Concert review: Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick
Journey
A potent brew of crowd-pleasing hits, dynamic showmanship and bone-rattlingly loud rock ‘n’ roll cast a spell on the Zoo Wednesday night.
The triple-threat of Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick – all rock bands that have been making music for more than three decades – attracted a sell-out crowd of 10,000 sweat-soaked, sun-scorched rock fans to the Zoo Amphitheatre. Near 100-degree temperatures didn’t dissuade the masses from waving their arms, bobbing their heads and shouting along with the classic rockers.
The packed venue was not for the claustrophobic or feint of heart, particularly once headliners Journey and the consummate rocker chicks of Heart commanded the stage.
As Journey started its set at dusk, local fans got the chance to see if new front man Arnel Pineda could match the vocal prowess of former vocalist Steve Perry. From the opening lines of “Only the Young,” the Filipino singer, whom the band discovered on YouTube, proved not only a worthy successor but a virtual vocal doppelganger.
Most fans seemed to welcome Pineda with open arms, and his wide smile, indefatigable stage presence and passionate performances seemed to win over any detractors. One female fan even snuck onto the stage to steal a quick embrace before security guards hauled her away, leaving the grinning Pineda to quip, “Anyone else?”
By the time the band played favorites such as Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Lights” and “Anyway You Want It,” most everyone was singing along, with Pineda’s voice soaring above all others and original guitarist Neal Schon burning up the solos.
The highlights of the set – apart from Pineda’s continual leaping, spinning and microphone flipping – were an extended version of “Wheel in the Sky” and the new and appropriate track “A Change for the Better.”
Heart may have been playing in the second slot, but the ever-impressive Wilson sisters and their band proved they are second to none, not even the night’s headliners.
Through their hits “Crazy on You,” “Never” and “Straight On,” Ann Wilson belted out vocals with seemingly effortless power, while Nancy Wilson’s fleet fingers kept coaxing heady rock out of her guitar as she bounced tirelessly around the stage. Ann’s tuneful wailing on “Magic Man” elicited goosebumps even in the heat, and she proved she is one of the only vocalists worthy to cover Led Zeppelin with her achingly lovely “Going to California.”
The band wowed the crowd with a potent cover of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” leading into a scorching rendition of “Barracuda.”
Although the concert was set to start at 6 p.m., many fans were still lined up around the neighboring Science Museum Oklahoma waiting to get in at show time. When opening act Cheap Trick took the stage at 6:30, the rock quartet really took over the stage.
Despite some issues with the sound mix and balance, the band, whose lineup has remained largely unchanged since 1968, warmed up the overheated crowd with rowdy rockers “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender” and “Dream Police.”
Tuxedoed guitarist Rick Nielsen punctuated the performance with his energetic showmanship, cracking wise, tossing picks into the crowd to playing an array of outlandish guitars, including a double-necked axe shaped like a man.
- BAM
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Comments
I saw Cheap Trick in 1983. My first concert! The same guys Robin, Tom, Bun E and Rick. I bought the same Cheap Trick T shirt that I bought in 1983 last night, 7/23/08 @ the Zoo (the dates are only different on the back) BUT, I didn’t get to see them!!!!!!!! I only got to hear them while waiting in line!!! When, I finally got in—they just LEFT THE STAGE!!!!! I WAS WANTING TO AT LEAST SEE THEM. I HEARD THEM TELL EVERYONE GOODBYE AND I WAS TRYING SO HARD TO MAKE IT TO AT LEAST SEE A GLIMPSE OF ALL 4 OF THEM. BUT, WHEN I GOT TO SEE THE STATE THEY WERE GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
BAM-
Nice write up on the show. Good to read as I will be seeing this show when the tour comes to Connecticut in August.
FYI- the guitar of Rick Nielsen’s that you wrote was “shaped like a man” is actually in the image of Rick Nielsen (from his younger days). I have seen it up close.
Did you notice the resemblance with the hat and shoes on both the guitar as well as the guitarist?
Hey, Ed, now that you mention the similarities between Rick Nielsen and his double-neck guitar, I do notice them. That is totally cool.
Thanks for that interesting bit of rock trivia. We love rock trivia and trivia that rocks here on BAM’s Blog!
Enjoy the show when it comes to your town, just get there as early as possible. This show seems to be packing amphitheatres and causing crazy lines everywhere it roams.
