Saturday night saw some of the most iconic tunes in rock history brought to PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
A trifecta of legendary acts — Steve Miller Band, Journey and Def Leppard — rocked the stage with a battery of hits that will be long remembered. They might not all have their original lineups, but each band was the picture of longevity.
A perfect example was Steve Miller himself, the last remaining founding member of his namesake band. At 80 years old, Miller sang with the same smoothness and power that he brought to the band’s records in the ’70s. He was spry and spirited when he greeted the crowd. “Are you all ready to have some fun this afternoon? Well let’s get with it!” he said before launching into “The Stake,” the first song of the show, which quickly put Miller’s still-killer guitar skills on display.
There is something to be said for experience. Even in head-to-toe dark clothes in direct sun with the temperature settled in the mid-80s, Miller seemed at ease playing his hits. “Fly Like An Eagle” featured an ethereal keyboard opening that led into the song’s tick-tock-tick groove, while Miller gave a shout-out to Eminem after performing “Abracadabra,” an ode to its sample on Em’s new hit single “Houdini.”
He dedicated “Living in the U.S.A.” to the men and women in the armed forces all around the world, and during its big rock finish he yelled out, “Somebody get me a cheeseburger!”
It was fun to listen to him play with the vocal arrangements of songs he’s been singing regularly for almost five decades. Especially as the set wound towards its close and the band performed “Rock ‘n Me” and “Jet Airliner,” Miller was definitely feeling the heat but gave a great performance.
Of course, they had to wrap things up with “The Joker,” to the loud appreciation of the thousands assembled in the crowd. Miller gave a relaxed but impressive performance of the song, which is a great summer groove. He even used his guitar to make the wolf-whistle sounds featured in the song.
Before leaving the stage, Miller said, “Peace, love, happiness, take care of each other!”
Next up was Journey, who — in contrast to Steve Miller Band’s simple stage setup — were bombastic from the moment they began. Journey has, well, been through quite a journey as a band. Their last remaining founding member, Neal Schon, on guitar and backup vocals, seemed grateful to still be playing — and if the smile on his face at many points during the set was any indication, he still loves playing music.
Journey’s biggest hits are made great in large part by the otherworldly vocals of ex-lead singer Steve Perry, who possessed arguably one of the all-time greatest rock voices. Perry left the band in the late 1990s, and they struggled to replace him for nearly a decade. Filipino singer Arnel Pineda was brought on in 2007 — a decision that, after seeing them live, was a great choice. Pineda has an absolute powerhouse voice that sounds almost eerily similar to Perry’s, and he is a passionate performer. In an orange patterned shirt and pink pants, he cut a unique figure under the flashing stage lights.
The band ran through a few upbeat hits like “Only The Young” and “Be Good To Yourself” to start out with, but didn’t neglect their classic ballads. On “Faithfully,” Pineda’s voice and Schon’s guitar were both plaintive and lush, and “Open Arms” sounded freshly emotional in the singer’s capable hands.
The band really let loose in the lengthy “Wheel In The Sky,” with booming drums and wailing guitars, and the bluesy “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” even featured a lovely piano solo.
But the crowd absolutely lost it when “Don’t Stop Believin’” started. The stands were shaking with the fans’ enthusiasm as Journey wrapped up with the bona fide classic — and looked like they enjoyed doing it.
Dark fell by the time Def Leppard’s countdown clock appeared on the big screen. The megahit hard rock band, now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a parade of hits in the 1980s, and they played all of them on Saturday night.
Unlike the other two bands, Def Leppard’s been rocking with the same members since the early ’90s, and it’s easy to tell. There’s an easy friendship between the group that radiates from the stage. They kicked things off with “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” which was appropriate, considering the hour and a half of music they played.
After the bouncy “Rocket,” lead singer Joe Elliott spoke to the crowd, letting everyone know that they were still celebrating the 40th birthday of their massive 1983 album “Pyromania” (all birthday festivities should be so long!). Then they launched into “Foolin’” from that album.
The whole band still sounds incredible. Elliott still has his famous growl, and while his higher register was a bit hit or miss, his voice fits the music like a glove. With his silver mane of hair and array of sparkly jackets, you’d almost expect to see him performing in a residency in Las Vegas, but instead he’s shredding on the guitar and serving up songs like “Animal” and “Love Bites.”
Later in the show, Elliott came out to the edge of the thrust stage and showed off his acoustic guitar abilities as well, with the poignant ballad “Two Steps Behind.” The rest of the band joined him in a show of love — for each other and music — with “This Guitar,” a standout moment.
Then they played most of the stadium rock anthem “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” acoustically, crashing back to the full band instrumental for the post-bridge solos and chorus, and the crowd teemed with energy. That electricity carried them through “Rock Of Ages” and “Photograph” before they left the stage.
The encore consisted of a perfect duo of tunes to end the night — “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” All three of Saturday night’s acts closed their sets with songs that are already classics and will undoubtedly remain so for a long time to come.
Alexis Papalia is a TribLive staff writer. She can be reached at apapalia@triblive.com.
