Nashville - 9/13/11

[steveo777]

Was Justin Bieber there?

[Gideon]

Not that I saw, why?

[steveo777]

Not that I saw, why?

Maybe it was tonight then. I saw a pic of him and Arnel's wife. Maybe he likes milfs.

[Gideon]

Not that I saw, why?

Maybe it was tonight then. I saw a pic of him and Arnel's wife. Maybe he likes milfs.

Link?

[steveo777]

Not that I saw, why?

Maybe it was tonight then. I saw a pic of him and Arnel's wife. Maybe he likes milfs.

Link?

I'll try and find it, but I think it was at plokker land. And the more I look at that pic, the more I don't think it's him.

Gigi posted it at AP's site.

[Gideon]

Yeah, that's not him.

[steveo777]

Yeah, that's not him.

Good looking people though. Arnel has a cute kid.

[Gideon]

Yeah, that's not him.

Good looking people though. Arnel has a cute kid.

My girlfriend thought Arnel was "adorable." She said she wanted to "put him in a jar and take him home."

[steveo777]

Yeah, that's not him.

Good looking people though. Arnel has a cute kid.

My girlfriend thought Arnel was "adorable." She said she wanted to "put him in a jar and take him home."

Be careful. Some of the bandmembers have been running off with the women of others.

[JRNYMAN]

Journey

Because Journey is, without question, my favorite band and (in my opinion) the superior artist to NR and Foreigner, my expectations were considerable. In some ways, Journey not only succeeded, but exceeded. In others, they fell short.

For most in the audience, the two most important members were without question Arnel and Neal. Ehmwatt's concert review was sobering, as were some of the songs from the Cincinnati concert in which Arnel audibly struggled with (and in one or two cases slaughtered) notes and tempo. But as was the case in 2008 and 2009, the live concert environment serves to mask these imperfections. I asked my other 7 companions, and they said they didn't hear a single bad note from Arnel nor did they notice that the songs were lower tuned. Live, Arnel's tenor is elevated to epic proportions: his notes are clear and piercing on levels that CDs and DVDs can't match. Were the flaws there? Sure; no singer is perfect, but my party didn't hear any. Did I? Yes, my father and I noticed the few times that Arnel's falsetto cracked (during the new material, surprisingly), but overall, he demonstrated a range and power that both Jack Blades and Kelly Hansen simply can't match. As far as his showmanship is concerned, Arnel's demeanor is much more subdued than in '08, where his energy was that of an infectious, exuberant preteen. (I don't mean that insultingly.) Now, having gotten more comfortable in the gig, he seems to have picked up a few tips from Kelly Hansen. He exchanged notes with the crowd, ran into the audience once or twice, and improved his eye contact and intimacy skills with the front rows. (Except during high notes.) He still has a way to go before he's on Kelly's level, but he's made significant improvement and the crowd seemed to find him charismatic enough.

Neal was simply unstoppable. Moreso than Ross and Deen, or even Jon and Arnel, I attend Journey concerts to bask in the glory of Neal Schon. Why him and not the singer? Because great singers, to me, are a dime a dozen. Even emotive ones, who speak to my soul or other stuff Deb might say. Skilled guitarists are also surprisingly common. But it is extraordinary to find a guitarist who can truly speak to the laymen, to the person who doesn't play and has never had any real interest in playing. Neal does just that. (As does Steve Lukather.) Neal is the singer's guitarist and even his shredding fits the song in ways that even the formidable Brad Gillis couldn't replicate. He commanded the audience with magnitude equal to Arnel, working the stage in his rock star get-up without indulging in theatrics or headbanging. He absolutely mesmerized my friend Alex and girlfriend, who are metal/alternative rock junkies by nature. During "Wheel in the Sky", my girlfriend screamed in my ear: "NEAL IS A BADASS!" which captures my sentiments perfectly.

