san antonio LATE gig report and youtube clips
i was in san antonio that night for the journey's 9th of 9 soldout concert with cheap trick and heart.
7:00 pm. so many folks still walking around, checking out souvinirs, food, drinks... etc. cheap trick came on stage and showed their wares and the hundreds of guitar in stock. can't get enough of them changing from one guitar to another after almost every song. cool to see and they did so well in the opening act. got a short clip at the beginning of the flame. i wanted to record as many videos as possible but i was trying to conserve the remaining battery in the camera. besides, i wasn't expecting to be able to take in the small AF7x optical zoom, and i was on the lawn. lol!
8:00 pm, seats are about over half taken, people started going to their seats as heart pounded the verizon wireless amphitheater with powerful vocals and great music. sun is setting along with ann wilson's power and beautiful vocals, coupled with nancy's magnificent guitar and the rest of the band's.
it was, i guess, a show to remember for HEART as the crowd was on its feet for the encore. ann graciously appreciated the fans for the tremendous ovation... barracuda rocked the place! glad they did that song.
the J-boys were scheduled to take the stage at 9:25 pm. but took a while for the crew to set up THE WHALE. at 9:37, a resounding sound marks the beginning of the main show. NWA puts everyone on its feet. as pineda strides to the center from the backstage, the crowd roar, and rock and roll has officially started!
tried to type the setlist on the cellphone but lost track after about five songs. how can you do such things (recording, typing, watching, rocking and rolling) all at the same time? lol... multi-tasking at its best.
the J-BOYS!
everyone seemed so relaxed and pretty much accurate, except for a few minor glitches. not even recognizable until i watched my clips. but hey, this is LIVE!
ROSS - has showed his vintage self of entertaining and being accurate on his 4-strings. he manages to interact with fans with his funny faces that were caught on the big screen.
DEEN - never ceases to amaze with his back-up vocals and his drumming skills, not only he was accurate but also puts his heart into it by making those gracious moves behind the cymbals and drums.
JON - back on the WHALE (i'm not exactly sure if it was the FAZ or the WHALE, but it looks like a WHALE, lol) but faz or whale, cain is cain and he ca(i)ns those songs. he was all over the place when on guitars and so soulful on piano. nice treat after faithfully, coming into open arms. harmonica adds more flavor to the show. at one point he was playing tug of war over the harmonica... haha!
NEAL - needless to say, the main guy on guitars. incomparable talent! how can not drop your jaw watching/hearing him? keeps reminding me that this is journey, baby... journey, and neal provides that signature sound... the licks, the accuracy on changing from one sound to the next makes me wonder how he does it. adding the fact that he manages to entertain both ends of the stage.
ARNEL - well, everything has been said. what i significantly notice from san antonio's show was his aura. he was very relaxed! he shows so much confidence and interacts well. though he may need to enunciate more when he speaks to the crowd. didn't really understand a few of the words he said to the crowd. could be that i was on the lawn, but even some of the people around me were like: "what he said?" i would reply, "he said, we love us all!" or "for those on the lawn." lols.
as for his vocal prowess, forget about him not lasting the tour. unless he gets sick with some virus or something, he is doing just fine. last night show was a piece of cake. he could have done another 2 MORE hours without any problem, and do houston and dallas the next two nights... i'll say it again: PIECE OF CAKE!
demographics:
i had a pretty good view of the crowd. got there at 5pm, in line and got in at around 5:30. there was only about 10% asians. was expecting more but... hey! it's SOLDOUT!
i saw a lot of kids towed by their parents. a few strollers, a few on crutches and one wheel chair... lol!
on the lawn were different age groups. on my right was this rocking latino family who seem to know all the dirty dozen, seated when new songs were played. farther right was this group of young people, in their teens, who were dancing in all the songs, including the ballad... when DBS was played, they pumped their fists and went crazy! they've recorded a lot of songs and hoping that they upload them on youtube.
check my crappy clips:
http://www.youtube.com/user/onthiscorner
so much for this tired fingers. gotta go.
keep on rocking guys!
marie, i forgot to save your cell number. i checked around for the "bat flag" but to no avail... next time.
