We still get to see all of the cool bands

One of the best things I have seen posted on Facebook resurfaced several weeks ago.

I may be old, but I got to see all the cool bands.

Fact is, I am still catching up on some of those bands, crossing them off the bucket list. St. Patrick’s Day was one of those opportunities when Journey and Toto played the Paycom Center. At first, it was supposed to be Billy Idol touring with Journey. When Toto replaced Idol, the interest was piqued.

Imagine, growing up in the 80’s and having never seen Africa performed live. When my uncle called Thursday morning with available tickets, it was a hard yes.

The concert was everything I hoped for and more. Toto was great and I have the videos on my phone to prove it. You could close your eyes and if

You could close your eyes and if you didn’t know better, you would have thought it was Steve Perry instead of Arnel Pineda on stage for Journey.

There is no proof, but I believe Arnel is a cousin of mine. You should have heard our family duet on Faithfully. Can you believe he has been Journey’s front man for 15 years?

The vocals were strong along with Toto’s. Not that I was surprised.

There are times I wind up in YouTube wormholes. I have a habit of watching band’s perform certain songs live throughout the years. Can they still play it as well as when it came out? Is there a drop-off from the 80’s through today?

How far am I pushing my wife Bonne’s patience after hearing Africa five times in a row?

Prior to COVID, Bonne and I caught up with some other bands from the 1970’s and 1980’s. We were sitting around one day and made an impromptu decision to see Reo Speedwagon and Chicago. It was a nice getaway and we had fun. It’s hard to be a good outdoor venue

Kevin Cronin can’t hit all the notes anymore but made it count on some of the bigger hits.

Chicago has a new front man who had been in a tribute band. It was the third time I have seen them in concert and each time, the brass section seems to be more enthusiastic about their role, particularly the trombone.

That’s all I have to say about that. We also saw Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Heart. Two bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the same night. I was looking forward to Joan Jett and she was great.

Heart was on another level. Seeing Nancy Wilson’s guitar solo at the start of Crazy on You was another bucket list moment. Ann Wilson’s voice was amazing. She was 70 years old and sounded like she had been transported in time from the 1970’s.

In addition to the hits, Ann Wilson covered Stairway to Heaven, and it was magnificent.

There are other concerts that hold a place in my heart. The Guess Who played a place called In Cahoots. I got to hear American Woman and thanked them afterward for being awesome.

I loved seeing Kool and the Gang at Frontier City and converted some friends into fans. There was also the Gin Blossoms at the House of Blues in Houston.

Too bad many of the concerts took place before Facebook. Thanks to social media, once a year, past videos show up on memories. Some of my favorite songs come back to life. In some cases, I provide backup vocals.

Thanks to Journey and Africa, there will be some great memories to look forward in the upcoming years on St. Patrick’s Day.

Michael Pineda is the managing editor for The Yukon Review. He can be reached at mpineda@theyukonreview.com.