Uncasville, CT
June 28, 2006
We headed down to the casino on Wednesday afternoon, and got checked into the hotel. Changed clothes and drove over to the casino, where we walked around a bit, and as we passed the bar at the waterfall, I saw Maureen (NH Maureen, that is!) and her group sitting there. Waved to get her attention and she came out to chat for a few. She is the one who told me about Craig Pitman's passing the night before and I was just floored. We had just- I mean JUST a few days before been joking online about being so excited about Journey shows that we packed early! He was such an amazing talent and had a wonderful sense of humor. And loved, loved, loved Journey and was one of their greatest supporters. I am really sorry I never got the opportunity to meet him in person. He will be missed. Said good-bye to Maureen and took another turn around the area, heading up into the hotel lobby area, where we saw Greg and Maureen, Chrissy, Leslie, Joanne and a few other folk. So we stopped and chatted (duh!) for a bit with them. It's always sooo very much fun to see everyone again. Then Mike and I went to find something to eat- we ended up the Uncas American Indian Grille. It was very good. We had eaten lunch there last time and enjoyed it, so we thought we'd try them for dinner. I had cedar plank grilled salmon- delicious! While we were eating, the girls called. They had arrived at the casino, eaten and were asking about meeting up so that they could give Mike the corkscrew that we forgot to pack. Had the bottle of wine, but no way to open it!!! And we figured the corkscrew might not be an "allowed item" in the arena! So we finished dinner, met the girls, and hung out for a bit. Then headed off to the arena and the show. Mike took off for the roulette tables- he did not go to the show this time around.
Funny thing about the security checks at these places. I gave up bringing a purse or bag with me to most shows- it just gets in the way and is hard to keep track of. All three of the girls had bags, which were searched and then they all got patted down. Came my turn, the security woman looked at me and said, "No bag or purse?" I said, "No." And she waved me right through, no pat down or anything. Weird. I guess they figure that if you have a bag that you know they are going to search, you are more likely to try and hide something on your person???? I don't know. Anyway, we all got through that and headed off for our seats. Not the greatest- we were in the upper balcony but only 4 rows from the rail and about halfway down the side, with a nice clear view of the stage, even if it was very far away.
There seemed to be some issue with set-up on The Whale on Wednesday. They were working on it for a long time before things started, both from underneath and with the front behind the fallboard open.
There was an opening act. Some guy with an acoustic guitar. Never did catch his name- he was basically unintelligible, both speaking and singing! All we got was when he kept repeating that after him was Journey and Def Leppard and so "congratulations to you and congratulations to me!" Umm, yeah, ok, buddy. He was- well, not bad as such (I've seen worse opening and intermission acts!), but I think he was maybe a bit nervous out there in front of all those people- I know I would have been! Kind of half country, half folk, with a little not-quite-rock thrown in. He only did 3 or 4 songs, so "congratulations to us!" LOL
And then it was Journey time!!! Oh, yeah, baby! They came out running and didn't stop for a moment! It was a pure, fabulous, fun and wonderful show, except that it was too short! I must admit that I was looking forward to the double bill, as I do love Leppard, too, but I really prefer to see Journey on their own. Too many things must be left out, for time considerations. Deen sang lead on two numbers, "Still They Ride" and the always amazing "Mother, Father." For me, no one else even comes close to singing that last one even a portion as well as Deen. I have always liked the song, although it was never a top of the list favorite, but when Deen sings it, I get goosebumps. Steve did a truly amazing job on everything he sang, given the circumstances. I know he is still recovering from pneumonia and he has some throat problems going along with that. He was truly struggling by the end of the night and even his speaking voice was in bad shape. I am a bit afraid he went out there to "prove" something, and to some extent, he did. His performance was no holds barred and he put everything he had into it, as he always does. But if he keeps this up, I really am afraid that he will kill his voice. And he has the most expressive and emotive voice! I would hate to see him do permanent damage. I don't know, at this point, what the solution is, but I hope he can find the time to get some rest. As for the other controversy- I'm not commenting. Just take care of yourself, Steve- that's more important than anything. The matching red shirt and sneakers was cute and black jeans- yeah, baby! Looking good, as always! Neal- ah, what can I say about Neal that hasn't been said so many times before? Oh, that he was wearing a really, really bad shirt??? Sorry, man, but YOU get the Ugly Shirt Award for Wednesday night- go get it from Jonathan! LOL It looked like Aja had a bad accident with a box of Crayolas..... But it sure as heck did not affect his playing! The Rock God strikes again!! Deen, all in black, was the hammer he always is. What a powerhouse on the drums! I have no idea where he gets the energy to keep going like that all night, every show. And he sings so well, on top of it all! Ross- Mr. Rock Solid on the bass. And his usual silly faces and antics that make everyone smile all night long. And he was in matching shirt and shoes, as well- but it was white for Ross. Jonathan- well, by now, I probably don't have to say it, but my eyes were on him for most of the night, as always. Wonderful playing, both keys and guitar, and when he sang Every Generation, he told the audience that the band had lost a great friend in Craig Pitman, and that he would be missed, and then he said they were dedicating the song to Craig. I got teary at that. It was very, very nice of them, as Craig was a huge supporter and wonderful person. I was a bit disappointed that there was no piano solo, but as it segues into Open Arms, which is not in the set this time around, I guess it makes sense. Darn!!! And no ugly shirt!!! LOL Nice flare jeans- VERY nice flare jeans.....
