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July 7, 2001 -
The Meadows Music Center - Hartford, CT
Report by Henry
Bocanegra
Photos by Kevin
Ryan
[I apologize for the lack
of pictures from the show. SFX, which owns The Meadows and
other venues in CT, discriminates unfairly against photographers
who use digital cameras. I snapped some shots of John Waite,
as others were safely doing with 35mm and disposable cameras,
and was told that my digital camera had to be taken back
to my car. Click here to
read more about this stupidity. -Kevin R.]
I was amazed at the amount
of people that were already there as we arrived early at
The Meadows for Journey's "Arrival" tour in Hartford, CT.
They came in droves to satisfy their hunger for some good
melodic rock. Was their thirst quenched? Maybe... Was mine?
Partially...
The evening began with a solid, yet uneventful
and uninspired set by John Waite. Waite pulled songs from
his entire catalog, but it was only his performance of the
Bad English hit "When I See You Smile" that caused a reaction
from the crowd. John's band was solid and his voice was
intact, very strong and melodic. His set was definitely
enjoyable. On the last song, Waite's former bandmate and
Journey guitarist Neal Schon jammed on stage with Waite
and his band, immediately bringing the crowd to their feet.
In between sets, I caught a great new Rock
band called Color out on a stage in the concourse area.
I was very impressed with their set and their overall stage
presence. They have a great singer who's also energetic
and very charismatic. I will go out on a limb and predict
huge success for this band - if they are marketed correctly.
They certainly have the tools to make it. Color's debut
album comes out 9/11/01 on Arista Records. Check them out
at www.colortheband.com.
Peter Frampton came next, and he tore the
roof off the place. Frampton only gets better as a guitar
player, and his voice was very strong as well. The crowd
went into a frenzy as Frampton performed a slew of classic
hits such as "Lying", "Show Me The Way", "Baby I Love Your
Way", and the unforgettable closer "Do You Feel Like I Do."
For this tour, Frampton surrounded himself with stellar
musicians like bassist John "B.O.T.B." Regan (The "Balls
Of The Band"), and keyboardist/guitarist Bob Mayo.
Frampton's set was a guitar fan's dream come true as it
featured Peter at his shredding best. The set was also light-hearted;
Peter's slapstick stage antics were refreshing to watch
and it was clear to everyone that he was having the time
of his life doing the thing he loves to do the most - play
guitar!
Journey was a big disappointment, even though
the band was solid and Neal Schon was his usual Guitar GOD
self, absolutely smoking on the solos. But Steve Augeri's
performance was weak. It seemed to me that I was watching
a Journey tribute band, fronted by a guy who idolized Steve
Perry so much that he virtually tried to turn himself into
his idol. He tried to sing like Perry, move like Perry,
even talk like Perry, but the problem is that he doesn't
have the voice or the tools to be Perry. Augeri's vocal
weakness really showed as he was barely audible unless Jonathan
Cain and/or the pre-recorded vocal tracks (yes, they did
use those) came to his rescue. And Augeri's stage antics
looked like they'd be better suited for a Culture Club show
than a Journey show. No lie.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was
turned off as scattered Steve Perry chants were heard throughout
the venue. It really is too bad, because it turns Journey
into a nostalgia act. You know the type - bands that go
out on tour with 1 or 2 original members and make a mockery
out of their career while also managing to insult their
fans' intelligence. In this writer's opinion, Journey should
either get Steve Perry back or get a singer that isn't a
bad imitation of Perry. Somebody who can sing the old stuff
in their own style and can also branch out and be an individual,
kind of like Sammy Hagar and Van Halen. Journey is a great
band, but as long as they have Steve Faux-Perry on lead
vocals they will be nothing but a Big Joke.
 
 
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