The true highlight of the show for me wasn't a song, but the moment at the end of "Any Way You Want It" in which Neal pointed to the audience and a cute high school age blonde came up to the stage. Neal jammed out for a few seconds in front of her before taking the guitar off, sliding it over her shoulders, and finished the outro while standing behind her like a father. He took the microphone from Arnel, he had her introduce herself, and bade the crowd to applaud her (which we were doing anyway). My sister and her boyfriend had been sitting next to this girl and they told me afterwards that she was crying and gushing to her friends in the audience after receiving the guitar. Knowing how expensive those things are and that Neal's been giving them out like candy increased my respect for him as a musician and artist considerably. Heartwarming and exciting and badass all in one.

Jon was decked out in a bizarre silver blazer and matching pants, I really don't get that. But he proved, once again, that he is the musical crux to Journey: piano, rhythm guitar, backing vox, harmonica, etc. Definitely a critical component to the band and its success, though I wish he'd smile a little more. That Deen didn't sing a note of "Mother, Father" is one of this tour's biggest crimes. He pounded the unholy shit out of the drums and kept the entire set rocking. Ross was Ross.

Now that all of the gushing is out of the way, what did the band do wrong/what went wrong for the band?

First and foremost, the set list was weird. "When You Love A Woman" was the third song in the set, right after the heavy combo of "Separate Ways"/"Ask the Lonely". It is a great song and was a great performance (especially Arnel), but it killed the momentum. I'm a firm believer that you don't introduce a ballad until after 3-4 songs in the set, especially one that isn't moody or epic. Then came "City of Hope", which was surprisingly well received by the audience, most of whom remained standing (though the fact that Jon is not on rhythm guitar for the outro is stupid given that it's supposed to be this heavy jam session). And then came "Faithfully"? "Faithfully" is a staple but typically enjoys greater success at the end, why are they dropping it in the very beginning? The mood wasn't quite right for it, especially after enjoying WYLAW.

The presence of LTS and "La Do Da" remains perplexing, though I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't singing along to both. Why not throw in some of the better Eclipse songs? (Though EOTM failed spectacularly to keep the audience's attention.)

Second, as been said before, the lack of Deen is unacceptable.

Third, the length of the setlist. Why aren't there more songs? Give Deen 2-3 and this might not be as big of a problem.

Highlights
"Wheel in the Sky," "Ask the Lonely," and "Stone In Love"

Score
8.5/10

Nice review! Great detail and full of passion.

...Your statement that Neal is a singers guitarist, nails him to the wall, and probably the best description of him that I've heard. If it's been said before, I've either never read it, or forgotten it.

I echo Rick's statement. I never really thought about it but yeah, that sums him up exactly! He really does tailor his playing to meet the demands and requirements of the singer. Great analogy!
Thanks for sharing your review.

Steve

[Gideon]

Thanks, JRNYMAN. It wasn't as eloquent nor as concise as I'd hoped, but it'll get the job done I hope.

Be careful. Some of the bandmembers have been running off with the women of others.

Are you kidding me?
I'm shrewd; I'd tell her to marry him just so we could both reap the financial benefits of the inevitable divorce.

[steveo777]

Thanks, JRNYMAN. It wasn't as eloquent nor as concise as I'd hoped, but it'll get the job done I hope.

Be careful. Some of the bandmembers have been running off with the women of others.

Are you kidding me?
I'm shrewd; I'd tell her to marry him just so we could both reap the financial benefits of the inevitable divorce.

She should marry McCartney.

I'm sure Neal could provide a Cadillac and a fur coat, but that's probably about as far as it goes.

I wonder how the Catholics in the band and in the Philippines are taking this latest Journey saga?

[Gideon]

I'm sure Neal could provide a Cadillac and a fur coat, but that's probably about as far as it goes.

That'd be one more Cadillac and fur coat than either of us have at the present.

[steveo777]

I'm sure Neal could provide a Cadillac and a fur coat, but that's probably about as far as it goes.

That'd be one more Cadillac and fur coat than either of us have at the present.

You Whore!

[Jubilee]

[quote="steveo777"]She should marry McCartney. Being married to someone in Journey would be only

This is completely classless and uncalled for.

