Didn't know the History of "Lights" changed ???
Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 12:05 amJourney, Steve Miller Band bring 'San Francisco Sound' to USANA
Doug Fox - Daily Herald
http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainmen ... 205ad.html
There was a poignant moment in the middle of Journey’s set Thursday night at USANA Amphitheatre that tied the whole evening together.
It came in the form of the song “Lights,” the band’s popular ode to its San Francisco roots. As the band brought the slow-burning song to life, it was accompanied by picturesque views on the giant video monitors at the back of the stage of the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown San Francisco and fog majestically rolling in off the bay.
It was a moment of sublime perfection -- especially as it fit into the evening’s “Sound of San Francisco” theme, featuring other popular Bay Area-based acts Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power.
Well, perfect, we suppose, if one chooses to overlook the historical tidbit that the song, according to comments by former lead singer Steve Perry, was originally written about Los Angeles. And I do.
Schon directly downplayed that discrepancy while introducing “Lights.”
“I wrote this song with a very dear friend of mine, Gregg Rolie,” Schon said of the band’s original keyboardist and lead singer. “We wrote it in about 10 minutes. It’s about San Francisco, not Los Angeles. San Francisco!”
Steve Miller also touched on the San Francisco theme during his set, introducing one song by breaking down the area’s burgeoning music scene in the 1970s when all three bands on the bill were just starting out.
“There was a diversity of sound. Nothing was the same,” Miller said, noting that different styles of bands were playing night after night at the famous Fillmore auditorium. “We were all, like, 20 years old and saw B.B. King at the Fillmore and thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to be doing that all these years later?’ ”
Another sign of the San Francisco sound, apparently, is Top 40 radio dominance for long stretches of time -- as hits from the ’70s, ’80s and beyond flowed freely throughout the sets of both Journey and Steve Miller.
Miller set the tone with a 17-song set that hit on most of his major career highlights. “Jungle Love,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Abracadabra” were early pace-setters and “The Joker,” “Swingtown,” “Rock ’n’ Me,” “Jet Airliner” and “Fly Like an Eagle” brought everything home at the end. The middle of his set was populated with some additional well-known tunes and album tracks -- and included a two-song, solo acoustic guitar segment by Miller of “Wild Mountain Honey” and “True Fine Love.”
Miller’s lead guitar playing was fluid throughout. The 70-year-old does not move around the stage much, but his playing still resonates -- and was especially enjoyable on rockers like “Space Cowboy” and “The Stake.”
One can’t watch the six-member band live without noticing the antics of background singer Sonny Charles. Dude is hilarious. From beginning to end, Charles was dancing up a storm, gesturing to the audience and deploying all manner of arm movements and gyrations. He sang lead on “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” and definitely added a level of entertainment value to what was an otherwise straightforward stage performance for the band as a whole.
Miller is marking the 40th anniversary of his breakthrough album, “The Joker.” He played three songs off the album, which was released in late 1973, and even donned a similar mask that he wore on the album cover when he played the title track Thursday.
“Well, I told you it was his 40th birthday,” Miller said after putting on the mask. “You didn’t think he was not going to show up, did you?”
“The Joker” has some of the most iconic lyrics in all of pop-dom. And while I still have no idea what the “pompateuse of love” actually means, the line still brought a wry smile to my memory all these years later.
The laid-back vibe left by Miller’s mostly casual set was obliterated by Schon’s very first power chord as Journey launched into “Be Good to Yourself” and elevated the energy level exponentially. The pace stayed quick early as the band followed with “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Any Way You Want It.” Journey’s focus on pace was apparent as those first three songs have all been concert openers for the band for many of its tours.
Much has been made of Arnel Pineda’s lead vocal turn in Journey. There will always be those who pine for the return of Perry -- not that there’s anything wrong with that -- but one can’t fault Pineda for who he isn’t. What he does bring to the stage -- in addition to vocals that sound very similar to the band’s original recordings -- is an unbridled enthusiasm and effervescent personality. His excitement and energy were certainly contagious Thursday as segments of the crowd followed his prompts and gestures with devotion.
A main focus of any Journey show, however, falls to Schon’s guitar playing. (Would it be plagiarizing the movie “Almost Famous” to refer to it as incendiary? Hmmmm ... ) Much like a few other classic rock outfits that get a bit too-well known for a couple power ballads, Journey sometimes gets a bad rap for being too safe or too Top 40. Whatever one’s opinion on that, the same can’t be said for Schon’s guitar artistry. Whether delivering a flurry of notes as fast as his fret fingers can fly or caressing a melodic lead that inevitably adds a bit of punch on slower numbers, his contribution is absolutely noteworthy.
