Red Rocks Review
"they just played great music"
http://www.examiner.com/x-7019-Denver-I ... miniscence
You could be the most obscenely overwrought music journalist in history. You could be a supremely discerning critic with no affection for accessibility or sentiment. You could be a cheerleader at the local high school. Or you could be a soccer mom living it up in middle America somewhere. What is the great equalizer for all of these souls you ask? The Journey moment.
We have all had one. The first time you heard "When the Lights Go Down on the City" on your best friend's "Road Trip Mix". Or the time everyone at the bar joined in one drunken chorus to the refrain of "Don't Stop Believin'". Or my personal testimony; adding "Open Arms" to my homemade "Monster Jams of the 80's" mix c.d. The point is that anyone can like Journey and almost everyone does. They are one of the most universally beloved and well-accepted guilty pleasures of hippies and elitists everywhere. The reasons for their universal acceptablity within the massive sphere of pop music became apparent in full at Red Rocks on Wednesday.
The replacement of Steve Perry with a Filipino karaoke master was a strange move that seemed peculiar for a crew of veteran musicians. Even more peculiar is how well the transition plays on stage. Youthful and exhuberant, Arnel Pineda brings an attitude and presence that single-handedly makes the entire experience feel valid and unique. For most reunion tours, the inherent tragicomedy of sixty-somethings playing rock music is almost insurmountable and the irony folds in on itself like an event horizon. Their bald heads and aging voices combine with the complete lack of musical relevance to produce a show that is less about the music and more about the sorrow you feel over the whole ordeal. Pineda allows Journey to transcend this with his amazingly beautiful singing voice and transcendent stage presence. This was something I was not prepared for, to say the least. Remaining relevant in pop music with their release of "Revelation" last year, Journey elevates over the odds against them and produce a startlingly great live show.
Another aspect of the band that makes the band a not-so-guilty pleasure is the sheer depth of their catalogue. Of course we all know the big hits and the time-tested anthems, but they perform deep tracks that are more than thirty years old and everyone still knows the words. I had completely forgotten about "Be Good to Yourself" until they came out for the encore and I was scratching my head about which song could possibly top their giant anthems. "Only the Young", "Wheel in the Sky", "Faithfully", "Any Way You Want It", and on and on and on. The list of hits and fantastic songs is indeed long and that became apparent about two thirds through the show. I realized that they had not yet played any of their greatest songs and I had been so thoroughly entertained the entire time that I didn't even care.
I was impressed. I was having fun, singing along, learning new songs all the while surrounded by tie dye, grey hair, and awkward 70's dance moves. It sould not have worked out well. And yet it most certainly was one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. Now, the next time I'm at a bar and "Don't Stop Believin'" comes on over the loud speaker, I can proudly sing the chorus with no level of disdain or irony. I don't just like the song because it's an 80's power ballad anymore. I like it because it is a well-written song performed by talented musicians with an obvious passion for music. The rebirth of Journey is most definitely inside the music, and they did the right thing at Red Rocks...they just played great music.
We'll have to add our "stories" as pics come along, lol.
Oh and Debbie took pics of a car like yours she said, funny story with that too, it was parked near a sharp turn and cars came flying around the corner and she scared me to death, all I could mutter was "Debbie, car, Debbie, Debbie, car!" 
). We were go up the slope to ride the Alpine Slide down.
. So, sorry for the vid part, was hard to hold it up and follow them around with it like that to keep the drunk girls out of the vid. The sound is pretty good though I think:
Lynn would have freaked (more) if that were ours 
