Mix together the classic tunes that you know every word, riff, and drum beat, add in the new tunes that have the same great sound and quality with a healthy dose of energizing and inspiring stage performance and, you have the ingredients that made up the Journey concert August 12th 2008, at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
Before Journey came on stage the lights went out and on a huge digital monitor at the Amphitheater came Journey’s signature scarab, signaling that they were about to come on stage, and the thousands in 
attendance went absolutely nuts screaming to the top of their lungs.
The show started with an all dark blue smoke in the air and you could see only one blue light shining on Neal Schon and his guitar as he began a solo leading in to one of their newest tracks “Never Walk Away” from the newly released CD entitled “REVELATION”; by about the middle of the solo the lights came up on stage and you could see Arnel Pineda front and center with Deen Castronovo behind him on drums, and beside him was Ross Valory and Jonathan Cain on guitar.
Throughout most of the show the fans in attendance were on their feet singing along to every word of Journey’s classic tunes such as “Separate Ways”, “Lights”, and “Stone in love”, as well as some of the new ones “Change For The Better”, and “Wildest Dream”.
At one point in the show Jonathan Cain settled down on his piano and broke into a solo that led into the soulful ballad “Open Arms”. Couples in the audience began dancing as Arnel Pineda belted out the vocals beautifully.
When the band broke out into the familiar, pedal to the metal inspiring, guitar riff for “Separate Ways”, you could see Deen Castronovo spinning the sticks round and round, tearing up his drum set, and the crowd went wild with enthusiasm, energy, and loads of hand clapping and fists pumping in the air.
Arnel Pineda definitely commands your attention with an overwhelmingly energetic and interactive stage presence, and you could see him jumping off the drum riser, interacting endlessly with the crowd no matter where they were sitting, and his tornadic spinning during “Wheel in the Sky” could have brought any house off its foundation.
You can definitely tell that Journey was reveling in every second of every minute that they were on 
stage and have not lost any of their class, enthusiasm, or love of their music and devoted fans, and Arnel returned that devotion by reaching out into the crowd, shaking hands, signing autographs, and even embracing the fans.
To close the show, they sang “Be Good To Yourself” and left the stage. Of course, you knew that wasn’t the end. The crowd never left and minutes later they returned to the stage for a double encore performing, “Anyway You Want It” and “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin”.
Upon exit of the show, I had the opportunity to speak with a few of the younger generation in attendance, and according to Amanda Saia, Rachel Francis, and Christina Henderson who were graciously bestowed drumsticks from Deen Castronovo, they had one word for the show, and that was “AWESOME”.
I could not have said it better myself.
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