Tuesday, September 29th was a journey back in time. Present were several 30 and 40-somethings, as well as a handful of 20-somethings that have discovered the arena rock giant Journey, thanks to classic rock radio, parents’ vinyl collections, and delightful new television shows like Glee. I honestly didn’t see any parachute or leather pants, teased hair or mullets, but I did see plenty of ladies dressed up for a rockin’ night on the town.
The first impression I got of the evening was a pleasant, on-time rock explosion by Night Ranger. This was primarily due to equal parts quality veteran musicianship and also the fine way the arena was set up. The Frank Erwin Center “Theater” setup is cool. It sets the stage up longways, splitting the arena in half, as if it were somewhere near the visiting bench at a basketball game. You enter at the Red River entrance and are immediately hit over the head with the spectacle of the giant lit Night Ranger backdrop and the band rockin’ with “This Boy Needs To Rock,” with a segue into “Highway Star.” Another song followed replete with lots of solos and leads, then a Damn Yankees song. Frontman Jack Blades told a humorous story about being asked to write a song for the soundtrack to Michael J. Fox’s movie, The Secret of My Success. Apparently they wrestled for days on what to call the tune, then guitarist Brad Gillis threw out the winning proposition: “The Secret of My Success.” Later they had the house lights turned on for a run-through of a few “na na na” songs, and they played a few bars of “Hey Jude.”
Night Ranger had the arena rock machine swelling up and delivering during the ballad “Sentimental Street,” which was sung by a strolling-away-from-his-kit by drummer Kelly Keagy. A short-haired Brad Gillis still knows his guitar theatrics and the band overall showed their veteran experience by never once struggling to find a note or straining through vocals. They sounded tight and “on” — totally the opposite of an old-geezers-group making one last stand. The hits came one after another and they didn’t apologize from dipping into the Damn Yankees catalog again for “Can You Take Me Higher,” as well as many familiar tunes of their own, like: “Do You Close Your Eyes” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.” I was impressed in this song how the two guitarists did their choreographed tilt-backs while bending strings. Usually it’s simple rhythms that are moved around over, but these were bent notes with emphasis and attitude. Nice.
“Sister Christian” had Keagy out from behind his kit again, and the band dropped out a few times to invite the massive sing-alongs that would be a habit of the night. The band closed with a couple of large American flags on the drum riser and a rousing finale of “You can Still Rock In America.”
Landing a photo pass meant I had the best seats in the house for the first three songs and after a sampled intro from The Who, Journey didn’t waste any time delivering a well-known hit with “Separate Ways.” From the first note on, the mix was SO sweet with Neal Schon’s guitar cutting through the mix ever so clear. It was funny to see 5 “half stacks” of Marshall cabinets on stage left by the drum riser for Schon’s sound — a far cry from the walls-of-cabs setup of the 80s. The stage was laid out well, with a big flat and roomy platform with six tall tapestries/banners hung from the ceiling. Their texture looked like mummy wrappings or a rock climbing wall — depending upon the lighting situation that varied from burnt orange to light blue.
“Lights” sounded good, which segued into “Still They Ride.” Jonathan Cain played a beautiful piano solo on a giant grand with lots of fog emanating from his riser under blue lights. Neal Schon joined in for a beautiful instrumental jam of melodic notes played with feeling. This segued into “Open Arms.”
Founding member and relocated Austin resident Gregg Rolie came out (and thanks to a fast-moving crew) and played keyboards and sang one of his songs — “Just The Same Way.” While the night was full of enormous emotional highs, this was certainly one of the highlights, and not just because of the hometown sentimentality of it. The song just sounded great. I was hoping he’d stick around for a small set of his songs, like “Feeling The Way” and “City Of the Angels.” But the moment was over and the band marched on, much like their history of personnel changes.
The new singer, Arnel Pineda, jumps around like a jackrabbit, spinning and emoting the joy he probably has fronting a band he loves. (If you’re not familiar with the story of how he was chosen to be their new singer, check out this video segment on YouTube.
Neal Schon approached a mandolin on a stand and started strumming the stringed incident. Jonathan left his keyboard platform to be Neal’s sidekick with a harmonica for an old, dirty romp through Southern flavored blues. It sped up to shouts of “Hey, hey, hey!” and wailing away on harmonica leads. Then came another guitar and “Wheel In The Sky” rocked the house.
Dean Castronova plays a giant double-kick kit with too-many-to-count large toms surrounding him. Bassist Ross Valory looks well but weathered for his age.
The bluesy swing of “Lovin, Touchin’ Squeezin'” had the whole crowd (pretty much) swaying their arms up in the air during the “na-na-nana-na-na” parts. After a rousing rocker, the piano keys quietly introduced “Faithfully,” which had more than a few lighters (yes, lighters, not just cell phones) swaying in the air. The band’s habit of segueing from one song to the next with transitions allowed “Don’t Stop Believing” to surprise the audience before they knew to erupt in a huge roar of applause. It was a great moment.
The band left the stage and then returned for one encore — “Any Way You Want It.” The singer hopped off the stage and made use of his wireless mic as he walked through the photo pit, singing. He stopped in front of a few appreciative fans in the front to deliver some lines. His high notes of “hold on, hold on,” even after a two-hour show was proof that he was in shape as a vocalist.
If you’d like to see a setlist, go here.
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