Storms almost dampened Steve Miller Band, Journey and Def Leppard at Nashville's Nissan Stadium
From Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” and Journey’s “Faithfully,” to Def Leppard’s “Photograph,” Saturday night at Nissan Stadium was all about the crowd’s favorite songs. Decades worth of songs that seemingly everyone in the crowd knew every word to, even though some were from 40 years ago.
While rain poured down on Nissan Stadium less than an hour before Steve Miller Band was set to take the stage, the storms, which sent those already inside the stadium into safe places due to lightning, by showtime had rolled out and a nice breeze had settled in.
Miller, who you’d never guess is 80 years old, clad in a light blue dress shirt and black pants, reminded the crowd why he’s still doing what he does more than 50 years after his first hit. He has a catalog packed full of iconic songs and he can still sing and play them with ease.
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Miller took the stage a 6 p.m. with his Fender Stratocaster around his neck and began to play the familiar riff of “Fly Like an Eagle.” From there he rolled through “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock ‘n Me Baby” and “Abracadabra,” which he dedicated to Eminem.
“He asked me if he could use this song and I didn’t want to get in a beef with Slim Shady, so I said ‘Send it to me and I’ll check it out,’” Miller told the crowd. That ask became the building blocks for “Houdini” Eminem's 2024 single which debuted at the top of the Billboard Global 200 charts and it was, “all riding on those ‘Abracadabra’ tracks recorded in 1982.”
Miller wound up his hour-long set with familiar tunes such as “Jungle Love,” “The Joker,” and “Jet Airplane.”
Journey took the stage by storm. Literally.
As Journey took the stage around 7:30 p.m., the second wave of storms began to form over Nissan Stadium. The sky looked eerily dark and foreboding, but the band took the stage to celebrate their 50th anniversary despite the weather.
Thirty minutes in, rain started to fall in perfect timing with keyboard player Jonathan Cain’s piano solo. It was a beautiful moment that never escalated into a show-stopping storm. Just a gentle rain as a beautiful backdrop to Cain's cherry red grand piano.
The rain couldn't silence the powerhouse of a band that is Journey. Fronted by singer Arnel Pineda, who in 2007 took the helm as the spot-on vocal replacement for original lead singer Steve Perry, the band is able to flawlessly pull off original songs that are known for Perry's trademark vocals from "Faithfully," and "Open Arms," to "Only the Young," and "Wheel in the Sky."
While guitarist Neal Schon is the last remaining original member of Journey, Cain dates back to 1980 with the band.
Cain introduced a song he wrote about the sacrifices musicians make while on the road, saying to the crowd, "This was written on a late-night bus ride from New York City in 1982. These days," he added, "I get to thinking about other people making sacrifices. That would be the men and women who serve in our armed forces. So let's send this song like a prayer, and keep them out of harm's way."
The band launched into "Faithfully."
After rolling through hit after hit, Pineda and Cain came onstage wearing custom Tennessee Titans jerseys with the number "24" on the front for "Wheel in the Sky."
Drummer Deen Castronovo gave Pineda a run for his money on "Lights," where he sang (very well, we might add) and played the drums.
The band saved their biggest hit for last and went out with a bang (literally, with streamers being shot out of cannons) with "Don't Stop Believin.'"
Def Leppard revisits "Pyromania" album 40 years later
Unlike many bands that date back to the late 1970s, Def Leppard's current lineup has been consistent since 1992 when guitarist and vocalist Vivian Campbell joined the band to replace Steve Clark, who died in 1991.
And it shows. The five-piece consisting of singer and founding member Joe Elliott, bassist and founding member Rick Savage, drummer Rick Allen, guitarist and vocalist Phil Collen and Campbell put on a rock show that was laced with proficiency and a dash of swagger all held together with a chart-topping catalog of songs.
From "Bringin' On the Heartbreak," which dates back to 1982, through the many hits that came from the "Pyromania" album such as "Photograph," and "Rock of Ages," the members of Def Leppard proved they've still got it. Guitarists Campbell and Collen took turns on lead guitar, often playing together as well as backing each other up.
Midway through their set, Elliott came to the front of the massive catwalk with an acoustic guitar. Before playing, he urged the crowd to turn around and get a glimpse of the full moon that had been revealed as the clouds had rolled away. He then played "Two Steps," before being joined down front by the rest of the band. They dedicated "This Guitar" to the band's longtime friend, Nashvillian Alison Krauss.
The British rockers wrapped up the night with smash hits including "Hysteria," and the band's anthem, "Pour Some Sugar on Me," which was sung entirely by the masses inside Nissan Stadium giving Elliott a run for his money.
Before leaving the stage, Elliott thanked the Nashville crowd saying, "Let's do it again soon."
"Until next time — and there will be a next time," he told the crowd. "Don't forget us and we won't forget you."
Steve Miller Band Setlist
“Fly Like an Eagle”
“Serenade”
“Living in the USA”
“Abracadabra”
“Swingtown”
“Dance Dance Dance”
“Take the Money and Run”
“Rock ‘n Me Baby”
“Jungle Love”
“The Joker”
“Jet Airplane”
Journey Setlist
“Only the Young”
“Be Good to Yourself”
“Stone in Love”
“Ask the Lonely”
"Escape”
“Faithfully”
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin”
“Open Arms”
"Line of Fire"
“Wheel in the Sky”
“Lights”
“Separate Ways”
“Any Way You Want It”
“Don’t Stop Believin'”
Def Leppard Setlist
“Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop)”
“Rocket”
“Foolin”
“Armageddon It”
“Animal”
“Love Bites”
“Just Like ’73”
“Comin' Under Fire”
“Too Late For Love”
“Die Hard the Hunter”
“Two Steps Behind”
“This Guitar”
“Bringin' on the Heartbreak”
“Switch 625”
“Rock of Ages”
“Photograph”
“Hysteria”
“Pour Some Sugar On Me”
Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at [email protected], on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Steve Miller Band, Journey and Def Leppard bring decades of music to life in Nashville