We were sitting in Def Leppard-land, so there was not a huge audience reaction until they got to songs like Separate Ways, DSB and so on, which was at the end of their set, but at least the people around us seemed to be enjoying most of the show, just not crazy wild. I, of course, went nuts when they started Faithfully and teared up- silly me, but I do so love that song! Anyway You Want It was the encore. They started with Faith in the Heartland and Jon sang Every Generation. Deen did two, as noted above. No Open Arms, and stay tuned for the funny story about THAT!! As always, great show, great band- loved every minute and I can't wait for August!!
Def Leppard up next. These guys put on a show and a half, as well. Although they were so loud, it bordered on painful, at times. I was really glad I had earplugs with me. They were in and out during Journey's set, but they didn't come out at all for Def Leppard. I was a bit unsure how I was going to like the stuff from YEAH!, as I think the CD is not one of their strongest, but they were much better live. And I don't know what I have been reading about them not covering enough of the "hits." I mean, they were onstage for about as long as Journey was, maybe 5 minutes or so longer, so they had the same time constraints. They did "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Do You Wanna Get Rocked," "Hysteria," among others, and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" was one of the encores. So, I suppose someone, somewhere, did not get their personal favorite in there, but that's going to happen. I thought it was a great set. And those guys are unbelievably energetic! Up and down the stairs on the set, jump, run, go, go, go!! Whew! You get tired just watching them!! Sav's bass solo was really cool- and, man, does he ever get those gut-shaking lows! I don't know if he heard Kryss' friend, Erin, scream, "Take your clothes off!" at the start of his solo, but if he did, he didn't comply.... ;) Rick Allen is still an inspiration- wonderful drummer and a testament to the human ability to survive and conquer anything.
So, after the show, we met up with Mike, and were supposed to have a drink at the falls bar, but it was so crowded, we decided to wait. The girls were going to hang around for a while, and we were going to get some food or gamble or something, so we split up. We started walking across the upper level where the food places are, and I was talking to Mike, not really looking around, when he said, "Are you going to stop?" I was, like, "Huh?" He said, "Jon is over there." Turned my head and, sure enough! Ummm, yeah, I stopped! Maureen- thank you for running over and offering to take my pic, but Mike had the camera out already! He knows.... So I walked over and was talking to Jon with another girl for a bit. She asked him about Open Arms not being in the set and he said that they just decided to give it a rest for a bit, and "after the American Idol thing..." She said that it wasn't that bad (I don't watch, so can't comment), but Jonathan rolled his eyes and said, "Well, it wasn't BAD...." So, tell us how you REALLY felt, Jon!! LOL And then he said that Faithfully is a good song, too (ya think???? LOL) And I told him that was MY favorite. I was just about to ask if I could get a picture when he got a phone call and that was that. The girls had called and said that Neal and Ross were in the Wolf Den area, so we walked around there a bit, but didn't see them. Went to Johnny Rockets for some food, and there were Neal and Ross and a few others I did not recognize, right across from us. I thought about going over and just telling them briefly that I really loved the show, but I decided not to be rude while they were eating. Then Steph called me and said that they had run into Jon in the hotel lobby area, and that I had nothing to worry about with her stealing "my boyfriend" (as my daughters refer to him! LOL), since she was afraid to go over and talk to him!!! Silly child- he is the NICEST man! I guess she did get dragged over to him by her sister, as Kryss asked him to sign her ticket, and Steph had the Sharpie! But she said about four words to him. I don't know where she gets that. I mean, yeah, I still get shaky when I get within 10 feet of the man, but I CAN talk to him!!! So I was telling her that Neal and Ross were in JR's and I looked across at Neal, and he saw me and I got that "Neal grin!"
That was about it for us. We played some roulette, won a little bit, not much. Got back to the bar too late to have a drink, so went back to our hotel for the night.
One more show is history. What a wonderful night, wonderful friends (Lydia and Gina- sorry we missed you guys!), wonderful concert! Many thanks, Journey- you will always be Number 1 on my list!!! California, here I come!!!