Stadium of Fire 2015

Neither of us have ever been to Stadium of Fire before. I mean, who wants to give up there Fourth of July to see some country wailer strain their way through some so-called hits? Not us. But this year was different. This year the headliner was Journey.

Natalie and I wouldn't describe ourselves as Journey fans, but we are definitely rock-n-roll fans. And of course, we know all the Journey hits: Faithfully, Don't Stop Believin', Anyway You Want It, Open Arms, etc. Then Grandpa Ockey said he had 4 free tickets as he was performing (in the colorguard, not with the band!), and we were all in. Mom, Dad, Mark, and our nephew Nate made the trip.

Montel Williams was the MC!

Grandpa Ockey is ...well, if you know who he is,
you'll be able to pick him out in the middle of all those white shirts.

We were slightly worried about that plane on the left, but we loved the flyover.

The seats weren't exactly great, but the show was. We were actually sitting at an exact 90 degree angle to the stage, so you couldn't see anyone that went back from center stage. But the new lead singer for Journey never went back there. He did run all around the front of the stage, into the pit, up along the aisles, and into the hearing impaired session, much to the chagrin of the security guards.

Mark was super-impressed with his first rock concert, and all we've listened to in the van for the last week is Journey. Now Dax and Seth are even begging to listen to them.

It was a fun group!

Mark loved using the phone flashlight.

The rest of the show was really cool, too. It was a tribute to rock-n-roll, so all the fireworks were timed to old rock hits. The fireworks were shot directly over our heads, and we were literally picking ash and paper out of our hair. Sometimes we'd even get hit by a larger piece that stung a little.

The fireworks were directly over us. It was awesome!

But we had a great time. The only awkward moment was watching Grandpa Ockey in his full dress uniform stoicly saluting the Star-Spangled Banner as it was screeched out on the electric guitar. You could almost hear his blood boiling, but he made it through.

All in all, I could see myself at Stadium of Fire in the future-- if they ever bring another rock-n-roll band!