House of Blues Show Review

[Jeremey]

Whew! What a long weekend. Drove 7 hours to MB on Friday then had to get up Saturday and drive to Columbia SC to lend vocals to a CD being recorded down there, then just got back in Roanoke last night in time for the Fox Sunday night lineup.

Anyway, had some time for some perspective on the Myrtle Beach House of Blues show - First off, what a great venue to see a show in. Not a bad spot in the house, from what I could see. It was extremely crowded though and I think they probably sold too many tickets for the show. Went with my wife and Barry (Frontiers guitarist), and it was our 3rd time seeing the band, and Barry's first. We paid an extra $10 for the HOB "Crash the Gate" which was great, we got into a VIP room an hour before the doors opened, and had food and a few beers, then got in a line of about 150 people to get into the venue first. We first went down to the front of the stage in front of Neal, but it progressively got more and more crowded. A real classy lady informed me when we went up there "Hey - There's a whole group of people coming up here, so you're going to have to make some room for my husband and his friends (hic)." After her husband, brother, and 3rd cousin once removed got there, she started accusing me of bumping into her (um, there were only about 400 people in a 350 SF area), so we said screw it, and went back to directly behind the console where some Charlotte Frontiers buds spotted us earlier. A much better place to see the show, and overall the sound was fantastic.

I don't remember a whole lot of details about the show, but here are some overall impressions...First, the set list was quite odd. It was a good combination of the greatest hits show and the 30 years of Journey show, with several pre-Perry tracks (Im Gonna Leave You, Mystery Mountain) and a good chunk of Generations (enough for everyone to sing one - Every Generation, Faith in The Heartland, Gone Crazy, and In Self Defense). FITH was fantastic live and pure old-school Journey, but the other 3 tracks in my opinion are quite nearly the worst on the whole CD, so it seemed as though they were selected solely to give Steve some time to rest up and give the other guys a chance to sing. Several Greatest Hits-type tracks were noticeably absent. Whos Cryin Now, Girl Can't Help It, I'll Be Alright Without You, Send Her My Love, and possibly a few others were not played. Not that I missed them, but I would have liked to have seen a few other Perry era songs from the summer's tour, such as Mother Father, Patiently, etc.

All in all, a very great show, but a very sterile show...Not sure if that makes sense, but it seemed very well rehearsed and clean, and almost a little flat on the emotional side of things. Neal especially seemed subdued for most of the show. Jonathan seemed to play guitar almost as much as he played keyboards, and it seemed like Steve only sang a total of about 45 minutes or so...With all the pre-Perry and Generations numbers, then Just the Same Way, Feelin' That Way, and Anytime, then Still They Ride being handled by Deen and Escape being a duet, it almost seemed like Steve was kind of a jack of all trades type guy, playing a little guitar here and there, a bit of tambourine, and then being trotted out for the big numbers. Only singing for 45 minutes to an hour has greatly improved his voice from the last time I had seen them. He absolutely nailed his songs, though I did miss a little of the vocal improvisation we all got used to hearing Perry live, though that's just a matter of preference. As a showman, Steve did a great job...He looked great, and despite that irritating Augeri Shuffle he does, he owned the stage and really played to the audience.

All in all, probably the best show I've seen Journey give out of the 3 shows, but I did think the 2002 Under The Radar show was more experimental musically. We didn't get to meet anyone before the show, but afterwards we hung out by the busses and Ross was gracious enough to walk the line before the band took off....Unfortunately I had had more than a few beers, and yelled out "Ross, you bass--playing muthafucka!" when he shook my hand, so he grimaced and moved down the line. Don't meet rock stars when you've had too much to drink.

Anyway, it really psyched me up for our HOB show in Cleveland next month. What a great venue, and overall a really enjoyable show....

Jeremey

[NealIsGod]

Unfortunately I had had more than a few beers, and yelled out "Ross, you bass--playing muthafucka!" when he shook my hand, so he grimaced and moved down the line. Don't meet rock stars when you've had too much to drink.

