Hi All,
It's been awhile since I've posted, so I'm just going to throw some random thoughts out.
One thing on my mind this week is the impending announcement of Journey hiring vocalist Jeff Scott Soto as their new full time lead singer. Jeff has been in the lead singer role since July of 2006, having stepped in when previous singer Steve Augeri had to leave due to throat issues. From what I've read so far, it sounds like Steve A was never really that comfortable with the vocal style Journey required. Part of this is justified by the other members taking lead vocal shots during the recent "Generations" CD. Last month, I got to see the band with Soto as the lead singer, and I gotta say that he brought some energy back to the band. His level of enthusiasm was contageous, and the entire band appeared to be playing as it their lives depended on it. I could see how making Soto "full time" would help continue the current momentum they have going. From what I see, they have new "promo shots" with Jeff as part of the band, and the "official" announcement can't be far off. I see it as a good thing, even though I never really had a problem with Augeri.
On Sunday night, I was at the Bob Seger concert here in Grand Rapids. This was a "sold out" show, and there were plenty of 50-somethings wandering around. Now, I'm almost 42, and don't have a problem with an older crowd. My problem was with these folks acting like they were 20 again. Although I understand "reliving your youth", this went beyond that. As far as Seger, he sounded fair. Not outstanding, but good enough. No fancy lighting or introduction, and no live video feed to screens. Just the basic band, playing through the hits and some new music. In my opinion, it sort of came across as a giant "bar band". I would have like to see Bob give the tour a bit more thought, and have brought along some more of the current technology found at concerts (like the live video feeds). Overall, I'd give it a 7 out of 10.
This weekend, I will be catching the Jars of Clay concert here in Grand Rapids. I've never seen the band before, and have very little knowledge of their music. I'm going with a friend who has seen them before. I'm basically going along to get an idea of what the band is like live, and I'm not sure if I'll leave with any new opinion of the band. It would be nice to.
Other than that, I'm just kind of staying "inactive" in live performance, as I'm still not sure of what direction I want to go. After Sojourn went on hiatus, I'm just not sure what will best fit. I would like to do something more "rock", but I also realize that it's not exactly "credible" coming from a bunch of 40/50 yr olds. I'm leaning towards a more "coffeehouse" acoustic/folk/jam band type idea, but not sure about that either. I'm sure I'll eventually come to some conclusion.
That's enough for now,
Hammster
