by LHS Contributor Misty I.

Do you have a favorite 80ʻs band?  That is a hard question for me to answer since I am a fervent fan of 80ʻs music.  If I had to choose, Iʻd have to divide the decade into “early 80ʻs” and “late 80ʻs”.  My fav late 80ʻs band would have to be Bon Jovi with their iconic “Slippery When Wet”album.  But when it comes to early 80ʻs bands, my favorite would have to be none other than Journey!  The way I listen to Journey has evolved over the years from cassette tapes to CDʻs to Pandora but my love for their songs has remained the same.Recently, my friends and I made plans to attend a Journey concert at the Neil Blaisdell Arena on the island of Oahu.  We decided to splurge and get the VIP Party Package since only one of us had seen Journey in concert before.  The VIP package included a pre-show reception with drinks and pūpū.  We always have so much fun when we are together that we often lose track of time, that night was no exception.  While getting ready we had so much to talk (and laugh) about that we got to the reception an hour later than we had planned.  By then we were hungry and loaded our plates with the local style buffet. The offerings included nigiri sushi, beef, chicken, fried noodles, fruits, and veggies.  Our VIP package also included a Journey goodie bag upon check-in.  It included a commemorative Journey concert ticket, concert lanyard, tote bag, water bottle and beach towel.We found our seats in the third row easily and got settled.  The stage was set up with all of the instruments and a gigantic Journey logo was the backdrop.  At 8:29 pm the lights were dimmed and the newly-inducted Rock Nʻ Roll Hall of Famers appeared on stage! The first song they sang was “Love Will Find You.”Arnel Pineda is the lead singer for Journey and I thought he was fantastic!!!  Lucky for us he has similar vocal aptitudes of the former legendary lead singer, Steve Perry.  Pineda belted out classic Journey hit after hit and when I look back at my videos of that night he really sounds like Steve Perry.  For me, the zenith of the concert was hearing “Faithfully” sung live for the first time, absolutely haunting.  Pineda is also very agile on stage.  Heʻs like the Filipino version of former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth.  We watched him flip his mic in the air as he easily jumped from platform to platform. He moved so quickly around the stage that I actually lost track of him a couple of times.For fun, I polled my friends that night on their favorite Journey song and Iʻm not surprised with the results. “Faithfully” was the most popular choice followed by “Donʻt Stop Believinʻ” and “Open Arms.”I loved attending the Journey concert!  More importantly, I loved spending time with great friends and enjoying it together!  Please, if you find that an artist/band you love will be playing in your neck of the woods, don’t hesitate, buy your tickets and just go!  We ainʻt gettinʻ any younger!