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Written by Marc Farr Monday, 14 July 2014 12:41

As the lights came up and the crowd streamed out the front gates, fans were still singing.

 

 

 

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, St. Louis

What a great combination. Classic rock scored another hit tour Friday night, when Journey and special guests The Steve Miller Band landed at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. St. Louis loves a good co-headlining tour, and these two bands complimented each other quite nicely.

The Steve Miller Band has a rather large fan base here in the Midwest. People of all ages came to enjoy the show; it was nice to see the younger set out and rockin’. Opening with “Jungle Love,” TSMB’s set consisted of two large, glittery kissing unicorns, as well as many different backdrops. Miller and Co. have produced so many hit songs over the last 35 years, and they played almost all of them, including a wowing rendition of “Abracadabra” and the always-good “Take the Money and Run.” Miller even sported his famous green and black Joker mask for the song of the same name.

Watching Miller play guitar is amazing in itself; he is a very underrated guitarist, indeed. After releasing large balloons into the audience, TSMB capped off the show with the classics “Swingtown,” Rock N’ Me,” and the 1976 hit “Fly Like an Eagle.” A great set from a great classic band.

After a short break, Journey took the stage, opening with “Be Good to Yourself” from 1986’s Raised on Radio. With five large LED screens behind them displaying the band’s album cover artwork from all past releases, Journey commanded the stage. New lead vocalist Arnel Pineda was note perfect in his performance, yet spoke very little with the crowd. Keyboardist/guitarist Jonathan Cain did most of the evening’s talking—when the music wasn’t doing so. Favorites like “Separate Ways,” “Anyway You Want It,” “Stone in Love,” and “Lights” washed over the eager audience. A surprise performance of “Mother, Father” from Escape featured lead vocals courtesy of drummer Deen Castronovo. Amazingly, it seems that every vocalist for this band sounds eerily like former vocalist Steve Perry. Many bands do not survive losing their lead vocalist, as they are an integral part of the sound. Journey has twice had the best of luck when looking for a front man who can pull off such stylings, and Pineda does so with grace and almost true perfection. If one closes their eyes, they would almost swear that Steve Perry was there, singing his heart out.

Musically, Journey was tight. Guitarist Neil Schon treated us to not only a guitar solo, but a spirited rendition of our national anthem. Chart-topping ballads “Open Arms” and “Faithfully” were played, with the packed amphitheater singing along in what sounded like an immense choir. Sadly, “Who’s Crying Now” was absent from the set list. As we journeyed toward the end of the show, the confetti cannons roared forth and the audience got a paper shower. After “Wheel in the Sky” and “Don’t Stop Believing,” Journey closed with the mega-hit “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.” As the lights came up and the crowd streamed out the front gates, fans were still singing. | Marc Farr