth the price of a concert ticket, as witnessed by more than 6,000 spectators at the Peoria Civic Center on Wednesday night.
Schon's piercing fret work filled the arena, expanding familiar Journey tunes with a lush but rocking soulfulness not captured on recordings. Even a warhorse like "Wheel in the Sky" exploded with barreling power, thanks to Schon's rich guitar underpinnings. And whereas guitar solos usually smack of tiresome self-aggrandizement, his nimble, riveting take on "The Star-Spangled Banner" would make even Jimi Hendrix marvel.
Schon, the lone remaining founding member of the group, enjoyed fantastic support from his bandmates, especially Jonathan Cain. His keyboard work, solid all night, included a glissando-esque piano solo - yeah, a piano solo at an arena-rock show, and it killed - and he even honked on a harmonica for a while. Cool.
Still, the 105-minute set — plenty of lights, but a bare stage save for a slew of video monitors — was far from perfect. The first six songs involved way too many ballads. The stringing together the likes of "Only the Young," "Who's Crying Now" and "Faithfully" did little to create any momentum early.
Meantime, Pineda boasts a commanding set of pipes, just about as strong as Perry's in his heyday. However, and perhaps unavoidably, Pineda lacks the visceral depth breathed into the songs by Perry, who crafted many of them. More apparently, after five years under his belt as the band's singer, Pineda still seemed awkward at times. He exuded energy with his ceaseless dashing and leaping about, but his repeated microphone flips came off as something he is still trying to master in Frontman 101 classes. And his stage patter included only requisite stage exhortations like, "How you doing, Illinois?!"
Earlier, Pat Benatar delivered a tight, punchy 50 minutes. At age 59, she still looks and sounds great, and Wednesday appeared genuinely happy to be doing so. The hits ("Hit Me with Your Best Shot," "Promises in the Dark," "We Belong") came off well, while the rarer gem "So Sincere," from her first album, stood out with heartfelt earnestness. Yet the place went nuts, and appropriately so, when she veered the closing number "Heartbreaker" into a rousing take on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."
Meantime, her backing band delivered a meaty sound, led by guitarist and husband (of 30 years), Neil "Spyder" Giraldo. He even tinkered around with a little Led Zeppelin: "Living Loving Maid," after "Heartbreaker," a nod to the Zep tune of the same name.
To start the night, Loverboy offered 35 minutes of hits. Lead singer Mike Reno still sounded great, bounding through the likes of "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," "Hot Girls in Love" and "Working for the Weekend." But he did little on stage except smile, while the band sounded limp. It might as well have been Loverboy Karaoke Night.
@ 2:37