Journey - Manchester Apollo 5th June 2006
Setlist: Separate Ways / Only The Young / NS Solo- Star Spangled Banner / Faith In The Heartland / Stone In Love / Wheel In The Sky / Where Were You* / Lights / Still They Ride* / Feeling That Way*^ / Anytime*^ / Chain Reaction / Edge Of The Blade / Who’s Crying Now? / Mother/Father* / JC Solo-Open Arms / Escape / Keep On Running / Out Of Harms Way / Faithfully / Don’t Stop Believing / Anyway You Want It / Be Good To Yourself // Dead Or Alive / Blues Interlude / Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’
* Deen Castronovo vocals ^ Jonathon Cain vocals
I had seen Journey, for the first time, after 26 years of waiting, just two days before at the Monsters of Rock bash and, in spite of their late afternoon slot and shortened set, they were awesome; I was more impressed than I ever imagined I would be. Certainly, at Milton Keynes, Journey shone through and, for me, there were three co-headliners at Monsters of Rock. As a taster for tonight, I could not have asked for anything better. To make me feel that way, especially after all the years of anticipation, even I can’t explain how good they needed to be. As excellent as all the other bands were on the day, and Alice, Purple, Thunder, Nuge were all as good, if not better than I have seen before, Journey was, for me, the band of the day. Yeah, I’m biased and I don’t care.
Because Journey-music sounds so melodious, with the soaring vocal and the wondrous harmonies, and is so beautifully arranged and magnificently played, you tend to forget just how heavy the band actually is. Not to mention that awesome guitar player they have: Neil Schon. Journey really is a heavy rock band with all of the same characteristics as any other; they just have a much more refined way of showing it.
* Deen Castronovo vocals ^ Jonathon Cain vocals
I had seen Journey, for the first time, after 26 years of waiting, just two days before at the Monsters of Rock bash and, in spite of their late afternoon slot and shortened set, they were awesome; I was more impressed than I ever imagined I would be. Certainly, at Milton Keynes, Journey shone through and, for me, there were three co-headliners at Monsters of Rock. As a taster for tonight, I could not have asked for anything better. To make me feel that way, especially after all the years of anticipation, even I can’t explain how good they needed to be. As excellent as all the other bands were on the day, and Alice, Purple, Thunder, Nuge were all as good, if not better than I have seen before, Journey was, for me, the band of the day. Yeah, I’m biased and I don’t care.
Because Journey-music sounds so melodious, with the soaring vocal and the wondrous harmonies, and is so beautifully arranged and magnificently played, you tend to forget just how heavy the band actually is. Not to mention that awesome guitar player they have: Neil Schon. Journey really is a heavy rock band with all of the same characteristics as any other; they just have a much more refined way of showing it.
You would have thought the biggest surprise would be how good Steve Augeri is. Unbelievably, he had given up all hope of ever becoming a full-time singer and was working at The Gap when he received the call from Neil Schon to audition for the Journey vocal slot. He has an awesome voice, able to sing any of the older material (I personally think that he sounds at his best on Keep On Running; it’s just phenomenal). But, no. That is not actually the biggest surprise. That honour goes to drummer, Deen Castronovo.
I had surfed the InterWeb and noticed that a few comments mentioned the fact that Deen sang. Singing drummers are not new (Honeycombers, Four Seasons, Eagles, par example, and the first person to even think of that little antichrist, Collins, gets eviscerated with a rusty spoon!) but never have I seen or heard one sing with such power and quality whilst continuing to pound the skins like an octopus in a bathtub. If that wasn’t enough, Augeri and Castronovo aren’t the only singers in the band capable of taking lead vocal duties. More on this later.
I had surfed the InterWeb and noticed that a few comments mentioned the fact that Deen sang. Singing drummers are not new (Honeycombers, Four Seasons, Eagles, par example, and the first person to even think of that little antichrist, Collins, gets eviscerated with a rusty spoon!) but never have I seen or heard one sing with such power and quality whilst continuing to pound the skins like an octopus in a bathtub. If that wasn’t enough, Augeri and Castronovo aren’t the only singers in the band capable of taking lead vocal duties. More on this later.
