MR

Some notes....

- Despite the show being moved from Sunday to Tuesday at the last minute due to weather, it was packed. When I arrived at around 4pm, a maintenance crew was still paving the walkway for concertgoers. I have to wonder if this new outdoor venue was even ready to launch by Sunday. Rubber mats were laid on the field, but watery mud still seeped through the cracks. During LTS, Arnel was encouraging the crowd to jump up and down. What he didn't realize is, nobody could do that. Mud or cow shit would have splashed everywhere.

- Arnel sang like he had something to prove tonight. Did every song except one (Jason did Suzanne). He ducked no notes. He actually went for stratospheric notes not even on the record. I think high notes are overrated, but there was no shortage of them tonight. I am an Augeri fan, but he was always dodging notes. As good as Arnel is/was, I would have loved to have heard one more Jason or Deen song.

- Narada and Deen having a drum-off during La Do Da was intense, fun, and sick. At one point during a different song, Deen and Narada were standing up hitting their cymbals. These guys are having fun and it is infectious and it shows. I thought Narada's energy was just joyful to watch.

- Cain at one point started playing Open Arms and then Arnel kept talking/doing the intro. Cain had to stop. You could tell Cain was pissed.

- Neal stated that the album will be out in 2022. He said the tour will be handled by AEG (a not so thinly disguised knock at Live Nation, which sucks). I gotta say, as soon as Neal said that, the band started having tech troubles with the projection screen. Maybe he's right about LN sabotage. Seemed like it. I sent Schon a note about it after the concert and he agreed.

Overall, either the second or best Journey show I've ever seen. There's a different revved-up energy going on with this lineup.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Some notes....

- Despite the show being moved from Sunday to Tuesday at the last minute due to weather, it was packed. When I arrived at around 4pm, a maintenance crew was still paving the walkway for concertgoers. I have to wonder if this new outdoor venue was even ready to launch by Sunday. Rubber mats were laid on the field, but watery mud still seeped through the cracks. During LTS, Arnel was encouraging the crowd to jump up and down. What he didn't realize is, nobody could do that. Mud or cow shit would have splashed everywhere.

- Arnel sang like he had something to prove tonight. Did every song except one (Jason did Suzanne). He ducked no notes. He actually went for stratospheric notes not even on the record. I think high notes are overrated, but there was no shortage of them tonight. I am an Augeri fan, but he was always dodging notes. As good as Arnel is/was, I would have loved to have heard one more Jason or Deen song.

- Narada and Deen having a drum-off during La Do Da was intense, fun, and sick. At one point during a different song, Deen and Narada were standing up hitting their cymbals. These guys are having fun and it is infectious and it shows. I thought Narada's energy was just joyful to watch.

- Cain at one point started playing Open Arms and then Arnel kept talking/doing the intro. Cain had to stop. You could tell Cain was pissed.

- Neal stated that the album will be out in 2022. He said the tour will be handled by AEG (a not so thinly disguised knock at Live Nation, which sucks). I gotta say, as soon as Neal said that, the band started having tech troubles with the projection screen. Maybe he's right about LN sabotage. Seemed like it. I sent Schon a note about it after the concert and he agreed.

Overall, either the second or best Journey show I've ever seen. There's a different revved-up energy going on with this lineup.

Cool review. I know how stoked you've been to have Narada in the band...sounds like you got your money's worth just seeing him!
Neal's AEG/LN public sabotage talk is starting to sound like Howard Stern when he was leaving terrestrial radio for Sirius.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Some notes....

- Despite the show being moved from Sunday to Tuesday at the last minute due to weather, it was packed. When I arrived at around 4pm, a maintenance crew was still paving the walkway for concertgoers. I have to wonder if this new outdoor venue was even ready to launch by Sunday. Rubber mats were laid on the field, but watery mud still seeped through the cracks. During LTS, Arnel was encouraging the crowd to jump up and down. What he didn't realize is, nobody could do that. Mud or cow shit would have splashed everywhere.

- Arnel sang like he had something to prove tonight. Did every song except one (Jason did Suzanne). He ducked no notes. He actually went for stratospheric notes not even on the record. I think high notes are overrated, but there was no shortage of them tonight. I am an Augeri fan, but he was always dodging notes. As good as Arnel is/was, I would have loved to have heard one more Jason or Deen song.

- Narada and Deen having a drum-off during La Do Da was intense, fun, and sick. At one point during a different song, Deen and Narada were standing up hitting their cymbals. These guys are having fun and it is infectious and it shows. I thought Narada's energy was just joyful to watch.

- Cain at one point started playing Open Arms and then Arnel kept talking/doing the intro. Cain had to stop. You could tell Cain was pissed.

- Neal stated that the album will be out in 2022. He said the tour will be handled by AEG (a not so thinly disguised knock at Live Nation, which sucks). I gotta say, as soon as Neal said that, the band started having tech troubles with the projection screen. Maybe he's right about LN sabotage. Seemed like it. I sent Schon a note about it after the concert and he agreed.

Overall, either the second or best Journey show I've ever seen. There's a different revved-up energy going on with this lineup.

Thanks for the review, bro. You're reaffirming my take from the two Journey shows I caught in Chicago: despite what the cameras might catch, AP sounds really good live, which is ultimately what matters. He definitely seems more confident in asserting his role as frontman, improving, taking dynamic lyrical interpretations, and engaging with the other bandmates as an equal. So I'm not surprised he's interrupting JC; I saw him do it a bit to NS too.

Narada and Deen are definitely a great combo. They bring an earnestness and energy matched only by AP.

Arnel has been interrupting Neal and Jon for quite a while, you would think he would learn by now when to shut up. When you watch the Live in Manilla DVD, Neal started playing Lights but he had to stop because Arnel kept talking.

ebake02 wrote:Arnel has been interrupting Neal and Jon for quite a while, you would think he would learn by now when to shut up. When you watch the Live in Manilla DVD, Neal started playing Lights but he had to stop because Arnel kept talking.

They need to work this out. Let Arnel talk. That is the fun part of concerts. We need interaction. Nobody wants to see a band just play all their songs with no in between interplay. I know Neal and Jon want the concert to be tight, but delaying the start of Lights or Open Arms by thirty seconds won't hurt anybody. Now, if Arnel is talking more than thirty seconds or a minute, then he needs to cut that out. Compromise, people. Compromise.