{image1}Deep down, there is a Journey fan in all of us. Before you chortle in denial, crossing your arms with a snort, "Not me. No way", hear me out. Most of us are actually the closet fans, quick to denounce our obsession with power ballads and catchy lyrics in the company of others. But secretly we are cranking the volume and pumping our fists when we hear those tell-tale opening chords: "Just a small town girl..."
You'd be hard-pressed to go a day without hearing something from this prolific group, whether on the elevator, radio, doctor's office, grocery store ... you name it. And you recognize the songs, and perhaps even sing along a few bars, but you may not know the band. Those are all Journey songs, my friend.
The three-and-a-half-hour set on Wednesday at the Marcus Amphitheater was a testament to how many people actually do recognize the band. "An Evening with Journey" was a retrospective of the past 30 years of Journey jamming. Starting with the early stuff, pre-Steve Perry, the four-member group wailed on their guitars, screeching and squealing with electricity.
Unfortunately, Neal Schon's drawn-out guitar solos and Jonathan Cain's extended piano pounding didn't do much for the audience. Most sat and waited patiently for what they came for: the songs that made Journey famous.
Halfway through the show, the audience is rewarded. "Any Way You Want It" and "Only The Young" got the crowd on its feet and hands in the air. The slow start was temporarily forgotten. A few more recognizable songs and Schon's passionate, if not overzealous rendition of the national anthem and the crowd again was returning to their seats.
Journey was trying hard to push their new album "Generations" by interspersing new tracks with old favorites, and talking it up regularly. Unfortunately for them, the audience was politely retreating.
The night ended as a nice compromise for both the band and the fans. After tolerating a few new songs, like Cain's "Every Generation" and the patriotic "Out of Harm's Way", the audience grew restless and Journey finally caved. The last 40 minutes were a powder keg, one explosive song after another.
The new lead singer, Steve Aguiri acted as excited ringleader, belting out the lyrics with vigor, his voice uncannily resembling his predecessor. The make-out anthem "Open Arms" was followed by "Faithfully", and topped off with "Don't Stop Believing" and "Separate Ways" made an already excitable crowd thoroughly frenzied.
They say you can't strike lighting twice. For the 30-year anniversary tour, you can't blame Journey for trying to infuse something new into something old. But when it comes down to it, all we want to hear is that opening line..."Just a small town girl..."