LOL! Don't feel so bad - I am sure Ross has seen worse, Jeremey!

[Rockindeano]

Unfortunately I had had more than a few beers, and yelled out "Ross, you bass--playing muthafucka!" when he shook my hand, so he grimaced and moved down the line. Don't meet rock stars when you've had too much to drink.

LOL! Don't feel so bad - I am sure Ross has seen worse, Jeremey!

\


I KNOW he has seen worse..a lot worse.

[NoMoreTails]

I was there as well. No OOHW, unfortunately. In addition to the Gens songs Jeremy mentioned, they also did TPIYH. Steve's best performance may have been When You Love A Woman, way better than I had heard him sing it a couple of times on previous tours. Jon sang three alone, the other guys sang one each, that leaves Steve singing about 90 minutes, including duets, out of a 2hr and 10-15 minute show. There were a huge number of teenagers there on the floor singing and jumping up and down the whole show it seemed. We were forunate enough to get back stage passes, all the guys were cool and seemed happy to talk to the fans. There seems to be the possibility of some US dates next year, though not to the extent they did this year. And surprisingly, Neal's plans for Soul Sirkus seem to be no more definite than Journey's plans. Doesn't sound like much has been done in the way of writing new SS material, not that anyone here but me cares, haha. He only said he was ready for some time off after being on the road most of the year. Knowing how Neal is, that'll last about a month. Steve says he writes everday and does sound like he's ready to record some material on his own if its a while before Journey does.

[Red13JoePa]

Did the announce TPIYH or FITH as singles?

[NoMoreTails]

Did the announce TPIYH or FITH as singles?

In Greenville the night before Steve said TPIYH is the new Journey song on the radio, I don't recall anything being said in MB. I think the exclusion of OOHW is not a good sign regarding them continuing to play newer stuff.
Hopefully it will reappear. That song should be kept in the lineup as long as we have troops in the middle east, which will be longer than Journey continue on.

[Rockindeano]

That song should be kept in the lineup as long as we have troops in the middle east, which will be longer than Journey continue on.

That's real optimistic, but probably true. Sad, but true

[Jeremey]

I was there as well. No OOHW, unfortunately. In addition to the Gens songs Jeremy mentioned, they also did TPIYH. Steve's best performance may have been When You Love A Woman, way better than I had heard him sing it a couple of times on previous tours. Jon sang three alone, the other guys sang one each, that leaves Steve singing about 90 minutes, including duets, out of a 2hr and 10-15 minute show. There were a huge number of teenagers there on the floor singing and jumping up and down the whole show it seemed. We were forunate enough to get back stage passes, all the guys were cool and seemed happy to talk to the fans. There seems to be the possibility of some US dates next year, though not to the extent they did this year. And surprisingly, Neal's plans for Soul Sirkus seem to be no more definite than Journey's plans. Doesn't sound like much has been done in the way of writing new SS material, not that anyone here but me cares, haha. He only said he was ready for some time off after being on the road most of the year. Knowing how Neal is, that'll last about a month. Steve says he writes everday and does sound like he's ready to record some material on his own if its a while before Journey does.

You are probably right about Steve singing a little more than half the 2 hour plus show. Courtesy pgee at SmackTalk, here is a complete setlist:

1.Be Good To Yourself
2.Ask The Lonely
3.Only The Young
4.Faith in the Heartland
5.Star Spangled Banner
6.Stoned in Love
7.Wheel in the Sky
8.I’m Gonna Leave You
9.Mystery Mountain
10.Place In Your Heart
11.Feelin’ That Way/Anytime
12.Gone Crazy
13.Self Defense
14.Lights-into……
15.Still They Ride
16.Every Generation
17.When You Love a Woman
18.Piano Solo
19.Open Arms
20.Escape
21.Anyway You Want It
22.Faithfully
23.Don’t Stop Believin’
24.Separate Ways
Encore:
25.Blues Jam
26.Lovin’, Touchin’, and Squeezin’

For myself, I got the impression Steve sang a lot of the songs toward the end of the night (well, pretty much the last 8 songs), but took it easy the first half of the show. I will say I did forget Place In Your Heart and that song DID rock HEAVILY live, as it is one of my top 2 or 3 favorites from Generations. I guess my point was that it seemed odd to have fairly extended periods where Steve was not the focal point of the show.

