Review | In the Presence of Legends: Reliving the Glory Days with Steve Miller Band, Journey, and Def Leppard

It was 5:55 p.m. on August 25 — a Sunday evening. The stadium was absolutely buzzing.

A football game? Nope.

SoFi Stadium was hosting America’s other favorite pastime: the giants of classic rock, Steve Miller Band, Journey, and Def Leppard.

Admittedly, I’m late. Los Angeles traffic is truly a menace. And I had photography duties as well, so I was swept up immediately upon my arrival and rushed through the throngs of people. It was a sea of tight leather skirts, band merch, cheetah this and leopard that. In this stadium, forever loyal to the scent of greasy hot dogs, the ‘80s were back.

I was making my way down to the cave when I heard Steve Miller Band’s opening guitar riff to “Space Intro.” My view from the cave, or the tunnel from where the footballers run out, put the size of SoFi  into perspective. Though I was on the stadium floor, I still felt miles away from the actual stage.

I did enjoy the view from the video monitors, making the band look as if they were in an ’80s music video — think Lindsey Buckingham’s “Trouble.” Set against an otherwise very plain white background, Steve and the guys looked very coordinated in their all-black outfits and vintage guitars, playing with a contagious enthusiasm that rubbed off on the crowd.

Even the most casual classic rock enthusiasts (me) recognized more songs than not. You wouldn’t believe that he’s 80 years old. Nostalgia blinders off, if you’re seeing Steve Miller Band, it’s Steve Miller Band you are going to get — he’s still got it.

It makes me wonder what kind of lifestyle bands like SMB, Journey, and Def Leppard have to maintain to perform this well. A healthy one, I’d imagine. A stark juxtaposition from the other thing they were known for a few decades back.

We heard all the classics: Steve fired off licks from a blue sequined guitar for “The Joker,” the band played an energetic rendition of “Fly Like an Eagle,” and the crowd went bananas for “Abracadabra.”

Before Journey’s set, we were led to the sound board to assume our photographing position.

Anticipation. Anticipation. Anticipation.

The opening guitar line from “Only the Young” rang out and Arnel Pineda, the lead singer, leapt out onto the stage. The crowd wasted no time, rising to its feet.

Still quite far from the stage, the tricky part for the photographers was trying to find a way to photograph over the crowds. A few of us were forced to climb and balance on the barricade to gain a couple inches while we dutifully clicked away.

In the weeks leading up to the show, I had been reading mixed reviews about Pineda’s vocal performances. Some were overwhelmingly positive and others, equally as critical. I’m here to tell you that even though there were a few blips here and there, his voice was rich and captivating. He amped up the excitement as he jumped down from the stage and encouraged fans to sing with him.

Hearing Journey’s songs live was surreal. Songs that once dominated the airwaves so intensely that they became mere background noise suddenly felt like they were being heard again for the first time. Watching Neal Schon tear up his guitar solos in “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Jonathan Cain’s emotional piano introduction  in “Faithfully” was an experience both exhilarating and deeply moving.

What’s a great band without some inner conflict? I’m sure you’ve heard a little about the financial feud between Schon and Cain. As of a few days ago, it seems, according to a Rolling Stone article, that they’ve come to a resolution favoring Cain. At the time of this show, while they were still at publicized odds with each other, you would have never guessed. The two longest-standing members shared the stage, smiled, and played their hearts out.

I missed the end of Journey’s set, which, according to an outside source, ended with an explosion of confetti. The photographers were ushered into the pit for Def Leppard shortly after. A digital clock counted us down as we awaited the final act of the night.

The crowd went from a soft murmur to roaring with excitement as the lights dimmed. Impatience coated the air.

Emerging from the classic cloud of white smoke, the Lepp came out. And then we, doing what photographers do, chased them around from down in the pit, trying to get the best pictures we could while almost taking each other out with our giant lenses. There’s a camaraderie in it all, though. After a while, you get past the silly rivalries and judgments of each other’s setups.

Def Leppard are a bunch of glam rock showmen who know exactly what they are doing and have been doing it since 1977. They know how to build up tension, dangling what the crowd wants in front of their faces before actually handing it over.

These men have been playing for decades and are still incredibly dramatic. It’s inspiring, really.

Rick Savage wore floral silk bell bottoms, Joe Elliott whipped the standing mic around like a dance partner, and Phil Collen swapped guitars and matching scarves in nearly every song.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of their album Pyromania, the group played all their hits while also slipping in some heartfelt acoustic pieces like “This Guitar” — a song about how making music saved their lives, offering a softer side of their notorious hard rock sound. They sounded amazing — harmonizing together like the old days.

I got really excited when I began recognizing an acoustic introduction to “Bringing On the Heartbreak” — a song I forgot was theirs. They built up the anticipation, taking a beat of silence before bursting back on the stage, and electrically ripping through the second half of the song. The night was complete.

I left tired and hungry, but grateful. It’s not every day you get to see legends like these.

When I was a little girl, I would ride in my parents’ car and songs would come on the radio, and they’d question my brother and I, “Now who’s this?”

After a while, I always knew the answer, sometimes even more than my parents did. But I never thought that I would be photographing these same bands. It gets me a bit misty-eyed. 

“Don’t forget about us and we won’t forget about you,” Joe Elliott, lead singer of Def Leppard, promised SoFi Stadium.

More than 40 years have passed since these bands first formed. The stadiums are still packed and will always be packed.

So you best believe, we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.