By the time I arrived in Manchester on the Monday evening, the doors had just opened and the fans were heading inside. I knew it would be an early start so I didn’t hang around, making my way directly to my allotted seat. I would have preferred it had all the seats been taken out but, as much as I love the Apollo, the powers that be are often dicks when it comes to rock concerts. It should be illegal to have seats at these events; no-one ever sits down once the lights go down and it just reduces your chances of getting a better spot. Don’t even get me started on the whole no cameras policy operated by both the Apollo and the Evening Nazi Arena (although they are not as fascistic about it at the Apollo). I fail to see why they bother trying to stop people taking photos. If the band objects, fine, I respect that, but what the hell does the building have to do with it? Do camera flashes weaken the architectural integrity of the structure, or something? What does it matter to the venue if I take pictures of the band? Consequently, I take no notice of their ridiculous threats. Yeah, I know, I’m bad…
Manchester was a sold out show; not a great surprise. As I waited, I reflected on Saturday’s performance and couldn’t help but think that Journey concerts are like buses; you wait twenty-six years for one and then two come along at once! At 7:45 the lights went down and a colossal roar went up from the capacity crowd, seemingly amplified by the collective exhalation as everyone stood up and cheered. Many of the audience members had been to either the Edinburgh or Milton Keynes performances, as evidenced by their Journey torso-warmers. For some though, this was their first chance to see the band and what a night they were in for.
My impossible mission was twofold and I had decided to accept it. Firstly, I wanted to enjoy the bloody show. Secondly, I wanted to document what it was like to be there. I knew I was not in a good photo-taking spot, being too far away for the flash to be effective and not close enough to snap away without it. However, I know my camera and, on the 12 megapixel setting, I would be able to get some good long distance shots of the stage, to show the lights and create a photoplay of the evening. This was my aim; I wanted to be able to look back later and relive the evening through my pictures. Ironically, I had been much closer to the stage at Milton Keynes and had already taken some excellent close-ups in the daylight. Tonight was about the show this band puts on in a smaller venue; t was about colour and light, shape and form. Hey, give me lemons and I’ll make lemonade…
Manchester was a sold out show; not a great surprise. As I waited, I reflected on Saturday’s performance and couldn’t help but think that Journey concerts are like buses; you wait twenty-six years for one and then two come along at once! At 7:45 the lights went down and a colossal roar went up from the capacity crowd, seemingly amplified by the collective exhalation as everyone stood up and cheered. Many of the audience members had been to either the Edinburgh or Milton Keynes performances, as evidenced by their Journey torso-warmers. For some though, this was their first chance to see the band and what a night they were in for.
My impossible mission was twofold and I had decided to accept it. Firstly, I wanted to enjoy the bloody show. Secondly, I wanted to document what it was like to be there. I knew I was not in a good photo-taking spot, being too far away for the flash to be effective and not close enough to snap away without it. However, I know my camera and, on the 12 megapixel setting, I would be able to get some good long distance shots of the stage, to show the lights and create a photoplay of the evening. This was my aim; I wanted to be able to look back later and relive the evening through my pictures. Ironically, I had been much closer to the stage at Milton Keynes and had already taken some excellent close-ups in the daylight. Tonight was about the show this band puts on in a smaller venue; t was about colour and light, shape and form. Hey, give me lemons and I’ll make lemonade…
Separate Ways and Only the Young were fantastic choices for show openers, providing an excellent opportunity to sing along, which almost everyone did, whilst immediately showing the strength and power of Augeri’s voice. Anyone still doubting his ability to sing the older material quickly had those thoughts banished. Neil’s Star Spangled solo looked spectacular thanks to a simple, but very effective light show. It was an early reminder (not that anyone needed it) to everyone just how much of a guitar hero Schon is. This bloke was playing in Santana’s band at the age of fifteen and, although he never seems to get mentioned in the same deified manner as your Eddie van Halens, your Joe Satrianis, or your Steve Vais, for me, Schon is one of the all-time greats. Being a phenomenal guitar player is not simply about how flash you are, it is about how much great music you have shared with the world over the years. That is a true measure of greatness and, as good as Satriani, Vai, et al* are (and I do like those guys) Schon’s output over the years is massive. It’s not only the Journey side, it’s the Schon and Hammer, HSAS, Bad English, Soul Sirkus; this man is prolific.
