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Journey ignited Paris! (TRANSLATED)
Posted Thursday 18 June 2009 9:41 PM EDT By Alan Defnael & Waves in Rock
Hi, babas cool!
Last year, Defnael and I had the chance to see Journey in concert for the first time. A small Atlantic crossing and a few miles on U.S. roads we did land in Bethel Woods, rather bucolic and verdant countryside of New York, famous for hosting the Woodstock festival 39 years ago. The American public is particularly exuberant, it was a charged atmosphere that our four Californians delivered a performance perfect fit us great impression.
Tuesday 16 June, is under much less rustic Boulevard Voltaire in Paris, we find that Neal Schon and his colleagues for a historic concert in France, 30 years after a first passage for the American star Pat Travers band.
At 19 hours ago Bataclan before the crowd and the parade T-shirts bearing the effigy of Kansas, Rush, Dream Theater, Whitesnake and, of course, Journey is pleased to see. Not forgetting the important Philippine colony come cheer his countryman Arnel Pineda, the new singer of the group, recruited by Neal Schon Youtube himself!
The latter, 20 hours pétantes, opened hostilities with a power of a standard ... Michel Legrand! Fortunately, the famous musician and composer of film music is not present. Otherwise, it is likely that we would have been entitled to 3 hours of piano sounds!
After this introduction, to say the least unexpected, but Mr. Schon class (a small nod to France?), The rest of the troupe tumbling on the tiny stage of the hall in Paris and on a balance of vitamins their hit "Separate Ways" that electrifies an audience already overwhelmed! First, you tell it will happen something. This concert has the aroma of the great events. One feels that the group wants to offer the best of himself to the french public, through a unique spectacle, the reward for his loyalty and patience. Neil Schon assures a rewarding god we all exceptional pieces of solos that prove it is, after 40-year career, one of the most talented representatives of the 6 strings. In good captain, he led his crew to attack the shoreline gaulois, assisted by his faithful lad Jonathan Cain alternating piano, synthesizer, electric guitar, harmonica and vocals. For drums, it's Dean Castronovo who set the pace, réfugié behind a Plexiglas screen like a fish in his aquarium! The drummer is also the secret weapon because Journey is a great singer capable of providing the bulk of the chorus, but also to push the song to two tracks, allowing Arnel make some well-deserved break (we will return). His interpretation of "Mother Father" is breathtaking (not his anyway). As for Ross Valory, with Schon that is part of the historic core of the group, he plays the role of patriarch just teasing, good old hippie nonchalant always ready to swing a good joke to make friends laugh. For bassist moustachu, the meter is still stuck in 1967 during the Summer of Love. One can imagine very well his great carcass walk down the streets of Haight Ashbury, the hippie neighborhood of San Francisco.
Finally there is that Arnel, not be afraid to say, is a worthy successor to the great Steve Perry. In 2009, the new star he is not Joan, Brian, Steven, or I do not know what the clown reality. This endearing little guy has a f#$%@#$ energy, jumping everywhere as a kid, communicating with the public he gives all his enthusiasm, sincerity and smiles pests.
In short, it does show that, for temperatures above 40 degrees, is the operator (again we will return). Comme dirait Defnael, the little Pineda is a great guy! You feel it burst like a sick and he is happy to be there. A no-fault for the singer who, when he fails to break the hoe after one of his many bonds that he has the secret to catching up with three turns on itself ... the art! Arnel Pineda can out of the already nicknamed the top of the rock and roll! We are witnessing a concert très pro, super square (a bit too perhaps) as the Americans know how, but full of emotions and quite varied in the choice of songs and interpretations. There is good rock FM, beautiful ballads as well the group knows how to concoct (Open Arms, Faithfully, After All These Years ...) and many pieces of the last album (Revelation). But it is also entitled to tubes vintage 70s (including a superb "Lovin 'Touchin' Squeezin '") who speak in our ears to the sounds fed woodlands of the time. It was even entitled to an excerpt from "Kohoutek", prog track on the first album released Californians in 1975!
In short, two-hour show almost non-stop that we trimballent over 35 years of life, our minds wander and the side of Lake Tahoe in California or in San Francisco of the seventies.
The only flat for the evening and it is great, it was that the temperature inside the Bataclan Tuesday evening: hello oven! At over 40 degrees, it's a concert hall but a Finnish sauna. It was sweating like the depths of the Amazon jungle or near a volcano in eruption. The keepers of the old music-hall would be well advised to install the air conditioning, or running some ventilos placed in the barrack. At the same time, given the zeal of the bouncers at the entrance to confiscate bottles of water and other supplies, we quickly that policy Bataclan is pushing to consolidate by Peter thermometer: The high-class guys! Everything is good to make the dough. Receive sizes as Journey and their audiences in such conditions it is frankly way. The irony was that the projectionist sat balanced over our heads with a cabin as a hole drilled in the wall. One would have thought in a more suburban or MJC old movie-club Province in a large concert hall in Paris!
Fortunately we were there to see Journey, the best remedy for sinistrose and depression, more effective than Prozac and Xanax together. For the band's music takes you literally. It is "uplifting" as the Americans say.
With musicians delighted to be there and an audience of hell (a true public rock!), The spirit of Woodstock bataclan plan on Tuesday evening and it was a real pleasure.
Thank you guys! We come back soon, especially not in thirty years and hope, not Batagland, but in a room worthy of the name!
Peace & love ...
Alan Rock for waves.
Has all the band minus cain point and smile at us cos of how much we were getting into the revelation material (even deen behind the kit!) Amazing gig!!!! You had to be there to understand, it being such a small venue (1500) made you feel like you had been invited down to a secret gig. Loved it! Best gig of my life easily. Heres a pic of my girlfriend with Deen, you can see how much he had put into it by how exhausted he looks!!!!
One of the best Journey show I've seen. Same in intensity has the Madrid show with JSS, but not better IMO.
Let the music do the talking! 