Journey rocks Grand Forks' Alerus Center with two hours of '80s hits
Mar. 3—GRAND FORKS — Generation X — and a whole bunch of others representing a variety of other generational cohorts — turned out in force as Journey rolled through its catalog of 1980s hits Saturday at the Alerus Center.
A crowd that must have numbered somewhere around 9,000 or more stayed until the end of Journey's two-hour set, which came after fellow 1980s rockers Toto started the night with an hour-long set that included hits like "Rosanna" and "Africa."
"This is a football field? It's wild," Journey guitarist Neal Schon, one of Journey's co-founders, said as he looked across the Alerus Center's floor. "You guys are wild. How are you doing tonight?"
The answer — if a singular response could have been discerned — most likely would have been a resounding "great," or, as it would have been proclaimed in the '80s, "awesome." And especially after the band broke traditional save-the-best-for-last protocol by rolling out "Don't Stop Believin'" just a few minutes after taking the stage.
The song, released in 1981, never reached No. 1 in the national charts but it still lives as a quintessential standard for most anyone who came of age in the 1980s, for those who want to feel like they did, or for whose who don't care at all about the 1980s and only remember the song as the soundtrack to the confusing finale of the massively popular HBO series "The Sopranos" in 2007.
When keyboardist Jonathan Cain (who midway through the show donned a UND hockey jersey) played the well-known opening riff just three songs into Journey's set, the Alerus Center erupted.
The concert was part of the band's 50th anniversary tour, dubbed Freedom Tour 2024, which began in February in Mississippi and which now is working its way through the Upper Midwest. The group played in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday, followed by a show in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Thursday, and then Saturday's gig at the Alerus Center. From here, they're off to Winnipeg for a Monday night concert.
When Journey's members take the stage, they aren't skipping the good stuff. Rather, the group is spending its 30-city 50th birthday party focusing on the hits that pushed the band into superstardom in the '80s and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Saturday, they started with "Only the Young" and a few minutes later jumped into "Don't Stop Believin.'" Then came "Lights" and "Send Her My Love" — which lead singer Arnel Pineda dedicated to "all the ladies of North Dakota" — and other standards before a late-set run that included soft-rockers "Open Arms" and "Faithfully."
The night ended with a crescendo: "Separate Ways," "Be Good To Yourself" and "Any Way You Want it."
As the opener, Toto's show lasted an hour, with "Hold the Line" and "99" at the top of the set list.
"This is great, man," guitarist Steve Lukather said at one point during Toto's performance, which generally was more reserved and intimate than Journey's set. "We're going to do one for all you lovers out there. This one's for you."
Toto then kicked off the ballad "I'll Be Over You."
The group covered the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," performing it in the style of Joe Cocker's famous Woodstock cover, and also reminded the audience of the band's roots as a session group for other performers. At one point, band members played snippets of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and "Billy Jean."
But it was back to the band's basics after that, with "Rosanna" and "Africa" culminating the set.
Next at the Alerus Center, Chris Stapleton returns on April 4. The country star
played to a crowd estimated at approximately 15,000
when he played the venue in 2022.