-BAM
Journey sucked? I would LOVE to hear an explanation on that one!! & yes, Heart was off the charts, could’ve listened toi them for another hour at least! Annie was ON last night! Journey rocked the house for 90 min, Pineda is VERY GOOD but lacks that extra little “umph” in his voice like Stevie boy….It must be tough for Stevie boy to watch videos of these guys jammin through a concert….& what can i say about Neal? he’s so ridiculous we’ll just leave it at that, Night
We saw Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey at Mohegan Sun – all were good but Hear rocked the roof off the place. They just don’t go through the motions, aching to get the show over as some retreads do (ahem, Bob Seger) – they give it all and the crowd definitely gives it back. Great show from a timeless and tireless band – thanks Ann and Nancy (I forst saw Heart as the warm up band for ELO’s lipsynched Spaceship tour).
New front man from Journey is adorable and is more than an adequate replacement for the beloved Perry – the new guy is young and can draw in the younger crowd.
The new guy Pineda can fill the shoe. I don’t need that freeking Perry if he does not want the job. Life is short. I can’t wait for him.
I don’t think he can belt a song at his age. So, beat it!!
LMFAO Heart stealing the show thats hillarious. Im goin to see them on the 26th in philly and im not lookin forward to seeing my grandmothers on stage. Im there for Cheap Trick and the one and only Journey! and btw jamie even if he wanted it he couldnt, he cant sing anymore, something happed to his voice i forget what specifically.
PNC Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ — Aug 21, 2008
Yes, Heart stole the show EASILY! I wasn’t expecting that to happen, but Ann’s voice was off the charts wonderful — made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Mix was awesome, song selection great. Jaw dropped when they started Love Reign O’er Me, but it was only decent, and maybe the low-light of the show.
Cheap Trick, what can I say. It’s like butter for these guys. The Flame and If You Want My Love — outstanding. Zander’s voice was spot on, and Ricky did great on guitar.
Then there was Journey. I love Journey. I thought their show last year was VERY good. This year, I sat there like, what the f&*k is this??? Mix was really poor, they pounded the songs together like they were rushing to get off the stage, and Pineda, while he can hit the notes, reminded me of an American Idol wanna be jumping all over the place to make up for what he couldn’t do with the mic. Sorry guys– Journey did suck. Like one guy yelled from the back of the seats, “Journey without Perry is just a cover band!” (At least give us Augieri back!!!)
Arnel is 41. And he has the vocals every guy wishes he had. I am going to a concert in Hershey PA tonite, I will judge for myself. Steve Perry is the man, Arnel has even said that. So get off your high horses, Journey has always been my favorite band, but Arnel fills the missing link. PERIOD!!!!!
I saw them at Hershey last nite (8-28-08). Cheap Trick was OK.
HEART WAS AWESOME and stole the show by far. They sounded exactly the same as they did 30 yrs ago. Ann Wilson hit every note and like EnderEd says, it gave me goose bumps and Nancy can really rock on the guitar.
I would go see them again in a “heart”beat.
Journey sucked! They were the main group I went to see and I was VERY disappointed.
It was too loud and the sound was distorted and echoed back and sounded horrible. I thought maybe it was the Hershey venue, but after reading other reviews it sounds as though they sucked other places too. At times it actually hurt your ears because of the screeching. Pineda is OK but no Steve Perry. He was off key alot and just can’t hit the high notes like Perry did.
Great review! We need more writers like you!
I went to see Journey and wow, they didn’t disappoint! Arnel has an amazing voice, energy, and showmanship! I still love SP and I’m now a new fan of AP.
Journey, please continue to write more music for the next generation…….
Journey did not suck, you need to realize Arnel is not Steve, but does an excellent job!! I have been a Journey fan since day 1 with Perry, yes i have been around that long. Steve is by far the best vocals, but Arnel can hit the notes, give the new album a chance you won’t be dissapointed. Now Heart rocked the show from start to finish, I would put nancy up against any guitar player out there. Ann’s vocals were still outstanding as they were back when. Now Cheap Trick on the other hand….. Well lets say they had a good run back in their day. Point blank it is time to retire instead of making fools of themselves. Lets leave it at that. GO JOURNEY WE LOVE YOU KEEP ON ROCKIN’!!!!!!!!
I saw the show on Sept 12,2008
What a terrific show! Journey just rocked the house!! Cheap Trick and Heart were good too but wan not on stage very lng.
Arnell from Journey is awesome.
