9th: 07/23/08 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK

Post your review only if you actually attended the concert.. or postreviews from any websites (mainly Journeymusic.com) , not to forget mentioning the source in your credits!

Thanks!

NEWSOK.com
Review: Classic rockers heat up the Zoo

http://newsok.com/classic-rockers-heat-up-the-zoo/article/3274212/?tm=1216880542

A potent brew of crowd-pleasing hits, dynamic showmanship and bone-rattlingly loud rock ‘n’ roll cast a spell on the Zoo Wednesday night.

The triple-threat of Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick — all rock bands that have been making music for more than three decades — attracted a sell-out crowd of 10,000 sweat-saturated, sun-scorched rock fans to the Zoo Amphitheatre. Near 100-degree temperatures didn’t dissuade the masses from waving their arms, bobbing their heads and shouting along with the classic rockers.

The packed venue was not for the claustrophobic or faint of heart, particularly once headliners Journey and the consummate rocker chicks of Heart commanded the stage.

As Journey started its set at dusk, local fans got the chance to see if new front man Arnel Pineda could match the vocal prowess former vocalist Steve Perry. From the opening lines of “Only the Young,” the Filipino singer, whom the band discovered on YouTube, proved not only a worthy successor but a virtual vocal doppelganger.

Most fans seemed to welcome Pineda with open arms, and his wide smile, indefatigable stage presence and passionate performances seemed to win over any detractors. One female fan even snuck onto the stage to steal a quick embrace before security guards hauled her away, leaving the grinning Pineda to quip, “Anyone else?”

By the time the band played favorites such as "Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Lights” and “Anyway You Want It,” most everyone was singing along, with Pineda’s voice soaring above all others and original guitarist Neal Schon burning up the solos.

The highlights of the set — apart from Pineda’s continual leaping, spinning and microphone flipping — were an extended version of “Wheel in the Sky” and the new and appropriate track “A Change for the Better.”

Heart may have been playing in the second slot, but the ever-impressive Wilson sisters and their band proved they are second to none, not even the night’s headliners.

Through their hits “Crazy on You,” “Never” and “Straight On,” Ann Wilson belted out vocals with seemingly effortless power, while Nancy Wilson’s fleet fingers kept coaxing heady rock out of her guitar as she bounced tirelessly around the stage. Ann’s tuneful wailing on “Magic Man” elicited goosebumps even in the heat, and she proved she is one of the only vocalists worthy to cover Led Zeppelin with her achingly lovely “Going to California.”

The band wowed the crowd with a heady cover of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” leading into a scorching rendition of “Barracuda.”

Although the concert was set to start at 6 p.m., many fans were still lined up around the neighboring Science Museum Oklahoma waiting to get in at show time. When opening act Cheap Trick took the stage at 6:30, the rock quartet truly took over the stage.

Despite some issues with the sound mix and balance, the band, whose lineup has remained largely unchanged since 1968, warmed up the overheated crowd with rowdy rockers such as “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender” and “Dream Police.”

Tuxedoed guitarist Rick Nielsen punctuated the performance with his energetic showmanship, cracking wise, tossing picks into the crowd to playing an array of outlandish guitars, including a double-necked axe shaped like a man.

— Brandy McDonnell, Entertainment Writer

The wife and I are going tonight...and we're FIRED UP!

This'll be my second Journey concert, I saw them with Augeri back in late 04 at the GVR in Vegas.

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#137034 - 07/23/08 08:35 PM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: Anonymous]
Anonymous Anonymous
Unregistered



Ok...I was the anonymous poster above...and this time I will not be anonymous.

I am absolutely DISGUSTED with the Zoo Amphitheatre on how they handled this concert.

My wife and I arrived at 1700 CDT to discover that there was a half-mile long line waiting just to get into the Zoo. It was mass chaos! In the sweltering 100+ degree heat, I saw several people passed out and being attended to by medics...and I saw security walking around telling people waiting in line to get in that they needed to throw their water bottles out IMMEDIATELY.

Being that my wife is pregnant, I spared her the torture of waiting in line with me and kept her in the shade of a large tree. However, 1800 rolled around with the concert set to start...and I had maybe covered half the distance that the line was when I first got in it an hour prior. At that point, I instructed my wife to just sell the tickets.

