Wichita Theatre: Faithfully
The Eagles formed in 1971 and broke up in 1980. Journey formed in 1973 and went on hiatus in 1987. I won’t tell you what I was doing during any of that time frame. Although their music was popular when I was growing up, I was too young to appreciate them, let alone even think about seeing them in concert. However, both of them were major bands for a reason, and I developed a fondness for their music over time.
Journey actually performed in Durant, Oklahoma earlier this year, although I had a commitment and didn’t go. The Eagles are also touring, but they don’t plan to get much closer to Texas than Denver. However, the Nashville-based Eagles/Journey tribute band, Faithfully, was visiting Wichita Falls during its Texas tour, and I thought it would be a fun evening of live music and familiar songs at the soldout Wichita Theatre.
The building itself, constructed as an opera house in 1908, still has its art deco painted ceilings. The stage was decorated with the sets from The Spongebob Musical, which still had a few more performances before they concluded its run. Concessions were available beforehand, offering a variety of snacks such as popcorn and drinks. Horseshoe Bend Cellars and Winery offered wine-by-the-glass or by-the-bottle.
There were four members onstage: John Allen, on lead vocals; Brian Powell on bass guitar; Vincent Peters giving a strong performance on lead guitar; and Tommy Lee on drums. Allen and Peters were the backbone of the act, and have been performing together for fourteen years. Faithfully had been touring with the Journey portion of its act since 2011, and had broadened into its Eagles covers more recently.
They opened with the Eagles portion of their set. There were eight songs, opening with Life in the Fast Lane, and including Tequila Sunrise, Take It Easy, and Desperado. This portion of the act closed with Hotel California, during which we had the fun of live music, where the vocalist accidentally blanked on some of the lyrics. The crowd was warm, friendly, and enthusiastic, so we all restarted and sang along a little louder. The backup singers erred on one echo, but few noticed it, and the song finished smoothly, leading into a 20-minute intermission.
Although the Eagles’ vocals were a little high and at the upper limits of Allen’s range, the Journey portion of the act was where the band really shone. We enjoyed nine songs in this portion of the performance, including Separate Ways, Any Way You Want It, Faithfully, and Wheel in the Sky. The encore number was Don’t Stop Believing, which was an upbeat ending to an excellent evening.
Wichita Theatre has a full and varied schedule to look forward to between now and Christmas, including “The One Story”, “Into the Woods”, “Forever Plaid”, and “The Grand Ol’ Chirstmas Show”.
In addition, they will celebrate their 115th anniversary from late September through late October, concluding with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” on October 28th.