by Alex Lloyd Gross
Journey, the rock band from the 1970’s and 1980’s is still going strong. They still sell out stadiums and do quite well. Apparently, they are on a tour and they are calling it the “Final Frontier. This is alluding to the fact that the band will no longer tour. At least not with this line up. They brought their show to Atlantic City last night and showed why they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo Delaware Valley News.com Arnel Pinada gestures to the crowd.
This band brought out all of their hits. That is what most of the people in attendance wanted to hear. About 20 percent wanted deep cuts. Songs like “Separate Way’s ” and “Wheel In the Sky were well received. This can be judged by how many people got off their seats when those songs were played.
“Who’s Cryin’ Now” featured a blistering solo by Neal Schon that blew away the studio version. On this song, it’s the solo that makes it memorable. As Schon started to walk to the light ride of the stage, some people got lead singer Arnel Pinada’s attention. They motioned for him to come off stage. So he did. He spent about two minutes down front, shaking hands and taking selfies with fans.
Band members took the stage in leather jackets. By the time the fifth song got played, those jackets were taken off. For some of the songs, huge gas jets shot flames that raised the temperature inside Boardwalk Hall substantially. The end of the show featured confetti, which caused fans to scramble to scoop it up and take it home with them.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo Delaware Valley News.com The Star Spangled banner was played.
With this being Memorial Day weekend, Journey broke into the National Anthem with a giant screen backdrop showing exploding fireworks. Then it was back to the show. Jonathan Cain and Schon each worked a section of the crowd, eventually crossing over.
ALEX LLOYD GROSS Photo Delaware Valley News.com Neal Schon welcomes the crowd to the show.
At one point Journey T shirts were tossed to the crowd. Only to one section, on one side, and a few down front. No one else was able to get one. At one point, Pinada roamed around the arena, to shake hands . There was no opening band for this show and it started about 7:45 PM and by 10:15 PM the crowd was leaving the arena spent and fulfilled.