Don't Stop Believin' - Journey - Monday Musings

Main Musing:

Seeing Journey at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas altered the course of my life. I had never been to a concert before (it felt like the closets of all my friends were stuffed with cool concert T-shirts...you know, the old baseball jersey kind with the blue half-sleeves).  I was worried that not knowing any of their songs [except maybe Open Arms] would make me look like a fool. I decided I would just “mouth” nonsense if someone happened to be looking my way.  I did however have my parents permission [which surprised me], the coolest chaperones (who took us to get a Naugles burger afterwards – thanks Mahaffeys!), and my own balcony seat ticket that overlooked their keyboard player Jonathan Cain playing “the whale”, his big red grand piano.

The first song started and BAM, everyone stood up! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY sat down for two hours. I walked out of the concert with my ears ringing and my little life completely blown away. I was baptized by rock and roll [insert: image of snobs fans of the Stones, Sabbath, Zep’lin, G n’ R, Nirvana, Metallica, etc., rolling their eyes at me].  
I HAD to do music.

Since that concert, I’ve played Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” at the start of every road trip I’ve ever taken. The first piano notes come on and I’m that balcony boy again. I thought “Don’t Stop Believin” would be the perfect song to start this blog.  (I was going to write “this journey”, but for the first time in my life I am going to avoid the easy, obvious pun) [insert: people fainting].

Cheers!

~Shane

Random Musing: 

Stuart Croslin…a VERY talented musician, actor*, all around amazing guy [insert: that I was very jealous of in High School]...wrote a song based on the Don’t Stop Believing chords…I was totally on to him! I was so mad that I didn't think of it first...using chords from SOMEONE ELSE'S SONG. What a great idea...but songwriting was MY thing, piano playing was MY thing. How dare he be talented. How dare he. [Jump to the present] Kudo's for being awesome Stuart.

*Stuart got to play Danny in our high school’s production of Grease when the lead actor contracted jaundice (which is another story).  I secretly wanted to be Danny so bad, but was stuck singing “Beauty School Drop Out”.  Stuart nailed it though...he was always so prepared. Stuart was, um, height restricted though, and had to stand on a box to kiss Alison Keele, the Mormon girl playing Sandra Dee in hot pants...those Suh-uh-mer Niiiii-aights!)

Coming up: Song Form and Rhyme Scheme on Tuesday…

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iTune links to song mentioned in this article:
Don't Stop Believin'
Open Arms
Beauty School Dropout

Summer Nights