Journey Concert Review - from 7 to 70

by Hugh Ochoa

Times have changed. When I was much younger, one of my main reasons to exist was to attend rock concerts. There was always a whiff of something sweet in the air to complement the acrid smell of those old dry ice machines churning out foggy bottom psychedelic ambiance.

The evening of August 28, 2005, I strolled into the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) at Saratoga Springs, New York and was drawn by the tantalizing aroma of sweet smelling perfume. Not a bad thing, and in some respects, much more appealing than the old days of low-rent nickel bags.

Realities altered by time, age and newborns have tempered the atmospherics.

But, contrary to those classic lyrics, the music hasn't died.

Rock rages still when the arena band of the '80s and '90s, Journey, rules the stage punching out now classic hits like "Don't Stop Believing", "Faithfully", "Stone in Love", "Wheel in the Sky" and a parade of others.

Yes, Journey's big hair days are gone, but they're back on tour. And their introducing a whole new generation to tracks from their appropriately named and soon to be released album, Generations.

The new CD release has been delayed. To compensate, the band decided to treat audiences to complimentary promo copies of the album with tickets purchased at select Journey shows. It seems that they're given away at the concerts billed as An Evening with Journey; otherwise; they can be bought at the venue's sales outlet.

Once in the gate, everyone entered Journeyville, a multi-media presentation that features vintage Journey memorabilia and a play-by-play fielding of their musical legacy. Fans are also treated to the site of a very cool custom chopper parked nearby that was built by master builder Arlen Ness.

The bike is illustrated with the likeness of most, if not every Journey album, along with signatures of the band. A three dollar donation put donors in the running to win the cycle, but even more importantly, proceeds help the T.J. Martell Foundation, a group founded by the music industry to fight Leukemia, Cancer and Aids.

The crowd was pumped when Journey hit the stage at 8 pm , loading up with a handful of instrumental jams offering some great extended solos.

Bassist Ross Valory called out his own explanation of the opening instrumental fireworks with, "That was from when Journey was a jam band and we didn't care how long the song was."

High above the band six video monitors hovered to take the audience on a visual tour of multi-colored geometric displays, fireworks, molten lava eruptions and other pyrotechnics.

A double-winged rendition of the American flag flapped in unison with guitarist Neal Schon's rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner".

Schon's "SSB" was better than Jimi's version!

Journey's set list handed out party favors in the form of tunes from Generations. The audience seemed to like the new mix. But, the crowd didn't have to wait long for the band to punch out song after song of the old stuff. Hit after hit and the audience landed on their feet with fists pumping.

I turned around and saw a sea of people dancing. Kids as young as 7 and seniors well into their 70s all enjoyed the show, while the baby boomers in-between showed their stuff by dancing up a storm.

Augeri shined singing Journey's early tunes from the 70s. All you had to do was close your eyes and Steve Perry would appear. Augeri's vocals were so similar people were blinking to make sure it wasn't the "old Steve."

Augeri just nailed those falsetto screams when he launched into "Wheel in the Sky" and "Stone In Love."

Throughout the show, all five members shared the spotlight with lead vocals. with drummer Deen Castronovo conjuring up vocals that sounded like Perry too!

As expected, Neal squeezed out some soaring leads from his new black Gibson Neal Schon Signature model Les Paul.

"Faith in the Heartland," a song from Generations coupled with the show on the monitors turning into a multi-media roller coaster ride across America, laced with video clips from early Journey concerts.

Journey treated their fans to nearly all of their hits. The crowd responded by rising up as one and singing along, note for note, word for word, at fever pitch.

When the band took to the sidelines and exited, the crowd held their ground. And Journey didn't disappoint, returning to crank out an encore of "Faithfully," "Don't Stop Believing," and "Separate Ways."

This band called Journey still rocks.

During their second encore, the entire band sported dark shades and Blues Brothers fedoras, sweeping trough some traditional blues, before breaking into their hit "Lights." And with that, the early birds who were wandering off stampeded back to hear more.

After more than two hours without a break, the music stopped, the band sauntered off stage, and the lights dimmed. Only then did the satiated youngsters and oldsters reluctantly head back home.

Related links

Journey
T.J. Martell Foundation
Saratoga Performing Arts Center