- August 26, 2006 - Shoreline Amphitheater - Mt View, CA
- Every summer these recent years seems to bring out the 80s rock revival shows. Usually it’s Poison and their touring cavalcade of hair-bears spreading the warmth of the 80s. This time around, it was Def Leppard co-headlining with Journey. It had been a while since I had seen the Lep, and I might add that I have seen them all throughout the 80s since their first U.S. outing, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to see what the Brit lads were up to. What made the show that much more enticing was knowing that S.F. Bay Area local faves, Journey, would be on the bill as well. Two rock powerhouses for the price of one, not a bad deal.
What I expected and what I got were two different things. Since going worldwide in the 1980s, and then promptly breaking up, Journey has had it’s trials for sure since reconvening in 1996. Steve Perry didn’t make it through during the second go-around, and a replacement look- and sound-alike Steve Augeri filled Perry’s shoes. During this time, Neal Schon had promised Journey would return to its harder rocking roots, but as time told, that was not to be the case. Since 1996, the new CD releases have been more tepid than burning. This is not bad, it’s just that they seemed to continue in the softer rock vein. Until now....
Steve Augeri had apparently been plagued with vocal problems for quite some time (as recently exposed through some released board mix tapes). It became apparent that he had to sit this tour out. Unfortunate, as Augeri seemed like a truly genuine and likable guy. But, the show must go on. And so, the band brought on a replacement for the replacement - vocalist for hire, Jeff Scott Soto (of Neal Schon’s other band Soul SirkUS). This was the move that Journey should have taken ten years ago. Wow! For those who don’t know the name, Jeff started off as lead screamer for Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, before going in metal infamy fronting several other bands. As it happens, Jeff has a very applicable voice that can fit practically any style.
The show began with Neal Schon’s intro playing “Star-Spangled Banner,” going into “Stone In Love.” From there, it was a hit machine jukebox churning out memorable tune after tune. What really stood out for me, from the middle of the venue, is how earnestly everyone sang along. Although the cliché is tired, you could literally feel the vibe from the crowd. Everyone was 18 again, and back in high school. There had always been something about the band that moved the spirit, and that “thing” was still valid and in place. The “feel good” aura permeated the venue. The band treated the crowd with songs like “Lights,” “Ask The Lonely,” “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’,” “Anyway You Want It,” “Dead Or Alive,” and the classic “Wheel In The Sky.”
Jeff Scott Soto’s voice blazed in glory. One could not have asked for a better vocalist to front this band. With his having come from a heavy metal background, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jeff - almost waiting for the Rob Halford-ish testicular-tortured banshee screams. Instead, Jeff’s voice was amongst the smoothest I have heard in years. The way his vocal chords caressed the high notes, and then belted out the choruses was unbelievable. As it is, many fans of any band are usually not very accepting of new singers. Jeff seemed to have convinced the crowd immediately that he was the right man for the job. To top it off, the genuine smiles that he gave freely only enhanced his true thrill to be onstage with Journey. Journey is a vocally challenging band, and Jeff did his job admirably, and his humbleness and thrill to be onstage made him a most likable frontman.
 Another vocal treat for the evening was drummer Deen Castronovo. Deen is another metal band stalwart - whom I had originally seen and met back around 1982 when he drummed for Oregon’s “Wild Dogs” as they appeared at the Keystone Palo Alto. Even back then, Deen was a most humble person and overall great guy. The spirit that he carries came across strong as Deen sang two of Journey’s most known ballads - “Faithfully,” and “Open Arms” in a most convincing manner. His own voice was a dead-on correct reproduction of how Steve Perry used to bring these songs to life. The audience ate it up. Deen even showed a photo of his new baby as he sang to the crowd.
Not to just dwell on the vocals, it must be said that each individual member of Journey was exceptional. Neal Schon, in all his fret-board glory may truly be underrated as one of rock music’s finest players. His fretwork was amazing as each note sounded out with clarity. Original bassist Ross Valory was steadfast in his performance, anchoring the sound while giving the audience acknowledging glances, smiles, and nods. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain played with his usual precision, while also alternating time to guitar duties for a tune or two. And to bring up Deen once more, his drumming is by and large amongst the finest work that can be heard in any genre. Even from his beginnings, few people could touch him on the drums. Although he gets his accolades, Deen may also be far underrated for his talents.
For those who may have expected Journey to be “softer,” almost ever since Perry first appeared, that was not the case. Especially with rockers like “Chain Reaction,” the band really had a purpose and urgency while onstage. This was not your parent’s Journey. This was a Journey that is ripe and ready to compete with any new band out there. And by no means should you classify them in the “classic rock” category so long as they are giving it the energy they are. This show was by no means “soft,” nor “classic.” This was a revitalized, very believable, energetic Journey.