Keeo Rocking
Saw the show 9/6/08 in Cincinnati. All 3 bands were much better than expected. Packed house, great sound. Amazed at how well Ann’s voice sounded, then ditto for Pineda. Give Arnel a break – he does a great job at singing the material, and look at where he was this time last year.
All 3 bands obviously tried to please the crowd – unlike some older bands who seem to want to “keep things interesting” for themselves. I’ve never been a big Journey fan but I am now.
I saw Journey with 2 of my best highschool buddies on Sept 12th. The concert brought back some awsome memories from the past when Journey was at the peak of popularity. No fluff here…just pure talent. The gig list included a lot of the songs from their greatest hits CD and a few from the revolation CD. I could not tell the difference between Arnel’s voice and Steve Perry’s.
Despite the pouring down rain we enjoyed every minute of the show!!!
I saw all three of these bands in St. Louis on 9/13. It was an amazing concert. I wish the Cheap Trick & Heart sets would have been a little longer but Journey played a long set and I love Arnel. He is full of energy and seems to really love what he is doing. I thought he sounded great too!
I saw this show twice so far on the tour. All bands were outstanding. My reason for writing this is to say that Brian (at # 17) must not get out much…at least to many concerts, or he would not insult Cheap Trick as he did. Shame on you, Brian for downing one of the best Rock-N-Roll bands of all time!
Just saw the show at White river and all 3 bands were fantastic.
Heart was Great as usual, and we really enjoyed Journey. Loved the new guy. He has the energy of a great performer and he really was good. Loved the look on his face. He was so happy!
Thanks for such a good time.
Saw the show at White River too. Arnels voice is second to none amazing. IMO he sounds better then steve perry. I was a little disappointed with heart. As they were at home and thought that they may do something special because of that but they only played an hour or so. Cheap Trick was amazing. Not a huge cheap trick fan but they definatly proved why they are one of the greatest live bands ever. All in all it was an amazing amazing experience and defiantly worth they money (not to mention the three month wait lol)
OMG- I just saw this show in Concord, CA and Heart did steal the show. That new frontman for Journey needs to get some vocal coaching so that he can both hit and hold the notes to some of the ballads. I was stunned and found myself cringing everytime he screwed up. Maybe if he stopped spinning around in circles with his head hanging down looking like a cross between a teenage skater and wanna-be head banger, he would’t lose his breath and he’d be able to control his breathing/voice better. No doubt that he has great vocal ability, but he was soooo off last night. Bummer.
Just got back from the Wheatland concert and Heart’s Guitar player was fresh and exciting. I’ve seen Journey about 10 times with all 3 singers and me and my brother in law just walked out on Journey. The new singer is horrible. My ears were hurting and the sound quality was horrible, but the other bands were crystal clear. I got the impression they did it on purpose to cover up the lacking vocals. Journey’s performance was lack luster on almost all counts. There were so many people leaving for the exit early all saying the same thing the new singer sucks! If you want to hear a great singer go to a Pearl Jam concert! This was worst than amatuer night at the apolo.
Heart stole the show for me. Pushing the envelope and doing outstanding covers of Love Reign O’er Me and Going to California. One of the best performances I have ever seen. Anne Wilson after all these years has not lost her rocking voice. It was like being in a church service in south Chicago when she sang Love Reign O’er Me by the Who. Jpurney was good, but after a couple of songs it was like the band was covering its own songs to tailor to their new lead singer. Where was Neal Schon’s amazing guitar playing to be found – they played it way too safe that night – too bad.
omg you guys were amazing at he concert on october 31st.thta was like on of the first times i have heard you guys and it was my first concert and i loved it!!thankx so much
Where is your Steve Perry? Does he really care for you Steve Perry fans? He only cared for himself that’s why he quit Journey. He wants a ‘nobody’ life. Leave him in ‘his’ peace.
To the person who said “umph” in his voice like Stevie boy that Arnel lacks…Stevie is not a boy anymore. The “umph” is od his voice is long gone, because he doesn’t want o share it to the world anymore. He is history.
The concert was fantastic, the best I have seen but the organization of running the concert was terrible. A lot of people couldn’t even get in to see the start of the concert becasue of the long lines and the personal search. I realize a personal serach is needed but there was no way the zoo people could get everyone inside in 2 hours. The gates should have opened at least 3 to 31/2 before the start. It isn’t right to charge people for tickets and they not be able to get admitted in time for the start of the concert. I think a lot of people missed Cheap Trick and possibly some of Heart because they were still in line trying to get in.