[steveo777]

...............

[Andrew]

She should marry McCartney. Being married to someone in Journey would be only

This is completely classless and uncalled for.

I 100% agree. It has been edited.

[Andrew]

...............

Easy on what you post please.

[Jubilee]

...

[steveo777]

She should marry McCartney. Being married to someone in Journey would be only

This is completely classless and uncalled for.

I 100% agree. It has been edited.

You're the boss. Sorry, if I offended anyone. I thought we had a lower level of censorship here. Things are getting really PC around here Andrew.
Now go seach for the word and you will be busy all day. It's used regularly here. Some of the bands you rate, admire and approve of, use worse shit
on stage every day. You could pick much more offensive stuff to censor. I think it's bullshit, but I'll abide by your wishes.

[slucero]

.. a racial slur... even when used in jest, and not to slander another... is still a racial slur...

It demeans all of us when one of us uses racial epithets - some words should simply not be used.


... PC has nothing to do with it...

[steveo777]

.. a racial slur... even when used in jest, and not to slander another... is still a racial slur...

It demeans all of us when one of us uses racial epithets - some words should simply not be used.


... PC has nothing to do with it...

Fair enough, but just don't single me out!
http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/vie ... hp?t=52737

[yulog]

Huge brawl. Almost had stop the show. I have it on my phone I think.

Was Tito involved ?

[Andrew]

She should marry McCartney. Being married to someone in Journey would be only

This is completely classless and uncalled for.

I 100% agree. It has been edited.

You're the boss. Sorry, if I offended anyone. I thought we had a lower level of censorship here. Things are getting really PC around here Andrew.
Now go seach for the word and you will be busy all day. It's used regularly here. Some of the bands you rate, admire and approve of, use worse shit
on stage every day. You could pick much more offensive stuff to censor. I think it's bullshit, but I'll abide by your wishes.

Oh, gimmie a break. Only those 100% in the wrong pull out the lame old censorship crap. Most forums would throw your ass to the curb for using racial slurs.
Saying you think my decision is bullshit says to me you are continuing your denial of wrong doing.

[Andrew]

.. a racial slur... even when used in jest, and not to slander another... is still a racial slur...

It demeans all of us when one of us uses racial epithets - some words should simply not be used.


... PC has nothing to do with it...

Fair enough, but just don't single me out!
http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/vie ... hp?t=52737

Lame. A typo that I never saw. Well thank you for letting me know. Fixed.

[steveo777]

She should marry McCartney. Being married to someone in Journey would be only

This is completely classless and uncalled for.

I 100% agree. It has been edited.

You're the boss. Sorry, if I offended anyone. I thought we had a lower level of censorship here. Things are getting really PC around here Andrew.
Now go seach for the word and you will be busy all day. It's used regularly here. Some of the bands you rate, admire and approve of, use worse shit
on stage every day. You could pick much more offensive stuff to censor. I think it's bullshit, but I'll abide by your wishes.

Oh, gimmie a break. Only those 100% in the wrong pull out the lame old censorship crap. Most forums would throw your ass to the curb for using racial slurs.
Saying you think my decision is bullshit says to me you are continuing your denial of wrong doing.

Ok, fair enough. I fucked up. I'll own it. Sorry folks, I was wrong.

[Glenn]

Not to get off topic here, but which one on the pic is Arnels wife?

[Glenn]

And to get back on topic, great review Gids!!

[masque]

excellent review well done and i agree with alot of what you said.....but as for me I would say I enjoyed Night Ranger the best of the three bands and they BY FAR had the best sound and cleanest mix of the night. but all three bands performed well.

[Deb]

^ Me and my better half, Ashley

Aww cute couple.

Thanks, Deb. She's definitely a looker, though one must question her vision.
Did you catch my shout out to you in the review?

LOL and hey a great guitarist can play with damn near as much soul as a great vocalist......but not quite. BTW....question? In that pic of you and your dad, what are the blue curly strings coming out of the back of your neck?