[NoMoreTails]

I guess my point was that it seemed odd to have fairly extended periods where Steve was not the focal point of the show.

I agree. With Jon singing back to back songs, Neal and Ross singing back to back, and Deen and Jon again following soon after Steve sings only two songs and two duets in a ten song stretch. But I don't think its necessarily done for his benefit. I think they could be spread out through the show a bit more. And as much as I love the pre-Infiinity stuff, Jon doesn't need to be singing that much. If he's going to do those old ones and his new one, throw out the duets. Deen should be the one to sing more than one song. They should do Kohoutek or Of A Lifetime if they're doing anything from that era. On future tours, I think a song by each might would be ok for a two hour show(though I've had my fill of WLAL&SGC). But this was abit much. They should have thrown out the two old ones or the duets in favor of OOHW and HP and it would have been a great set. However, I think Jon is enjoying singing alot and I don't look for that to change. I believe he may influence many Journey decisions or non-decisions more than Neal does, whether it be regarding recording, touring, or set lists.

[Red13JoePa]

The setlists this year have topped the UTR and Summer DeTour setlists. It's a disgrace that one of these shows is not circulating illegally yet.

[NealIsGod]

The setlists this year have topped the UTR and Summer DeTour setlists. It's a disgrace that one of these shows is not circulating illegally yet.

LOL! What has this world come too when an illegal copy of a concert is taking so long to surface? Don't people have any work ethic anymore?

[Red13JoePa]

I just hope Rock doesn't shit the bed on his vow to boot the upcoming show he's hitting.

[jrnyman28]

The setlists this year have topped the UTR and Summer DeTour setlists. It's a disgrace that one of these shows is not circulating illegally yet.

LOL! What has this world come too when an illegal copy of a concert is taking so long to surface? Don't people have any work ethic anymore?

[Abitaman]

Augeri is the main singer in the band, so to me it would make more sense, for him to start show, then bring it up heavy at the end.-ERIC

[Jeremey]

They should have thrown out the two old ones or the duets in favor of OOHW and HP and it would have been a great set. However, I think Jon is enjoying singing alot and I don't look for that to change. I believe he may influence many Journey decisions or non-decisions more than Neal does, whether it be regarding recording, touring, or set lists.

I agree with you there too. OOHW and HP would have been amazing. And it does seem to me that maybe Neal handed the reins over to Jonathan more on the Journey side of things with his being busy with Soul Sirkus, having another baby, and his solo stuff and projects. Steve's interview with Andrew seemed to imply that Jonathan just showed up with the basic outlines of the Generations tracks, like "these are the songs we'll be working on...Oh, you wrote a song? Cool, I'll listen to it once we finished up the rest of these." Which, as Steve said, you gotta step to the side when you've got such a powerhouse writer as Jonathan involved in things.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Which, as Steve said, you gotta step to the side when you've got such a powerhouse writer as Jonathan involved in things.

Not sure how I feel on this.
When Perry joined the band for Infitity, did he roll over?
No, he began sticking his fingers into each and every pie.
Granted, the band weren't music veterans the way Cain is now, but still, you need to assert a little control every now and then.

(However, luckily for us, Augeri did relinquish writing priority to Cain, 'cuz, man do both of Augeri's solo offering blow big time.)

[NoMoreTails]

Steve's interview with Andrew seemed to imply that Jonathan just showed up with the basic outlines of the Generations tracks, like "these are the songs we'll be working on...Oh, you wrote a song? Cool, I'll listen to it once we finished up the rest of these." Which, as Steve said, you gotta step to the side when you've got such a powerhouse writer as Jonathan involved in things.

I could see that being the case, and Jon insisting on using all of his songs. Still we do have the first album where Jon didn't contribute to writing every song (three of them at that) since joining the band.