While Cindy and I were growing up in our youthful days we loved country music and classic rock music from the late 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and even some rock music played on today’s airwaves. I am a fan of modern country western and pure classic and prog rock. Cindy loves a wider range of country music (older and newer), classic rock but especially what they call soft rock and yacht rock. Easy to explain as we both met while in college at SW Texas State University, now Texas State University. The school and town of San Marcos had a great local music scene back in late 70’s as soft rock star Christopher Cross and country music legend George Strait both attended school and played local clubs during our time there.
Toto and Journey are two classic rock icons that started back in the 70’s. Both have many classic rock songs and ballads played for years on the radio and internet. Touring together for Journeys 50th Anniversary/Freedom Tour was a great pairing. When I saw they would be playing over in Greensboro, NC I immediately bought tickets when they became available.
I was able to get us two seats (1 and 2) on the floor in the 19th row on the left side of the stage. I try to get the end of a row seat so I could spread out. It can be a pain in the butt as you have to let people in and out of your row but worth it for the extra space. (When I purchased the tickets, we were also supposed to be on the first row of a section, but I guess the venue added additional rows, since we were two rows back when we got there.) We had no problem seeing the performers from where we were. From what I could see the Coliseum looked sold out as I saw no empty seats anywhere.
I know Ticketmaster has received some negative publicity recently due to some ticket site breakdowns, but they tend to work for me. By having a Ticketmaster/Live Nation account I no longer need paper tickets as they send mobile tickets to your phone for entry into the venue. (Tip 1: Having a Ticketmaster account comes in handy as you can identify groups and shows you may be interested in that play in your immediate area, and they will send you a notice when they go on sale.)
Toto started promptly at 7:30 pm and played a ten-song set. They played their biggest hits including Hold the Line, I’ll be Over You, Georgy Porgy, I’ll Supply the Love, Rosanna and Africa. One of the highlights of the evening was their Beatles cover of Get by with a Little Help from my Friends. We were blown away by their performance of the song. The only comparison I could think of was hearing Joe Cocker sing it. It was spot on and everyone who heard it gave them a standing ovation. Toto nailed it and their show was excellent. Their sound mix was spot on as you could hear every musical instrument and singer clearly.
(Tip 2: If you want to find out what songs you may hear at a concert and in what order go to Setlist.FM. Identify the band and their previous concert and you’ll see what their playlist has been for the tour.)
Journey came on a few minutes before 9 pm. I have seen them many times and my first time was at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX back in the late 70’s when Steve Perry was the lead singer. I also saw them with Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto as well. They did an admirable job, but Steve Perry was the man. Arnel Pineda is doing a great job and is a great performer and lead singer.
Journey played a 19-song set that included most of their greatest hits. Neal Schon is one of the greatest guitar players and song writers of all time. Jonathan Cains keyboards and background vocals sound great. Deen Castronova on drums is a great driving force. I was disappointed that Randy Jackson, on base, couldn’t make the tour due to medical issues but certainly wish him a speedy recovery.
The sound mix for Journey was disappointing. It was slightly off and distorted. Just not a clear sound. Arnels voice had an echo. It sounded a couple of times like he was struggling to get through the concert. I have gone to seen many of their shows that were much better than the performance I saw tonight. Unless you have been ignoring what’s been in the media over the past year the battle between Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon is obvious on stage. Their chemistry is messed up. They both stay on their side of the stage and rarely acknowledge each other. Going through the motions would be a great way to describe this show. Have no doubt we’ll see a different lineup for Journey after this tour.
Go and see Toto if you can, they are worth the price of the ticket. I wish Journey nothing but the best of luck and hope they can get things in sync.
Love this article, DeWayne. Love the mention of George Strait and Christopher Cross.
Those were fabulous days in the music industry.