Just when one begins to think that there can’t possibly be a better voice match for Perry than Pineda, then Deen Castronovo takes lead vocals for a spin. The drummer, a constant blur of motion behind the kit, tackled “Mother, Father” vocally and came away unscathed. The deep album track from “Escape” sounded fantastic and was a highlight in the mostly hit-heavy set.
Ross Valory was as constant on bass as he has been a member of the band. One of two originals, Schon being the other, Valory meandered around stage in his quirky yet mostly nonplussed way, keeping things in lock step with Castronovo.
Jonathan Cain’s keyboards are a big part of the Journey sound, and he also steps in on rhythm guitar for several numbers during the night. Cain took a piano solo -- touching on segments of “Who’s Cryin’ Now,” “Patiently” and “Send Her My Love” among others -- before leading the band into “Open Arms,” which seemingly caused many couples to confuse the aisles for a dance floor.
Journey played a pair of numbers off its most recent studio release, 2011’s “Eclipse,” in the form of “She’s a Mystery” and “Ritual.” As good as those songs were, there was still a noticeable jump in enthusiasm when the band reverted to its main hits catalog. Songs like “Stone in Love,” “Escape,” “Wheel in the Sky,” “Faithfully” and, of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” had fans everywhere on their feet and joyously singing along.
The band did a near-nine-minute version of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ ” for an encore as the proceedings came to a close. Journey is an extremely active band -- both touring and releasing new albums -- so local fans can likely catch another Journey sighting within a couple years.
Tower of Power brought the brass and the funk in a 40-minute, opening-slot appearance. Other than its San Francisco roots, the 10-man ensemble -- sporting a five-man horns section -- seemed an odd fit with the more rock-oriented co-headliners. However, the band was an enjoyable act and received some love from the crowd. A lot of credit goes to lead singer Ray Greene, who has only been in the band seven months. Greene, sporting a white suit coat despite the high temperatures, worked the crowd with a seasoned flair.
“Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream),” featuring a vocal breakdown segment by Greene, and “What Is Hip?” were the set highlights.
Doug Fox - Daily Herald
http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainmen ... 205ad.html
There was a poignant moment in the middle of Journey’s set Thursday night at USANA Amphitheatre that tied the whole evening together.
It came in the form of the song “Lights,” the band’s popular ode to its San Francisco roots. As the band brought the slow-burning song to life, it was accompanied by picturesque views on the giant video monitors at the back of the stage of the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown San Francisco and fog majestically rolling in off the bay.
It was a moment of sublime perfection -- especially as it fit into the evening’s “Sound of San Francisco” theme, featuring other popular Bay Area-based acts Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power.
Well, perfect, we suppose, if one chooses to overlook the historical tidbit that the song, according to comments by former lead singer Steve Perry, was originally written about Los Angeles. And I do.
Schon directly downplayed that discrepancy while introducing “Lights.”
“I wrote this song with a very dear friend of mine, Gregg Rolie,” Schon said of the band’s original keyboardist and lead singer. “We wrote it in about 10 minutes. It’s about San Francisco, not Los Angeles. San Francisco!”
Steve Miller also touched on the San Francisco theme during his set, introducing one song by breaking down the area’s burgeoning music scene in the 1970s when all three bands on the bill were just starting out.
“There was a diversity of sound. Nothing was the same,” Miller said, noting that different styles of bands were playing night after night at the famous Fillmore auditorium. “We were all, like, 20 years old and saw B.B. King at the Fillmore and thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to be doing that all these years later?’ ”
Another sign of the San Francisco sound, apparently, is Top 40 radio dominance for long stretches of time -- as hits from the ’70s, ’80s and beyond flowed freely throughout the sets of both Journey and Steve Miller.
Miller set the tone with a 17-song set that hit on most of his major career highlights. “Jungle Love,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Abracadabra” were early pace-setters and “The Joker,” “Swingtown,” “Rock ’n’ Me,” “Jet Airliner” and “Fly Like an Eagle” brought everything home at the end. The middle of his set was populated with some additional well-known tunes and album tracks -- and included a two-song, solo acoustic guitar segment by Miller of “Wild Mountain Honey” and “True Fine Love.”
Miller’s lead guitar playing was fluid throughout. The 70-year-old does not move around the stage much, but his playing still resonates -- and was especially enjoyable on rockers like “Space Cowboy” and “The Stake.”
