Rock Candy

You can check out my review of Journey/Def Leppard on our website under "music reviews" from Thursday on, and of course rocking Matt Smith was there, too Monday night, and here's his view, from all over Alltel Arena:

I LOVE ALL ACCESS. I really do. That’s the name of the company, and you
should check them out. See if they are representing someone on tour that you want to see LIVE. Currently, they are offering the 5 STAR VIP package
on the JOURNEY / DEF LEPPARD tour. We have seen this show three times
this year. ALL ACCESS has helped us every time. The service and experience at every concert has been exceptional.

We arrived at Alltel arena a couple of hours before show time. They
provide VIP parking, and immediate entrance to the facility. A rep meets
you, and on the Leppard tour it has been the same person all year. They get your VIP passes and tickets for you, and take you in to a party room that is catered with drinks and food. Your ACCESS package includes T-shirts,
programs, and front row tickets. You are allowed to visit the merch booth
before the venue opens, just in case you need more paraphernalia from the
band. The party rooms are comfortable, and it’s an all you can eat/drink
bar. You get to the concert, park, get inside, get a drink, buy your shirts and are able to sit down hassle free. No problems, no lines and no headaches. Obviously, everyone doing this is a hardcore fan. In Colorado the band members came to the VIP party to meet everyone. The guys from Journey actually talked for a quite a while beyond the meet and greet time.

We enjoyed the show at Alltel. The concert was fine, and this is a good venue. I know some people don’t give the arena the props it deserves, but it’s a better venue than: Lincoln, Nebraska or Sioux Falls, South Dakota or Jackson Mississippi, or Birmingham, Alabama – just to name a few.
However, I still say Red Rocks Colorado is the ultimate concert venue.
Some one could argue about the greatness of an in door facility, but for an amphitheater, Red Rocks is second to none.

Jim Harris from The Arkansas Times was at the show. I will leave the heavy lifting of the concert review to him. Sadly, I didn’t get to have a drink with Jim. But, Jeff Allen, Whitney, and Dennis Allen from THE POINT KKPT
94.1 FM were there for a few. Who else? Well, the rock faithful that
don’t miss a show in Little Rock, such as Heather one of the Sirens of
Arkansas Twisters fame, and Oak Lawn’s own Mark The Magician. Blake,
Sharpe Dunaway, and Lindsey from MAJIC 105.1 FM KMJX have also been know to throw back a few with us.

JOURNEY did a wonderful job. I don’t say this lightly, either. I was a harsh critic of their performance at Red Rocks. In fact, I pretty much hated it. It wasn’t that way in Little Rock. The time on the road has really brought these guys together. The songs were tight, and sounded sharp. The road has seasoned Jeff Scott. He sounds so much better, and seems much more comfortable on stage. When I saw these guys in Colorado, he had just recently joined the tour. You could tell. Monday night in Little Rock, he appeared to be a professional.

This segment of the show opened with a guitar solo, then rolled into “Stone In Love”, “Ask The Lonely”, and “Wheel In The Sky”. The crowd came to life for “Wheel”. Scott gave veteran performances on “Message Of Love”, “Edge
Of The Blade”, “I’ll Be Alright”, and “Chain Reaction”. The second half
of Journey’s stage time was more over the top for this act. They pushed it up a notch. “Lights”, “Open Arms”, “Lovin’ Touchin”, “Escape”, and “Faithfully” were grouped together. They saved the big singles for the wrap up of the show.

We were center stage in the front row. So, the band members handed over the regular concert swag – guitar picks, pair of drumsticks, and the set list. I guess I am spoiled. When you are down in the front, with a pretty girl, it’s easy to get the bands attention! “Don’t Stop Believing”, and
“Anyway You Want It” brought the concert to an end. The encore song was
“Separate Ways”.

Hit up www.journeymusic.com or www.myspace.com/journey for more info. -- Matt Smith \