On Friday 10/21, we went to a concert at the Broome County Forum Theater. It was a fundraiser for Sock Out Cancer. The show featured Fran Cosmo, a former lead singer for Boston, and Steve Augeri, former lead singer for Journey. I wanted to go to see Steve. He was the lead singer when I was “that” Journey fan- went to every show in our area (we were in New England then), even went to two fan club things on the West Coast, including being there when they got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Got to meet the band and families several times. Steve and his wife, Lydia, are just two of the nicest people ever, and I have remained a Steve Augeri fan.
As for Journey- a lot happened (and is still happening) there, and all I will say is that I will always love the music, but as for the band? We broke up a while ago.
Anyway, I saw Steve post on his FB page about the show, and when I looked at tickets, there were still two seats in the front row, center section. I grabbed those suckers, trust me! We went to dinner at a really good restaurant right by the theater. They do a lot of small plates, so we ordered a few to share. Everything was so good!
The theater itself is very pretty. Either it was preserved well or has been restored, and it looks lovely. The show itself had three acts. One was the Philip Myers Band, who are essentially a band that hires out for corporate events, fundraisers, and the like. In keeping with the theme of the night, they did covers of 80s music: Elton John, Toto, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen. They have a female vocalist who did a nice job with Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll”. They were good. Then there was Anton (guitar) and Fran (guitar and vocals) Cosmo of Boston. They did a set of Boston songs. I am not a huge Boston fan, so I can’t list them all, but of course, “More Than a Feeling” and “Peace of Mind” were included. And Steve-
He did a set of Journey hits:
“Separate Ways”, “Stone In Love”, “Faithfully”, “Lights”, Don’t Stop Believin'”, and “Any Way You Want It”. He looked and sounded great! He got the audience on their feet, dancing and singing, which made me happy! I am often disappointed when we go to rock shows these days, and the audience is all these old people who don’t think they can stand and dance anymore! It was so much fun!
The only disappointing part was that the sound wasn’t all that great. Too much of the time, the vocals were just drowned by too much, too loud guitars in the mix. Yeah, we are picky about sound at shows, but hey, I paid to hear the whole band, not just the guitars.
After the show, Philip Myers said they would come out to the audience, so we stuck around. I got to chat with Steve for a few minutes, and got the obligatory picture!
It was a fun night. I love live music. It always makes me happy and recharges my soul.
Here are a few pictures:
My latest published book:
“Crossed Wires and Other Very Short Stories”. Twelve scifi and twelve fantasy short stories that can each be read in minutes. Available now Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and most other e-book retailers. More information here
I have written science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy stories. There are novels, novellas, and shorter pieces to fit everyone’s reading time. There are even some free stories, both here on the site and in other places. You can go here to find out more about the books I have published. They are available at Amazon, Smashwords, and most ebook retailers. Thank You
And So On... 