The Miller Mortorsports Park was the scene. The sky was bright blue between the rather large clouds… light breezes made the Stars and Stripes wave beautifully at the huge crowd. The venue was general admission so there was a sea of blankets, scattered chairs, and an abundance of coolers… (Mr. Loo??)
We found our spot on the “Tommy Side” of the stage and staked our claim. Then we waited. And roasted. And waited some more…
When the show finally began, Kansas took the stage and did a great job of winning over the half-hearted crowd. Most of their songs were vintage Kansas. Great vocals and the electric violin is always fun, especially live, but judging from the audience, it wouldn’t have mattered how they played. We feel they truly still have the chops and definitely earned their spot on the stage with their tour mates.
After a brief set-up break, Foreigner played admirably. For their encore they brought out the Tooele High School Choir to add their voices to an exciting rendition of “I wanna know (What Love Is)”. As part of a VH1 fund-raising program, in each city Foreigner plays this summer, local high schools will be invited to perform with the band and will be given $1000 to support the arts programs in their individual schools. The kids did a great job!
Finally, after hours of impatient waiting, Styx was on! They, as always, did not disappoint. Their sound and set list were worth the wait–we were even given a surprise performance of “High Enough”. It was amazing! At the end of the show, as the last notes of “Renegade” sounded, the fireworks began in the eastern night sky. What a show!
In our opinion, the venue left a lot to be desired. There was very little authority presence. The rule of the day seemed to be ‘No Rules’. The parking was a joke not to mention getting out of the parking lot at the end of the show. The crowd was unruly at best… and we’re not talking the “fun, I’m at a concert” unruly. They were, for the most part, just rude. People were throwing/leaving trash everywhere. Despite the NO SMOKING signs and laws, there was smoke all around. There was way too much bumpin’ and grindin’–for a crowd that size, and mixed ages at that, folks were way too uninhibited. We realize everyone goes to concerts to have a good time, but if you are going to be that bold–get a room.
Hopefully our next chance to see Tommy and the boys will be a little less uncomfortable. And, it will take one heck of a show to get us back out to the Motorsports Park again…
June 1st, 2010 by jon | No Comments »