The staff of the Zoo Amphitheater should be ashamed of how this operation was run. It's bad enough that some of your staff were blatantly encouraging dehydration by making people throw out their water bottles in the 100+ degree heat because they weren't allowed in the amphitheater...but to force THOUSANDS of people to stand in a line that moved at the speed of smell on such a hot day is pathetic.

I beg of the logistical staff for Journey to please...don't ever use the Zoo Amphitheatre again. Next time you come to Oklahoma City, can you use the Ford Center or the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman?

To the band: My wife and I will see you guys in Dallas on Sunday (with RESERVED seats, unlike this open festival/no lawn chairs allowed crap they had up here). And anytime you want a tour of Tinker AFB, let me know. I know the airmen here would love to have you here.

Steve Fiore
2 LT, USAF

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#137068 - 07/23/08 09:13 PM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: Anonymous]
genesis genesis
Next


Registered: 07/17/08
Posts: 93 soory to hear that..especially your wife being pregnant..yes, it's important that she stayed hydrated...that was my main concern when you wrote you note..hope she's ok....

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#137089 - 07/23/08 09:37 PM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: Anonymous]
Anonymous Anonymous
Unregistered



I have some tickets for Sunday's concert I need to sell for face value. Any takers? Please email orbea.onix@sbcglobal.net. Thanks!

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#137184 - 07/23/08 11:25 PM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: Anonymous]
Jesse Jesse
Look Into The Future


Registered: 02/07/08
Posts: 46 Wow Journey is reaching a diverse group of fans, form a young 2LT to an old Chief Master Sergeant like me. I am attending the San Antonio gig on Friday and my wife is 4 1/2 months pregnant (we were in Vegas for the Journey show at the time, I guess what goes there doesn't always stay there). I hope our experience is better than yours.

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#137267 - 07/24/08 01:21 AM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: Jesse]
spcbrown spcbrown
Look Into The Future


Registered: 03/22/08
Posts: 40
Loc: oklahoma IT ROCKED...sound was excellent from my spot and pretty balanced...way better than I experienced at the Greek...at the Zoo Amphitheater I was center stage, and about 50-60 yards back or so...of course the band is awesome, but I was very impressed with Arnel...the man has the pipes and the performance energy to excess, and to carry on the Journey legacy for as long as NS wants to keep it going.

Heart was way cool too. Impressed there too with the Wilson sister's performance and their band is tight as any I ever heard.

Poor Cheap Trick rocked, but it was still light out and hot as hell. Great bunch those guys are.

Time for me to kick back and prepare for bed. I can't hear very well right now.
_________________________
Take care.

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#137307 - 07/24/08 03:15 AM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: spcbrown]
Anonymous Anonymous
Unregistered



To Arnel:

I was at Mandalay Bay , Las Vegas concert and you were fantastic!
Here at OK city, you were fantastic!!! You are the BEST frontmant for Journey.(i loved Steve Perry too). Just take care of yourself and your voice. Imagine, facing all hardcore fans of Steve Perry, but I know that you amazed them. Just stay strong and healthy.

But you moved a lot and sometimes you're out of breath.
You are one heck of singer. Neal, Deen, Jon and Ross always he best!!! You guys rock!!!!!!!!!

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#137461 - 07/24/08 08:53 AM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: spcbrown]
Anonymous Anonymous
Unregistered



It was a great concert, but I too have the same complaint that Lt. Fiore had - I arrived at 4:30 thinking I was doing really well, parked in the Remington Park lot for easy exiting, and then started walking towards the gate, only to notice the massive line. Absolutely horrible logistics - whoever decided that one line for THE concert of the summer is an idiot. I waited in the line with my girlfriend for an hour and a half. I've been rockin to Journey for 25 years, and this was by far the worst entry experience I've ever had. I hope they come back to Oklahoma, but maybe go to the Ford Center, the BOK Center, or Lloyd Noble.
Usually concerts at the Zoo are fine - I went to Boston & Styx and walked right up and right in - no cutsies either.
It was a good show, you could tell that Arnel couldn't quite hit the high parts in "Don't Stop Believing," but he did an excellent job anyways. Cheap Trick was awesome as always, and I was really impressed with Heart - I haven't seen them in at least 20 years.
Overall: Great concert, but horrible pre-concert line and logistics.