Following Neil’s solo, Augeri introduced Faith In The Heartland, the first of just two songs for the night from the new CD, Generations. Listening to it live, you would be hard-pressed to spot that it did not come from the Perry-era recordings, as it fits in so well with the older songs. I would have liked to hear maybe another one or two songs from Generations, and the same again from Arrival, given that we never got to see that tour over here. These are, however, small niggles considering the show that they did give us. Stone In Love and Wheel In The Sky (another one of my favourites) kept the show rolling along. I was amazed by how many people knew all the words and sang along. At times it was difficult to hear the band form where I was, so loud was the crowd participation. The next song was the first to be sung by someone other than Augeri, who left the stage. Castronovo, whilst continuing to play, sings lead on Where Were You belting it out with surprising power, and you have to say, is easily good enough a singer to front a band by himself. Apparently, he is a lifelong Journey fan and, by the age of thirteen, had learned the drum parts for each song on the Infinity album. He is a pretty amazing chap but, then again, every member of the band is, in his own right.
Following Neil’s solo, Augeri introduced Faith In The Heartland, the first of just two songs for the night from the new CD, Generations. Listening to it live, you would be hard-pressed to spot that it did not come from the Perry-era recordings, as it fits in so well with the older songs. I would have liked to hear maybe another one or two songs from Generations, and the same again from Arrival, given that we never got to see that tour over here. These are, however, small niggles considering the show that they did give us. Stone In Love and Wheel In The Sky (another one of my favourites) kept the show rolling along. I was amazed by how many people knew all the words and sang along. At times it was difficult to hear the band form where I was, so loud was the crowd participation. The next song was the first to be sung by someone other than Augeri, who left the stage. Castronovo, whilst continuing to play, sings lead on Where Were You belting it out with surprising power, and you have to say, is easily good enough a singer to front a band by himself. Apparently, he is a lifelong Journey fan and, by the age of thirteen, had learned the drum parts for each song on the Infinity album. He is a pretty amazing chap but, then again, every member of the band is, in his own right.
Next up was the song that really confirmed Steve Perry’s place in Journey, Lights. Augeri returned to the stage to take this one and you simply cannot see the join at all. Still They Ride was, again, sung by Castronovo, with Augeri standing in the wings, seemingly singing backing vocals, out of sight of the audience. I had seen him doing this at Milton Keynes and had just assumed he’d been backstage taking a leak, having a cup of tea, or reading a book, waiting to come back on stage, but I’m pretty sure he was just getting out of the way so as that the main focus was not on him, but on Castronovo. Both of the next two songs, Feeling That Way and Anytime, continued with Augeri off stage, main vocals shared by Castronovo and Jonathon Cain. Barely half way through the show and we’d had three different singers sharing lead vocal duties. I have to say, I was quite excited by this point. This was shaping up to be one hell of a gig, and it wasn’t even 9PM!
Augeri returned to sing two real rockers from the excellent Frontiers album, Chain Reaction and Edge Of The Blade. I’ve always felt that this was always a somewhat overlooked recording, because it followed Escape, but it is packed with great tracks and is damned heavy for any kind of rock album, never mind AOR. The next five songs were all from Escape, meaning that, by the end of the evening, they would have played that recording in its entirety, something that surprised me. I can’t really complain, as I love Escape and have some very fond memories of it, but I think I would have preferred a little more from the last two CDs. That, or another half hour of show time. I don’t ask for much.Mother/Father was once again sung by the drummer, giving him a total of five songs for either a solo, or shared lead vocal, for the evening. Not too shabby for the man at the back. On a completely unrelated point, Castronovo’s cymbals are the most shiny and highly polished I have ever seen.
Augeri returned to sing two real rockers from the excellent Frontiers album, Chain Reaction and Edge Of The Blade. I’ve always felt that this was always a somewhat overlooked recording, because it followed Escape, but it is packed with great tracks and is damned heavy for any kind of rock album, never mind AOR. The next five songs were all from Escape, meaning that, by the end of the evening, they would have played that recording in its entirety, something that surprised me. I can’t really complain, as I love Escape and have some very fond memories of it, but I think I would have preferred a little more from the last two CDs. That, or another half hour of show time. I don’t ask for much.Mother/Father was once again sung by the drummer, giving him a total of five songs for either a solo, or shared lead vocal, for the evening. Not too shabby for the man at the back. On a completely unrelated point, Castronovo’s cymbals are the most shiny and highly polished I have ever seen.
For me, the best part of the evening was next, Keep On Running. Augeri’s voice sounded absolutely fantastic on this one and he practically raised the roof on the Apollo, whilst Out Of Harms Way, the second new song to be played, was only slightly less awesome. It seemed that his voice had really warmed up by this stage and he was hitting notes that I can only dream about. Incredibly, we still had another five songs to go before they would eventually leave the stage; and what a five-song-selection it was. Faithfully, Don’t Stop Believing, Anyway You Want It, and Be Good To Yourself brought the set to a riotous close, resulting in one of the longest, most emphatic demands for an encore that I think I have ever heard.