One can’t watch the six-member band live without noticing the antics of background singer Sonny Charles. Dude is hilarious. From beginning to end, Charles was dancing up a storm, gesturing to the audience and deploying all manner of arm movements and gyrations. He sang lead on “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” and definitely added a level of entertainment value to what was an otherwise straightforward stage performance for the band as a whole.
Miller is marking the 40th anniversary of his breakthrough album, “The Joker.” He played three songs off the album, which was released in late 1973, and even donned a similar mask that he wore on the album cover when he played the title track Thursday.
“Well, I told you it was his 40th birthday,” Miller said after putting on the mask. “You didn’t think he was not going to show up, did you?”
“The Joker” has some of the most iconic lyrics in all of pop-dom. And while I still have no idea what the “pompateuse of love” actually means, the line still brought a wry smile to my memory all these years later.
The laid-back vibe left by Miller’s mostly casual set was obliterated by Schon’s very first power chord as Journey launched into “Be Good to Yourself” and elevated the energy level exponentially. The pace stayed quick early as the band followed with “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Any Way You Want It.” Journey’s focus on pace was apparent as those first three songs have all been concert openers for the band for many of its tours.
Much has been made of Arnel Pineda’s lead vocal turn in Journey. There will always be those who pine for the return of Perry -- not that there’s anything wrong with that -- but one can’t fault Pineda for who he isn’t. What he does bring to the stage -- in addition to vocals that sound very similar to the band’s original recordings -- is an unbridled enthusiasm and effervescent personality. His excitement and energy were certainly contagious Thursday as segments of the crowd followed his prompts and gestures with devotion.
A main focus of any Journey show, however, falls to Schon’s guitar playing. (Would it be plagiarizing the movie “Almost Famous” to refer to it as incendiary? Hmmmm ... ) Much like a few other classic rock outfits that get a bit too-well known for a couple power ballads, Journey sometimes gets a bad rap for being too safe or too Top 40. Whatever one’s opinion on that, the same can’t be said for Schon’s guitar artistry. Whether delivering a flurry of notes as fast as his fret fingers can fly or caressing a melodic lead that inevitably adds a bit of punch on slower numbers, his contribution is absolutely noteworthy.
Just when one begins to think that there can’t possibly be a better voice match for Perry than Pineda, then Deen Castronovo takes lead vocals for a spin. The drummer, a constant blur of motion behind the kit, tackled “Mother, Father” vocally and came away unscathed. The deep album track from “Escape” sounded fantastic and was a highlight in the mostly hit-heavy set.
Ross Valory was as constant on bass as he has been a member of the band. One of two originals, Schon being the other, Valory meandered around stage in his quirky yet mostly nonplussed way, keeping things in lock step with Castronovo.
Jonathan Cain’s keyboards are a big part of the Journey sound, and he also steps in on rhythm guitar for several numbers during the night. Cain took a piano solo -- touching on segments of “Who’s Cryin’ Now,” “Patiently” and “Send Her My Love” among others -- before leading the band into “Open Arms,” which seemingly caused many couples to confuse the aisles for a dance floor.
Journey played a pair of numbers off its most recent studio release, 2011’s “Eclipse,” in the form of “She’s a Mystery” and “Ritual.” As good as those songs were, there was still a noticeable jump in enthusiasm when the band reverted to its main hits catalog. Songs like “Stone in Love,” “Escape,” “Wheel in the Sky,” “Faithfully” and, of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” had fans everywhere on their feet and joyously singing along.
The band did a near-nine-minute version of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ ” for an encore as the proceedings came to a close. Journey is an extremely active band -- both touring and releasing new albums -- so local fans can likely catch another Journey sighting within a couple years.
Tower of Power brought the brass and the funk in a 40-minute, opening-slot appearance. Other than its San Francisco roots, the 10-man ensemble -- sporting a five-man horns section -- seemed an odd fit with the more rock-oriented co-headliners. However, the band was an enjoyable act and received some love from the crowd. A lot of credit goes to lead singer Ray Greene, who has only been in the band seven months. Greene, sporting a white suit coat despite the high temperatures, worked the crowd with a seasoned flair.
“Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream),” featuring a vocal breakdown segment by Greene, and “What Is Hip?” were the set highlights.
With a statement like that what's to stop Gregg from suing Neal, Steve, and Journey as a whole for his loses? maybe the fact that Gregg really didn't co-write the song and should step- up and put a stop to his 
. 
