It’s been a very long time since so many mega hit songs were played in one concert at Wells Fargo Arena. Sunday night, classic rock royalty Dave Mason, The Doobie Brothers, and Journey brought the “San Francisco Fest 2016” tour to Des Moines for a night full of smash-hit sing-alongs.
Dave Mason opened the show with raw talent. Given that Mason wasn’t the biggest name on the bill, he’s the only one of the night’s three acts that’s actually a member of the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame for his work with Traffic. He performed his hit, “We Just Disagree” and it reminded you that not only did that song exist, but how great of a song it was.
The Doobie Brothers have long suffered (like Journey) because of who is no longer in the band and not the members that carry on the name proudly. Michael McDonald may not be on stage with them, but that doesn’t stop the large group from really rocking. The band’s sound is as full as they come with three guitarists and two drummers among saxophone, keyboards, bass, and vocals. Combined, it makes for one of the most fulfilling sounds you could hope to hear from a stage. They’re like a great sandwich with more meat than you were expecting.
Listening to The Doobie Brothers perform live serves as a reminder of just how many great songs are in their catalogue. Songs like “Jesus is Just Alright,” “Black Water,” and “Rockin’ Down the Highway” sounded fresher than they should given they’re decades old. Chalk that up again to the full sound of the band.
The more than 10,000 at Wells Fargo Arena were really feeling The Doobies throughout their set. It wasn’t just the music, it was the musicianship on stage that really played well with the crowd. Mix that in with songs that everyone knows and loves and you’ve got about as well-rounded a concert experience as you could hope for from any band.
Journey is a band that has made multiple trips to Iowa in the last decade. They’ve played nearly every large house that will hold them including the Iowa State Fair and Wells Fargo Arena. Sadly, once you see Journey a few times, you start to realize that you’re not getting much new from the band. Lead singer Arnel Pineda exudes more energy than should be expected from a band that has been around more than four decades. The rest of Journey keeps it cool including the band’s only true original member, guitarist Neal Schon. Schon is one of the better guitarists in rock and treated the Des Moines crowd to a few bars of Prince’s “Purple Rain” during a long solo inside “La Do Da.”
The problem with Journey’s live show is that it hasn’t changed much over the years. The only major change for Journey since they last played Des Moines (outside of Pineda’s shorter hair) was the re-addition of Steve Smith to drums. Smith was with Journey during the band’s heyday in the late 70s and early 80s. Otherwise, many songs are in the same places in the set as they have been for the last several years. Schon still treats the crowd to an guitar version of The Star Spangled Banner like he’s done for years. It may be nice to feel like you’re not seeing the same regurgitated show each time a band comes to town.
Speaking of our town, the band definitely knew where they were. Pineda’s constant shout outs of Des Moines early on earned cheers from the crowd, but over time, fans realized that it was just how the band would refer to the crowd throughout the evening. One smile-inducing moment came when bassist Ross Valory shouted out the Iowa Cubs saying that the band likes to hit up “the ballgame” whenever they come into town and “How about those Cubs?!” It’s an entirely feasible proposition that the band could have stopped at Principal Park considering the Iowa Cubs had a late afternoon game that day.
Where The Doobie Brothers do a great job with connecting with the audience, the audience seems to just connect with Journey’s songs. There’s lots to sing along with and Pineda’s hyperactive energy keeps things interesting on stage, but you have to wonder if even the band would like to switch things up from time to time. But when you’ve got 10,000+ eating out of the palm of your hand during “Don’t Stop Believin’,” why fix what isn’t broken?
SETLISTS
The Doobie Brothers:
Jesus is Just Alright
Rockin’ Down the Highway
Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)
Dark Eyed Cajun Woman
Spirit
Sweet Maxine
Eyes of Silver
Clear as the Driven Snow
Takin’ It to the Streets
The Doctor
Black Water
Long Train Runnin’
China Grove
Encore:
Without You
Listen to the Music
Journey:
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Be Good to Yourself
Only the Young
Star Spangled Banner
Stone in Love
Any Way You Want It
Lights
Open Arms
Who’s Crying Now
Escape
La Do Da
Wheel in the Sky
Faithfully
Don’t Stop Believin’
Encore:
Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’
