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August 19, 2008
Journey, Heart, Cheap Trick at Mohegan Sun
Three bands into their third decades of existence – Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey – have gotten together for a summer tour that included Sunday night’s concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
All three groups have had their highs and lows and all three groups could have easily sold out venues like this on their own in the late ’70s and ’80s. But this is a tour in 2008 and it’s helpful to package these bands to guarantee respectable ticket sales. It is doubtful that Cheap Trick or Heart can sell 10,000 tickets per show. Headliner Journey seems to have the best chance of filling arenas on its own.
Journey was the main attraction for most of the crowd and, accordingly, got the most time on stage during the four-hour event, about 90 minutes. Journey also was the least appealing to me going into the concert and, alas, coming out.
It’s not that I hate or even dislike Journey. It’s a fine band with talented musicians and enough hits to fill a three-hour set. It just seems that that band can be a little overwhelming as every song goes over the top. Again, before the Journey followers write in to tell me what an idiot I am, it’s just my opinion and one that I’ve held for a long time.
To each his own, right?
Of the three acts, Journey also was the only one promoting a new album, Revelation, a two-CD, one-DVD set available exclusively through Wal-Mart. A new album meant Journey would play new songs with its new singer, Arnel Pineda.
The new material sounded fine and blended in nicely with the older tunes, but maybe that was the problem. They seem to have been copied from some kind of Journey song template with little variation from past successes.
As for Pineda, discovered on YouTube singing Journey songs in his native Philippines, he was a bundle of endless energy on stage and he copied former singer Steve Perry’s every vocal inflection. He sounded every bit the same as Perry, which seemed to be what the crowd craved.
Guitarist Neal Schon was in fine form and had a touching moment when he dedicated the instrumental “Skylight” to his uncle, who had just passed away. Schon and bandmate Jonathan Cain also played a fun instrumental later in the show with Cain wailing away on harmonica.
Of course, Journey played a lot of its hits, as well as some more obscure older tracks that could have been replaced by the hits that weren’t played: “Who’s Crying Now,” “Lovin,’ Touchin,’ Squeezin’” “Girl Can't Help It” and “Send Her My Love.”
Heart was the middle band and stuck to playing its classic-rock treasures and also threw in a couple of inspired cover versions of songs by The Who (“Love, Reign O’er Me”) and Led Zeppelin (“Going to California”). It was nice to see sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson together, as I know in the past Nancy has sat out tours.
Heart’s hour-long set was hugely entertaining, but it started out a little rough as the guitar playing of Craig Bartok on “Wild Child” and “Magic Man” even drowned out the powerhouse vocals of Ann Wilson. I didn’t think that possible.
I was actually interested to hear if Ann Wilson could still bring it. I recently viewed Heart’s DVD in the “Soundstage” series and her voice sounded a little raspy. It must have been an off night when that was filmed as she still can belt ’em out with the best of them.
Nancy Wilson also sounded strong when she sang the lead on the hit “These Dreams,” with Ann singing the harmonies. That’s when Heart really sounds its best: when the two sisters harmonize.
Leading off the concert was Cheap Trick and, if the full house needed any reminding on what decade these bands got their start, the band began with a version of Big Star’s “In the Street,” which most people know as the theme song to the former Fox sitcom “That ’70s Show.”
The power-pop pioneers – the only band that has the same members it started with – only got 45 minutes on stage, but made the most of them. Singer Robin Zander sounded amazingly strong and guitarist Rick Nielsen is still the embodiment of quirky charisma.
At one point, Nielsen called Journey’s Deen Castronovo on stage to wish him a happy birthday. Perhaps sensing the drummer was enjoying the applause a little too much, Nielsen good-naturedly rushed him off stage.
It was also interesting checking out Nielsen’s assortment of guitars: a square one, a round one, one that was a complete head-to-toe caricature of himself, one that had five necks, etc.
Cheap Trick sounded amazingly good, like it just walked onto the stage at Budokan in Tokyo in the ’70s. Time hasn’t diminished Zander’s voice, Nielsen’s guitar playing or the tight rhythm section of bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos. At least, I think it was Bun E. Carlos as he stayed well in the background and never came to the front of the stage.
Cheap Trick
In the Street/California Man/If You Want My Love/Come On, Come On/I Want You to Want Me/I Can’t Take It/The Flame/Surrender/Goodnight/Dream Police
Heart
Wild Child/Magic Man/Never/Straight On/These Dreams/Alone/Love, Reign O’er Me/Barracuda/Going to California/Crazy On You
Journey
Never Walk Away/Only the Young/Skylight/Stone in Love/Change for the Better/Ask the Lonely/After All These Years/Wheel in the Sky/Lights/Open Arms/Escape/Faithfully/La Do Da/Dead or Alive/Don’t Stop Believin’/Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)/Be Good to Yourself/Any Way You Want It
Posted by Sean on August 19, 2008 7:30 AM
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