I remember the first time I heard the sweet sound of Journey.  I was 16 and he was 18.  I was in love for the first time, and the album was Escape.  It was 1982, and we danced in his father’s living room to “Who’s Crying Now.”  I loved that song then, and I still love it today.  I had no idea then that I’d see them in person in 1983 at “Oregon Grand Slam,” in Eugene, Oregon.

Fast forward over 40 years later and I would have the pleasure of seeing them for the second time.

Portland’s Moda Center was packed on this Labor Day evening.  The vibe was happy, excited, and carefree with the focus shining brightly on Journey’s drummer, Deen Castronovo (our local hometown hero.)  You could see the pride in the crowds’ eyes and hear chatter about Deen.

  • “He was an obvious star at age 16!”
  • “What an amazing talent!”
  • “I remember him in Wild Dogs — I still have a cassette tape somewhere.”
  • “He came to my jam a few years ago.”
  • “He came out and played with my band, very nice guy and great drummer!”
  • “He is my inspiration to play drums.”
  • “Did you know he played with Ozzy?”
  • “I have followed him since the Bad English days.”

Having known Deen myself in his early career with Wild Dogs, I must say that watching him play to thousands of people in Portland’s largest venue absolutely made me smile.

Shooting at the sound board and being 5’1,” was a bit of a challenge for me.  Being in the company of my fellow (and taller) photographers made it sort of comical.  Suffice it to say, my words here will likely be better than my photos.  You see, everyone hustled to their seats in the walkway in front of us or stood up from their seats as soon as Journey took the stage.

We shot the first two songs: “Only the Young,” and “Be Good to Yourself” in a whirlwind of time and exited the soundboard area as Neal Schon began what would be the first of two guitar solos.

Up next was “Stone in Love,” “Ask the Lonely,” “Escape,” “Who’s Crying Now,” and a beautiful tribute to the men and women of the armed forces in “Faithfully.”

The backdrop to the set was a large screen behind the band, with a smaller screen on each side.  The imagery was brilliant and colorful, highlighting the members from time to time.   “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin,” allowed the fans to witness the extended reprise outro, followed by Jonathan Cain’s talented piano solo.

If you can believe it, this was just the halfway point. The very energetic and talented Arnel Pineda, burst into a fan favorite, “Open Arms,” followed by “Line of Fire,” “Dead or Alive,” and a second guitar solo.

The smiles on the members’ faces, especially Neal Schon’s, were so big as they played “Wheel in the Sky,” in a lengthened version.  It was obvious that they love what they do.

Now, the moment everyone was waiting for – the moment it was announced that our own Deen Castronovo would sing “Lights.”  The roar was enormous, and Deen was spot on both in singing and drumming.  His smile was infectious, and I wondered how it felt to be a hometown boy playing for this enormous crowd.

“Separate Ways,” was up next followed by “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which was beautifully deafining due to crowd participation.  Looking around, there were lovers embracing, and smiles in every direction.

The show concluded with “Any Way You Want It,” and tremendous applause.

Of note, another home-town hero was on stage with Journey – Portland’s Todd Jensen on Bass.  Watching Todd and Deen interact at the conclusion of the show was really sweet.  Deen skipped across the stage in exuberance, tossing drum sticks to the audience in a soft underhand throw.

It was a really beautiful show.  I felt really proud to have known Deen.

Journey by itself would have been well worth any ticket price.  However, we had the pleasure of seeing Def Leppard as well, on this night.

I was lucky enough in my youth to see Def Leppard (November 4, 1981) in Portland, Oregon, in a small venue, for the High ‘n’ Dry tour.

Playing just as long as Journey, Def Leppard began their 18 song, 90-minute set with a brilliant screen showing a clock counting down the minutes until they arrived on the stage, with “Gods of War,” and the “Pyromania Intro,” teasing the crowd prior to actually seeing the members.

Joe, Phil, Rick A., Rock S., and Vivian approach the stage to deafening screams of anticipation and burst right into “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop).

In this smart set list, the crowd participation was loud!  Songs like “Rocket,” “Foolin’” “Armageddon It,” “Animal,” and “Love Bites,” really got the crowd going.

The cool thing about Def Leppard is the brotherhood and love of their band they share.  Except for Pete Willis (due to personal issues), and Steve Clark (RIP), the members Joe Elliott (vocalist), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), and the newest member, Vivian Campbell, have all stayed together.  While there was an original drummer, (Tony Kenning 1976-1978) I don’t know if he ever toured the states, so I left him out.)  Very often in my experience, a band with a 40-year tenure like Def Leppard generally has a long list of former members.

“Just Like ’73,” was next, followed by “Comin’ Under Fire,” “Too late for Love,” a shortened version of “Die Hard the Hunter.”

The band provided a breather for the crowd as they played an acoustic/electric snippet of “Two Steps Behind,” followed by the relatively new “This Guitar,” off of 2022’s Diamond Star Halos, with an outro of “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.”  The acoustic change gave us a few needed moments before the men of Def Leppard turned the energy back up with “Switch 625,” the uber popular “Rock of Ages,” and “Photograph,” where they exited the stage.

The crowd roared for more and the band returned to the stage with “Hysteria,” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”

While obviously older (aren’t we all?) it was just as exciting for me to see this beloved band in 2024 as it was back in 1981.  While Joe’s voice wasn’t always pitch perfect, it didn’t matter because they were, after all, Def Leppard.