Col. Joe Huntington
USA Ret.
Rangers Lead the Way!

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#137521 - 07/24/08 09:39 AM Re: 7/23/2008 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK [Re: spcbrown]
IMSTILLRIDING IMSTILLRIDING
Journey


Registered: 05/15/08
Posts: 10
Loc: Noble, Oklahoma Yes the Zoo-Amp was over 105 degrees inside, and yes the line to get in was horrible but it was all worth it when the show started. Cheap Trick was a good show, Heart was a better show, but when our boys made it on stage, the place was ROCKIN!!!
DEAN - How do you not bust those skins open? You are a complete mad man with those sticks! NEAL- I didnt think it was possible for you to get any better!
ARNEL - You are a true front-man, keeping your energy level at it's peek through the heat we had, shows you are truly THE MAN!
ROSS - What would we do without you? You are a true pleasure to watch on stage. JON - I didnt know what was going through you on that guitar, but boy, you were Rockin!!
Thank you guys for the Awesome show! It was well worth standing in the heat.

http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/Concerts/Concerts08/CheapTrickHeartJourney.htm

Cheap Trick, Heart & Journey
Zoo Amphitheater
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 23, 2008

by Jeb Wright


Journey Set List:
Never Walk Away | Only the Young | Stone in Love | Ask the Lonely | After All These Years| Separate Ways | Change for the Better | Send Her My Love | Lights | Open Arms | Don’t Stop Believing | Wildest Dreams | DD Harp Segway | Wheel in the Sky | Be Good to Yourself | Anyway You Want It

Encore:
Escape | Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezing | Faithfully

It was the moment of truth for new Journey vocalist Arnel Pineda. The Filipino born singer, who was discovered on YouTube, was making his first appearance in Oklahoma City in front of a sold out crowd. The latest in a growing line of replacements for Steve Perry, Pineda would need to deliver the goods in a big way to win over such a large gathering of Journey-holics.

The band wisely opened with "Never Walk Away," the opening track to their new album Revelation, that debuted at # 5 on the Billboard popular music charts. The band peppered in three other new songs between classic Journey tunes and the crowd seemed impressed by all of the new material. To these writers dismay, too many songs from the Perry goes Pop era were represented as Journey performed "Only the Young," "Ask the Lonely" and "Send Her My Love" from Frontiers but ignored earlier classics "Anytime," "Feeling That Way," "Too Late," "Just the Same Way" and "Line of Fire." Thankfully, however, the band stayed completely away from Raised on Radio, not performing any songs from that album.

"Stone in Love," "Don’t Stop Believing" and "Open Arms" represented Escape during the main set, while the title track was the first song played during the encore. "Lights" and "Wheel in the Sky" were the only classic 70's tunes from Infinity while "Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’" was the only tune from Evolution and "Anyway You Want It" was the only track included from Departure. Still, with a new hit album to promote, Journey did a very good job of balancing songs from their thirty-plus year career.

One can’t help but compare Pineda to Perry or even to former singer Steve Augeri. For starters, Pineda is a Perry clone and let’s make no mistake in stating that is main reason he got the gig. Where Augeri was a good choice and he did a fine job, Pineda does an amazing job. He is a small, Filipino version of Steve Perry. If Perry were Filipino, he would even look like him!

On stage, Pineda is entertaining and energetic. Throughout the performance I could not help put take my eyes off Journey stalwarts Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain and Ross Valory to watch Pineda. Joy, happiness and passion ooze out of every pour of his body and at times he literally steals the show. Cain gets a piano solo before "Open Arms" and Schon gets a guitar solo before "Stone in Love" and they both get down to some killer blues on the "DD Harp Segway" and they shine during these solo selections. However, one must admit this is the only time that you are not focused on the new vocalist. Not since Perry has the band had this strong of a stage presence at the front man spot. One can only hope the long line of lead singers has now come to an end and Pineda remains the lead singer for Journey for years to come.

Journey closed the show with the emotional "Faithfully" and the crowd responded with lighters in hand. I suppose the difference between this Journey and the Augeri era Journey is that with the albums Arrival and Generations Journey was a band trying to make an album that sounded like Journey and with Revelation Journey is a band who just made a Journey album. After several years of struggling to find an identity sans Perry, the band has finally found the right mix. Journey are once again comfortable within their own skin and are taking the Classic Rock world by storm with sold out concerts and high charting album releases.

