July 12, 2008:

USANA Amphitheatre offered a great triple-bill concert last night: Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey. All of the bands seemed to put forth great efforts. Ann Wilson of Heart still has an amazingly powerful voice. Journey's new front man Arnel Pineda [see accompanying photo] was also very impressive. Considering the weak national economy, it was surprising to see the massive crowd. I assume that most of the attendees bought their tickets months ago when the economic outlook was a bit brighter.

Despite the talent and efforts of the performers, it was very difficult to enjoy the show. Many members of the crowd displayed a general lack of courtesy. One lady, who actually had a pretty good singing voice, seemed determined to prove that she could sing better than Ann Wilson and that she knew every lyric to every Heart song. The lady must've been thrilled to have such a large audience. Unfortunately for me, I paid money to hear Ann Wilson. Halfway through Journey's set a couple of men behind me used their shouting voices to discuss work-related issues and perhaps also an alimony situation. They rambled for quite some time. Blah! There was a long line for the women's bathroom, so several women with gleeful smiles entered the [full] men's room in order to relieve themselves. Some of the men at the urinals seems quite startled. Seems like a big liability to me. Get more restrooms USANA! An amusing moment involved a tipsy man in the bathroom who approached a row of urinals. He shouted forth his pleas that everyone be careful and not "miss" because he was wearing flip-flops. Many in the lawn crowd seemed to value partying over an opportunity to hear world-renowned musical artists. I hope the people in the seats near the stage showed appreciation for the bands.

Related Links:
Arnel Pineda/Journey Video Feature (CBS News)

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