Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick concert.

[Troy Dalton]

Wow...I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit this, but this was a killer concert. I'm more of a Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Motorhead, kinda guy, so the sappy love ballads really isn't my style. Plus, way too much swaying and waving your arms over head, like the lemmings on American Idol, but I still enjoyed the concert just the same. Also, how freaking old am I and when did I become the old guy? The combined ages of these three bands puts them somewhere back in the mesozoic era, but hey, for a bunch geriatrics they sure rocked the joint!

We missed most of Cheap Trick's set because the Virginia Beach amphitheater is located 15 miles East of Bum F*#k Egypt! Parking is atrocious, there were very few people assigned to direct traffic, and with the exception of a handful of the orchestra pit seats, the place was completely sold out. That's close to 20,000 twice bitten cougars, power drinkers, and purveyors of modern chemistry in an area about the size of a football field.

The "Festival Lawn" seating holds about 12,500 people and it was standing room only by the time we got there...but I'm getting ahead of myself. After our thirty minute drive, which took an hour forty-five minutes to complete, we finally found a parking spot, dismounted, and began the Battan Death March to the venue. We walked for so long that I one point I was sure I saw a sign that read "Welcome to North Carolina."

Our $22.50 lawn tickets were waiting at Will Call and after Ticket Master finished adding up their surcharges, it cost us in excess of $80.00 for two...err seats?! (It's a grass lawn for crying out loud). Personally, I'd prefer if a Ticket Master representative would actually have just come out and bent me over for my a$$ reaming. At those prices, the very least they could do is give me a reach around...but I digress. Oh, why the "Festival Lawn?" you ask. Because the other seats were $125.00...WITHOUT the surcharge.

Anyway, like I said, we missed most of Cheap Trick, which was a big disappointment for me. I remember seeing them open for AC/DC way back in the day. I won't say when, but it was back when people actually purchased this thing called an album and the music was etched on vinyl. Some of you younger chaps may want to look that up.

Heart was surprisingly good, Ann still has the pipes, Nancy is still an accomplished guitarist, but their new lead guitarist just didn't do it for me. Not that he was bad, he just wasn't Roger Fisher. They played all their hit songs, some of the newer stuff, like "These Dreams" which quite frankly sucks IMHO, but they rocked the house with all the old stuff and brought the house down with my personal favorite, Barracuda. Interestingly enough, they did two covers. They sang the Who's "Love, Reign o'er Me" from the Quadrophenia album and Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" from Led Zeppelin IV. Both really excellent covers by the way.

Oh yea...for those of you older gentlemen, like myself, who grew up drooling over Ann Wilson. Uh...I have bad news for you. She's pretty much let herself go. I know that's not breaking news, but she's...well...nuff said.



Journey was pretty good and Neil Schon can shred with the best of them. Although I must admit, I didn't really realize just how many Journey songs feature Neil trying to fit five million notes into a three minute song. Trust me, I play guitar and I really appreciate someone like Neil...the guy is simply epic, but it did seem a bit over done after awhile. He's got stamina for an old guy though, because he wailed through just about every song. I do miss the afro though.



Lastly, Arnel Pineda, the new lead singer for Journey is a dead ringer for Steve Perry. I'm not kidding, the guy has the pipes! He was incredible and all the local Filipino cougars were wetting themselves. Trust me, the guy delivered the goods, and even a hard core traditionalist like myself had to give him hand. He carried the show, when Neil wasn't stroking his own ego, and I thought he was tremendous.

I would certainly see this concert again and in hindsight, I wished we'd popped for the orchestra pit seats. Being at the back of the "Festival Lawn" isn't as festive as it sounds. Lesson learned.

ROCK ON!
Troy

[Lee Allen]

I got to see Cheap Trick back in 88, when their last big hit here was out. I am not a huge Cheap Trick fan but it goes down as the only concert I have ever been to where the live performance sounded as good or better as anything they record. Dude can sing, it was amazing.

Glad to hear you had a good time.

[Ron_Schuermann]

I am a heavy metal guys also, but I LOVE CHEAP TRICK (Surrender, I Want You To Want Me, etc)...Heart is phenominal, I saw them last year for Free at a Labor Day Concert in Cincinnati. Journey had some great music back in the mid-80's. Sounds like a load of fun. I don't go to conecerts much anymore, as the cost has gotten outrageous (Last one I checked was $51 to see Huey Lewis)

Awesome picture of Neil Schon though!!

[jogan]

aw man, the va beach ampitheater isn't THAT far out in the woods! i used to live up there and i remember going there a few times. hampton coliseum was MUCH better, though. i read your post on the judas priest concert and again, i must ask, how damn old are you! great taste in music, though. rock on!

[Terry McNeil]

LMAO Troy!
Good stuff.
I seldom go out to see music anymore. Friends, Cracker,Stones, and a few others are sometimes exceptions. Mostly I only go to small venues nearby. I just hate dealing with the trek into Oakland or S.F. basically.
Back in prior decades however, I think I caught them all ('cept Hendrix) before they shuffled off.

I was never a Journey Fan, even when I lived in S.F. , too MOR to me then. Enough time has gone by now where they sound good! Of course, thats probably due to the absolute dearth of decent current acts also.
Always loved early Cheap Trick. I still play the shit out of the Cheap Trick Cheap Trick LP. That is a recording for the ages!
I actually caught them my last summer in Canada. It was Dartmouth I think, maybe Halifax...the memory dims! 1979, I do recall that much. They kicked bootie.
Sometimes its really cool to go retro.
A few years back I saw Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople) and The Zombies.
Rod Argent was back with Colin in the Zombies, so they did a bunch of Argent tunes also.
It was an Anglophiles Rock and Roll wet dream. Small theatre...perfect sound.
I had been wanting to see Ian for almost 3 decades!

TicketMaster is legalized rape.

[Ron_Schuermann]

I am glad someone said this: Ticketmaster is rape!!!

I had mentioned the $51 for Huey Lewis tickets, it was going to cost me another $18 in "convenience fees"...30% of the cost of a ticket...I walked away with my money!