At the end of the day, it would have been nice to see Cheap Trick and Heart play longer sets. It would have been nice to see Journey play more classic tunes. That said, this was one hell of a concert. Too many times package tours see bands going through the motions and collecting a paycheck. Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey appear to be having a great time on stage proving Classic Rock can retain power and passion for as long as there is a willing audience to receive it. Tonight in Oklahoma City the audience was willing and all three bands delivered the goods.

Cheap Trick Set List:
O Clair | That 70's Show Theme | California Man | If You Want My Love | She’s Tight | I Want You to Want Me | Tonight It’s You | The Flame | Surrender | Goodnight Now Ladies & Gentlemen | Dream Police

Oklahoma City residents descended upon the Zoo Amphitheater in droves to celebrate the best Classic Rock package touring the country this summer. The sign said SOLD OUT as we approached the venue as temperatures soared in the low 100's. I have never seen this many people crammed into the Zoo Amphitheater. The atmosphere reckoned back to the golden era of the 1970's as people were hanging out in the parking lot trying to find some shade and downing lots of suds.

The first band to take the stage was Cheap Trick. Boasting their original line up, this foursome from Rockford, Illinois still delivers the goods. While their career has seen plenty of Top 40 success, Trick was and still is best known as a kick ass live band and tonight was no exception. Despite having to open the show at 7pm with the hot sun beating down upon them, Trick rocked the packed house. They opened with "O Claire" from their latest album Rockford. The new CD is a testament to the band as they continue to release music without any concern to trends or fashion. Instead, they prefer to stick to the classic Cheap Trick sound and Rockford proves the well is far from dry. Unfortunately, the band was very limited on time and didn’t were unable to trot out any other new songs.

Next came the theme to "That 70's Show" followed by four classic Trick tunes, "California Man," "She’s Tight," "If You Want My Love" and "I Want You to Want Me." During this time the crowd were literally dancing in the isles. "Tonight It’s You" and "The Flame" represented the 80's era of the band but what came next was the highlight of their set. "Surrender" is one of the best rock songs of its era and is always met with approval. Everyone was disappointed when the band played their "Goodnight Now" anthem, signaling the end of the show. It was no surprise that they stuck around to deliver a stellar version of "Dream Police" complete with guitarist Rick Nielsen showering the first ten rows with guitar picks.

Heart Set List:
Wild Child | Never | Straight On | Magic Man | These Dreams | Alone | Love Reign O’er Me| Barracuda

Encore:
Going to California | Crazy On You

With the heat still beating down, Ann and Nancy Wilson both took the stage dressed in black prompting Ann to say, "I hope everyone brought a sweater tonight; it’s kind of cold out here." Again, despite the unrelenting heat, Heart put on a great, albeit short show, that featured many of their greatest hits.

Heart opened up with a song many had forgetting about, the rockin’ "Wild Child" from the album Brigade. The haunting balled "Never" followed as the crowd sang along. Heart threw the crowd a bone with two of their most classic songs delivered back-to-back, "Straight On" and "Magic Man." The latter raised the energy through the roof as Heart had the crowd eating out of their hand. Nancy was dancing and high kicking throughout the song and Ann – her vocals are amazing. Hearing her voice recorded is one thing but hearing her live is another. Ann deserves all the praise thrown her way and actually may be a underrated. She is one of the best vocalists I have ever seen live. No one walks away from a Heart show without being astounded by her vocal prowess.

The band slowed things down for a folksy version of "These Dreams" followed by another ballad, "Alone." Next up, however, was a surprise for the Oklahoma City faithful. Thunder roared from the speakers as the band covered The Who’s "Love Reign O’er Me." Ann wowed everyone as she made mincemeat out of Roger Daltrey! The set ended with the powerhouse rocker "Barracuda."

Heart returned for an encore with Nancy wielding a mandolin. Always known as huge Led Zeppelin fans, Heart tipped the hat to the British rock gods with a chilling version of "Going to California." Ending the set was "Crazy On You." Nancy stole the show on this one as she pounded the acoustic so hard it is a wonder the strings didn’t snap in half. Heart left the stage to a standing ovation.