Episode 60: In Which Jessica Attends The Most Epic of Concerts...ever....almost

Ok...well actually if you ask me the most epic of concerts ever was last summer when Kansas, Styx, and Foreigner played together. Unfortunately...I was always in the wrong place in the wrong time for those (they were in Utah when I was in AZ and in AZ when I was in Utah..talk about lame!

Anyhow, this concert was pretty epic too.

I'm not a big concert person really. I'm definitely not the dance in the aisles, sing along, scream like crazy, tons of energy person. Actually for this concert I stayed sitting for most of the time...and I probably sang pretty loud but I wouldn't know because I couldn't even hear me in my own head...except that I know instinctively that I was horribly off key =P

Generally I avoid concerts altogether. Besides this one, I just went to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert once. That was terrible English.

But I knew as soon as I happened upon this concert (by complete accident) that I HAD to go!

And I was right. I had so much fun! It was incredible and I might be converted to concert going. Maybe.

Night Ranger opened for them and though I didn't know much of Night Ranger before the concert (I found they were quite popular in Japan though on wiki) I very much enjoyed them. I shall have to look them up on grooveshark or something.

After Night Ranger came Foreigner and they were AMAZING. I think MAYBE I enjoyed them more than Journey. I dunno...the lead singers had different types of energy and I think I enjoyed the way the lead singer of Foreigner ran from one end of the stage, toting the entire microphone stand when he went.

Andrew has a complete list of songs that Foreigner played...I'll try to remember everything I can. Rest assured it was all the good ones.

• Cold as Ice
• Head Games
• I wanna Know What Love Is
• Hot Blooded
• Dirty White Boy
• Waiting For a Girl Like You
• Double Vision
• Urgent
• Jukebox Hero

With the exception of that last one, that's not the order in which they were played...just the order I remembered them.

They left the stage before they played Jukebox Hero and I'm pretty sure my jaw was on the floor. I didn't know how they could leave before they played that! Luckily, I was right, they couldn't leave. They came out for an encore and that is what they played. If you think its exciting to hear a song you love on the radio (so much different from hearing it on your IPod because there is so much more luck involved with the radio) wait until you hear a song you love at a concert. It's not really luck because they only really play their hits...but I got goosebumps.

After Foreigner, it was Journey's turn. They started out with Separate Ways and once again, I got goosebumps. I got goosebumps just writing that.

Journey's set list looked something like this (and there is NO way I'll remember everything)

• Separate Ways
• Open Arms
• Lights
• Wheel in the Sky
• Faithfully
• Only the Young
• Ask the Lonely
• Stone in Love
• Don't Stop Believin'
• City of Hope (from their new album)
• Anyway You Want It

That's all I can remember right now. There were a couple that I didn't know the names of and I think 2 more songs from their new album which came out in June. 

The concert lasted about 4 and a half hours. Andrew didn't want to get stuck in traffic at midnight so after Don't Stop Believin' we left. I had heard what I thought was everything that I wanted to hear...I had heard Separate Ways (possibly my favorite song), Wheel in the Sky, Lights...what else was there?

As soon as we were out of the stadium it erupted in "Anyway You Want It" and I stopped dead. I looked at Andrew and said "HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THIS SONG!?!?!"

We were already too far away to go back in before it ended but we stayed outside and listened. I was super bummed that we had missed that song, I was almost crying. But there was nothing for it. At least I could still hear, though I have to say I was in such a state of shock that I barely heard the song anyhow. 

That was the only downfall of the night. and traffic wasn't bad at all because the stadium was in Sandy...where I used to live so I knew all the backroads anyhow. *sigh*

Well lesson learned and oh well. It was still and AMAZING concert. I loved every second of it! And yes...I may or may not have gone to the Styx website today and discovered they are playing in Salt Lake on September 23rd. How conveniently close to my birthday. Andrew already said we could go. =P

Like I said...converted :)