Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger bring hits, energy to Great Allentown Fair

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Do you want to know what love is?

Love is the sound of thousands of screaming fans singing in unison at the Allentown Fairgrounds.

Classic rock bands Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger took the stage tonight at the Great Allentown Fair, bringing with them a karaoke-worthy collection of hits and sing-a-longs.

Sure, the music sounded a bit dated; stuck somewhere in a time warp between Spinal Tap and Skid Row (even the computer-generated "band' on screen behind Foreigner had mullets). But that didn't stop them, or the crowd, from having a good time.

Night Ranger worked the crowd early on, hitting them hard and fast with an array of radio hits, including "Sister Christian'" and a spin through Damn Yankees' "High Enough."

Foreigner followed, though the band's only remaining original member, guitarist Mick Jones, was not in attendance. He was replaced by guitarist Joel Hoekstra, who split his time playing lead with Night Ranger and Foreigner.

Singer Kelly Hansen held his own and demonstrated impressive range, belting out Foreigner staples such as "Double Vision," "Cold as Ice," "Waiting for a Girl Like You,' "Urgent" and "Feels Like the First Time,' while whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

Halfway through the lighter/cell phone-friendly ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is," students from William Allen High School appeared on stage to sing the chorus.

"Makes you want to go back to high school and join the choir, huh?" Hansen joked.

On "Urgent," multi-instrumentalist Thom Gimbel busted out a saxophone solo which literally brought him to his knees and the audience to its feet.

Hoekstra continued to give his fingers a workout, melting his fretboard on a searing -- though by-the-numbers -- rendition of 1978's "Hot Blooded."

The group exited the stage, returning seconds later for the band's 1981 hit, "Jukebox Hero."

By the time Journey took the stage, oversized beach balls could be seen bouncing around the crowd as the band ripped through "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)."

As singer Arnel Pineda -- who was discovered in 2007 after videos of him singing surfaced on YouTube.com -- showed off his vocal prowess, the first question that immediately came to mind was 'Steve Perry who?"

With founding member and guitarist Neal Schon working his six-string with intensity and focused precision as the band continued into their song "City of Hope." Despite showing their muscle, the early half of Journey's set relied heavily on ballads, including "Stone in Love," 'Edge of the Moment" and the band's 1978 hit "Lights."

The band followed it up with an extended run through "Wheel in the Sky."

However, the focus on slower numbers seemed to sap some of the energy out of the crowd, still charged from Foreigner and Night Ranger's sets.


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