To break in his new car's stereo, we bought my dad a copy of "Journey's Greatest Hits." That was two years ago. In the past 24 months, the CD has not once left his car's player. The first five times through it was OK, but after that, it just led to tense family outings. There's only so much Steve Perry one can handle.
It was only a matter of time before he asked us to accompany him to a Journey concert. That time came on Saturday in Houston at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Not only was Journey performing, but Heart and Cheap Trick were opening up for them.
It was about two songs into Cheap Trick's act that I realized I was more interested in the people around me than the band on stage (because Cheap Trick was pretty boring). Some people tried to relive that last dance from their senior prom as they danced hand-in-hand to "If You Want My Love." Some came to sit back and enjoy the music. Others just wanted to stand in the way of everybody and party hard.
What started as three early-forty-something women dancing to the vocals of Robin Zander quickly evolved into a gaggle of douchebags (a scientific term). The group consisted of women in novelty cowboy hats, men with too much gel in their hair and one friend who actually thought it was okay to leave the house in a Kangol hat and a Bluetooth headset. With their $9.50 24-ounce Bud Lights in hand, they were ready to have a good time.
While I watched them awkwardly dance and mouth along to the words they didn't know, I thought: What do these people do now?
I tried to think about the events that had transpired to bring them to this place, at this time, with these friends, but I couldn't wrap my mind around it. All I knew was that I was mesmerized by their gyrations.
After Cheap Trick finally left the stage, Heart took hold of the audience and the Wilson sisters didn't let them go until the crowd's ears were bleeding with joy. Older sister Ann still has a set of pipes on her that are unrivaled, while the younger Nancy managed to display great talent on the guitar, harmonica and mandolin, with which she made me swoon to "These Dreams." They delivered the rush of adrenaline that Cheap Trick was lacking.
Finally, it was time for Journey. Steve Perry's vocals were an integral part to Journey's success back in the day, so it was unclear whether their latest lead singer, Arnel Pineda, would be able to match up to Perry's powerful tenor. When Pineda took the stage, had my eyes been closed, I would have thought Steve Perry was up there singing his biggest hits. His voice is a dead ringer. As they played "Only The Young" and "Any Way You Want It," it was clear not only that Journey has retained its glory, but also this concert was the largest gathering of cut-off shirt wearing, air-guitar playing mustachioed men this side of your family reunion. As Neal Schon dazzled ear drums with his speedy guitar skills, so did the Marlboro-smoking man next to me with his invisible Gibson Les Paul.
My mom was baffled by the mother and daughter in front of us who shared a joint as Journey lovingly performed "Faithfully." I tried to tell her they were just having fun, to no avail. It was just a moment of family bonding, sharing good music and illegal substances.
To no one's surprise, the band closed with "Don't Stop Believin'," and as we all sang our hearts out, I looked over at my dad. I've never seen my dad so into something, not even at the great Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire show of 2004. A smile on his face and a fist in the air, he sang along as if he were on stage with the band. I forgot about the douchebags, the middle-aged couples grinding and the scent of weed. I just looked on and loved that I got to witness my dad seeing his favorite band perform.