There was never any real doubt that they would come back on stage and when they did it was with Schon playing a Flying V and one of the heaviest songs from Escape, Dead Or Alive. An unusual selection I thought, albeit a very good one, and not a song I had really expected to hear. The Blues Interlude that followed was, I felt, a really great way to end a terrific evening and allowed everyone to appreciate the qualities of each of these musicians, with Jonathon Cain proving that, not only is he a pretty good keyboard player and guitar player, he is also pretty mean on the harmonica. Russ Valory also got a little bit of spotlight, something he seems to avoid for most of the set. The final song was one of the best-loved of all Journey songs, Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’. I could barely hear the band, the audience sang so loud.
Then, after two and quarter hours of fantastic music and a stellar performance by every member of the band, they exited stage left. We cheered some more, not really expecting anything further, and probably too exhausted to cope with it, had they returned for another song. The house lights came up and it was all over. Hopefully, it will not be another twenty-six years before we see Journey back on a UK stage once more. And it was still only 10PM!
There was never any real doubt that they would come back on stage and when they did it was with Schon playing a Flying V and one of the heaviest songs from Escape, Dead Or Alive. An unusual selection I thought, albeit a very good one, and not a song I had really expected to hear. The Blues Interlude that followed was, I felt, a really great way to end a terrific evening and allowed everyone to appreciate the qualities of each of these musicians, with Jonathon Cain proving that, not only is he a pretty good keyboard player and guitar player, he is also pretty mean on the harmonica. Russ Valory also got a little bit of spotlight, something he seems to avoid for most of the set. The final song was one of the best-loved of all Journey songs, Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’. I could barely hear the band, the audience sang so loud.
Then, after two and quarter hours of fantastic music and a stellar performance by every member of the band, they exited stage left. We cheered some more, not really expecting anything further, and probably too exhausted to cope with it, had they returned for another song. The house lights came up and it was all over. Hopefully, it will not be another twenty-six years before we see Journey back on a UK stage once more. And it was still only 10PM!
So, was it worth the two-and-a-half decade wait? Not many, uncle.
It was a real Mary Poppins*. It must have been good because I actually reviewed the gig in detail, something I usually avoid like the plague and can’t, in point of fact, remember doing, ever. It not only exceeded my expectations, and I had twenty-six years worth stored up, it blew them clean out of the water, like the Redoutable after its encounter with HMS Victory. If it takes them the same length of time to come back to the UK again, well, it probably won’t happen. People will get all Field of Dreams on your ass and ask you what you were doing when Journey came to the UK. “Where were you?” they will sing.
And, you will know exactly where you were: not at the Manchester Apollo!
Muahahahaha! You can always tell them that you read all about it on this great website…
I was there and, without a shadow of a doubt, this was the best, most enjoyable gig I have ever been to. If you missed it, you missed something very, very special.
Muahahahaha! Muahahahaha! Muahahahaha!
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
12th June 2006
*Practically perfect in every way, of course.
It was a real Mary Poppins*. It must have been good because I actually reviewed the gig in detail, something I usually avoid like the plague and can’t, in point of fact, remember doing, ever. It not only exceeded my expectations, and I had twenty-six years worth stored up, it blew them clean out of the water, like the Redoutable after its encounter with HMS Victory. If it takes them the same length of time to come back to the UK again, well, it probably won’t happen. People will get all Field of Dreams on your ass and ask you what you were doing when Journey came to the UK. “Where were you?” they will sing.
And, you will know exactly where you were: not at the Manchester Apollo!
Muahahahaha! You can always tell them that you read all about it on this great website…
I was there and, without a shadow of a doubt, this was the best, most enjoyable gig I have ever been to. If you missed it, you missed something very, very special.
Muahahahaha! Muahahahaha! Muahahahaha!
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
12th June 2006
*Practically perfect in every way, of course.
About the photos...
As I wrote in my main review, I was too far away to use the flash, and not close enough to get enough light into the camera to freeze the action. It's a testament to my talents that any of these pictures came out at all. Ain't I just so modest? Nah, not at all.
Anyhoo, they're not the best ones I've ever snapped but, considering the conditions, I'm quite pleased with a couple of them.