Journey at the Vivint Arena

Last night I saw my first concert of 2022 and I certainly picked a good one to begin with!  Journey is a nostalgic favorite of mine and I have seen them in concert many times (including an epic show featuring Journey and Foreigner at Red Rocks in Denver with my friend Tony).  I haven't listened to their music for quite some time but, as they played all of their hits one after the other, I somehow remembered every single word of every song!  All the band had to do was play one or two opening notes to a song and the crowd would go crazy!  It was so much fun!  Normally I try to control myself because I realize that the people sitting around me didn't pay money to hear me sing but everyone in the arena was singing at the top of their lungs (sometimes Arnel Pineda would stop singing and hold his microphone out to the crowd, as lead singers are wont to do, and there would be no difference in volume).  The girl sitting next to me was probably about 15 or 16 and even she knew the words to every song which I thought was really cool.  As I mentioned, they played the hits for almost two hours starting with "Only the Young" and then continuing with "Stone in Love," "Lights," "Send Her My Love," "Who's Crying Now," "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," "Faithfully," "Open Arms," "Wheel in the Sky," "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," "Be Good to Yourself," and, finally, "Any Way You Want It."  There is always one song, usually a more obscure track, that I always hope the band will play and in this case it was "Girl Can't Help It" but I wasn't too disappointed when they didn't play it because they played my favorite song, "Don't Stop Believin'," really early in the evening!  Arnel Pineda, who has been with the band since 2007, is a great frontman because he sounds a lot like Steve Perry but he has been able to make the songs his own and he is so energetic.  He was running all over the stage and jumping off the speakers all night and I thought he was really fun to watch.  I had such a good time at this concert and, even though it got out really late, I'm so glad I was able to go!

Note:  The opening band was Toto.  I am not as familiar with their discography as I am with Journey but I recognized "Hold the Line," "I Won't Hold You Back, and "Rosanna."  Of course they ended their set with their most popular song "Africa" which got the crowd on their feet singing every word.  I enjoyed them, as well.