The set closed with “Don’t Stop Believin’,” after which, the band waved to the crowd. Jeff’s sincerity showed as he got down on one knee to bow to the audience. The band came back on to do one encore of “Separate Ways (World’s Apart),” before finally leaving the stage for the next act.
There are those critics who like to dismiss older bands as tired, washed-up cover-band parodies of themselves. That will certainly not be the case here. Journey’s newfound vigor is sure to convince the most jaded of critics and music aficionados that the band has plenty more to offer.
After the set change, Def Leppard was poised to come out and continue the festivities. The fans waited in anticipation until the opening chords of “Let’s Get Rocked” started. This was followed by “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night),” “Rock Rock (Till You Drop),” and “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak,” a nice mix of earlier songs right at the beginning. The band, of course, played all their hit material because, well, that’s what they do. However, it became obvious that they play the same songs pretty much every tour. Granted that fans want to hear the hits, but then there is the happy surprise element when a band busts out with some rarely heard material from their repertoire. With Lep, there are rarely such times, as most of their song list is chosen ahead of time based on fan’s suggestions. There were a few nice change-ups though. While we were treated to standard versions of “Hysteria,” and “Foolin’,” the band went into an almost acid-induced jam version of “Rock It,” with both guitarists pulling a heavy metal Grateful Dead jam tradeoff session. “Photograph” blended into “Armageddon It,” which went into “Animal,” without any breaks in between. Def Lep played two songs off of their new cover album release, “Yeah.” First was T-Rex’s “20th Century Boy,” which showed a drum-cam on the video screens amongst other things. The second was David Essex’s 70s hit “Rock On,” which began with a Rick Savage bass solo. The show ended with “Rock Of Ages.”
The show itself was a good production, replete with three backing video screens that the band made good use out of. However, it must be said that, although the fans loved the music, the band itself was lackluster. Def Leppard appeared onstage as though they were going through the motions at a day job. There was nothing outstanding, nothing thrilling, nothing that you couldn’t watch on TV in a VH-1 classic rock special. Somewhere along the line of becoming multi-platinum, the band lost their dynamic. You missed nothing if you had seen it on a video as opposed to live in concert. The sound was there, and the band was certainly loud, but there was no excitement in their performance. It was very canned and contrite. Sorry to say, as Def Leppard had always been amongst my favorite hard rock bands since their very first release “On Through The Night.” (Yes, there were two albums before “Pyromania,” for those who still didn’t know.) And on a personal note, I was disappointed to find - again - that the band refused to play any songs off of the debut album. “Wasted” would have been nice, but the band chooses to let the masses decide their song list on the internet. What do most fans know, except what they hear on radio. Ah well. They came, they played, we rocked, we went home.
Back to more Journey comments -
I have not bought a concert t-shirt in over ten years. The excitement that built during Journey’s performance drove me out to find the best design. I had to have one. Again, it was high school all over again. In the week following the concert, I wore my newly acquired Journey t-shirt with pride for a few days (yes, washed in between). Although the following comments are not part of a concert review, it still stands to be brought up as it has to do with the concert. I ran into quite a few music fans - ranging in age from 18 to approximately 55. All of them asked, excitedly, “Did you see Journey in concert last week?” “Yes, I did.” I responded. “Oh my God! Weren’t they awesome!?” “Yes, they were indeed.”, I would respond. This happened quite a few times, not just out of the blue. And then we would all part ways with big smiles on our faces. But as it was, these people would either not say a word about Def Leppard (the headliners), or didn’t have anything good to say short of a grunt and “Yeah, they were... hmmm.” Although many years have passed since their heyday, after this performance at Shoreline Amphitheater, Journey seems primed and ready to take over the radio waves and concert circuit in a big way, once again.
Apparently for the fans who knew that that there was a new singer aboard, gave Journey a newfound validity. Although there is a huge following of Steve Perry, I’m not convinced that getting a Perry look- and sound-alike was that great of an idea. Although Augeri has lent a lot of credence to the band, and Journey had begun to regain momentum, they had not regained their true fire until now. Note to the guys in the band: Don’t lose hold of Jeff Scott Soto. This may be the bad boy with the golden voice who raises the bar with Journey and puts them over the top, where they deserve to be. Make no mistake about it - at the end of the night, there was no question that this was a Journey concert with Def Leppard as the closing act (who happened to play a full set). It may have been the hometown advantage, or it may have just been that one band is rejuvenated, while the other is slowing down. Either way, for the music, this show was not to be missed.
- Written by Philip Anderson
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