Hugo w Journey - Night 2

[The_Noble_Cause]

For the September 1st Tokyo performance, Hugo sang Keep on Runnin and Faithfully.

I didn't watch Faithfully yet but the enthusiasm during KOR is palpable. Everybody is having fun and Hugo sounds good.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4IG61ry5I ... GssxYmp5x3

Is this possibly a soft launch and Hugo will finish the final leg of the tour stateside?

[youkeepmewaiting]

For the September 1st Tokyo performance, Hugo sang Keep on Runnin and Faithfully.

I didn't watch Faithfully yet but the enthusiasm during KOR is palpable. Everybody is having fun and Hugo sounds good.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4IG61ry5I ... GssxYmp5x3

Is this possibly a soft launch and Hugo will finish the final leg of the tour stateside?

Hmm you could be right... I thought Arnel had signed up for the second half but maybe not

Energy is great for Keep on Running ... sounds pretty good from what I can tell


I've no real interest in a Hugo fronted Journey but if its a means to an end to finish off the tour (or post your for the new Journey with Schon) then fair enough, and I'm happy for Hugo. Always seemed like a good guy

[jestor92]

Good performance, but I don’t know what they’re trying to do right now. They’ve already got Jason and Dean to give Arnel a break. I also know some people consider them the official Journey tribute band so they bring in a Journey tribute singer

[The_Noble_Cause]

Faithfully - round 2

https://youtu.be/GWKzsZhl5e4?is=6C11wN2G9-mvm_Z1

[brywool]

Both "Faithfully" and "Keep on Runnin" were done really really well on the 2nd night. No complaints and in the original key on the 2nd night. Keep in mind, all the singers started in the original key. Hugo may realize that he needs to go back to the 1/2 step down as a survival mechanism, he may not. To me, he pronounced some stuff weirdly (ie "Fawhhhthfully") on that first night. I get changing your vowels for certain words, but the first night it was altered too much for my taste. He got that together more on the 2nd night. People used to b*tch about Arnel's pronunciation, but I found this tweaked my brain more.

There've been complaints about the "thinness/whispiness" of Hugo's voice. To do what he does, he can't go balls out, especially at his age. That would just wear him out. To me, his vocal approach is much closer to the "Infinity" period for Perry. Imagine if after the "Frontiers" tour, Perry went back to singing like he did during the "Infinity" years. His voice would be roughed up (from the "Frontiers" approach) but he'd have that limitless range that he had during that 1977 period. That's what Hugo sounds like here to me. If his voice is resilient enough, this approach will serve him well and keep him from blowing out.

IMO, he's GOT to ditch the Steverisms though (the physical ones). That's going to backfire on him if he doesn't ("look alike", "trying to BE SP", etc.) This will probably delight all those that couldn't get past Arnel being Asian (which is really too bad that some couldn't get over it). Looks like Hugo darkened his hair a bit too, which he doesn't need. The way he goes up to Neal in "Faithfully" and air guitars- I would lose that immediately. Just too much like the Beatlemania thing for me.

I will miss Arnel. Sure, he had some issues, but he also has a lot of class and humility. That seems rare with this band in these times. And the stuff he did on his Journey albums was good. I wish Arnel great success too. I will keep watching for anything new that he does. I wish Hugo good luck. Been a fan of his for a long time.

[Jeremey]

I certainly wish no ill-will toward Hugo and have immense respect for the length of his career and doing his thing across decades of live performing.

But if Journey seriously is going to complete the final leg of their farewell tour across all the major markets they neglected the first time around - LA, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco - with a temporary fill-in singer who is over 60 years old and has no nationally known presence... that would be a debacle of epic proportions considering all the tickets that have been bought and logistics and everything that has already gone into this "farewell" tour.

I think it's far more likely that this is a test in a remote international market for either Neal or Jon to see if he's an option for whatever projects they have in the works after this farewell tour.

If Arnel were really to jet back to Manilla after these Japan dates and call it a day, I don't think there's any possible way the tour could continue.

Stranger things have happened in JourneyLand but that would be one for the books to be sure.

[OlHoag]

This is a weird, but interesting development for sure. I thought he sounded really good on both Day 2 songs. Lose the impersonation stuff and I'd pay to see this version. I had a few wow moments on the songs, that was listening to the cellphone recording. Just goes to show...you never know what the next day will bring in this world.

[Onestepper]

Outside of Hugo sounding good on those two songs, I really am just baffled by what they are doing. I guess I really don't need to know though. This band has never been transparent about how they go about their business, so why not end it this way too. Maybe it's just as simple as them looking at an option for post Arnel, since NS has made it clear he has no intension of going away. Even if it's in a different form.

The speculation, is the best part.

[Arkansas]

Faithfully - round 2

https://youtu.be/GWKzsZhl5e4?is=6C11wN2G9-mvm_Z1

Definitely better than the first time around. Pretty darned decent actually.

later~

[Arkansas]

I think it's far more likely that this is a test in a remote international market for either Neal or Jon to see if he's an option for whatever projects they have in the works after this farewell tour.

+1 (probably Neal)

later~

[kmjrr]

Faithfully - round 2

https://youtu.be/GWKzsZhl5e4?is=6C11wN2G9-mvm_Z1

That still sounds awful. Compared to this?

https://youtu.be/2JyXueugIjk?is=4n9X-OjuWS7UfjZS

[Loneman1]

Definitely better than the first night! I guess we will all see what this is all about down the line.

[Monker]

I think this is so embarrassing. Even just having Hugo perform with them is loopy. If this is relevant in any way, I hope it is for whatever happens after this tour is over.

[Monker]

Faithfully - round 2

https://youtu.be/GWKzsZhl5e4?is=6C11wN2G9-mvm_Z1

That still sounds awful. Compared to this?

https://youtu.be/2JyXueugIjk?is=4n9X-OjuWS7UfjZS

It sounds like Steve Perry during the Bill Graham Tribute...actually, slightly worse.

I'm amazed how well Kelty's voice has held up over the years. He still sounds really good. People may not like it but his version of Escape truly is the original Journey tribute band....origins dating all the way back to the early 90's.

[Monker]

For the September 1st Tokyo performance, Hugo sang Keep on Runnin and Faithfully.

I didn't watch Faithfully yet but the enthusiasm during KOR is palpable. Everybody is having fun and Hugo sounds good.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4IG61ry5I ... GssxYmp5x3

Is this possibly a soft launch and Hugo will finish the final leg of the tour stateside?

Hmm you could be right... I thought Arnel had signed up for the second half but maybe not

Energy is great for Keep on Running ... sounds pretty good from what I can tell


I've no real interest in a Hugo fronted Journey but if its a means to an end to finish off the tour (or post your for the new Journey with Schon) then fair enough, and I'm happy for Hugo. Always seemed like a good guy

I believe they would have to pay Arnel for the missed dates. Depending on how contracts are written, they may have to renegotiate whoever is handling the tour because "Journey" may be defined as a specific lineup. Some of this was in detailed in the documents during Smith/Valory/Nightmare counter suit.

[Jeremey]

These clips have bombarded my social media and I don’t even follow anything around Journey.

But back to the whole “why” of it all, am I the only one that noticed the Perry Beacon Theater outfit? Vocals aside the one thing I can’t figure out from these clips is why, upon getting this big break onstage with Journey, why trot out the whole Perry impersonation thing? The gestures, leaning and raising of the shoulder, the interaction with Neal, the outfit… like why come out and do the impersonation?

One thing that occurred to me is that huh this being their final farewell and obviously no chance of Perry coming out to perform with them, is there some chance they bring Hugo out at some point during the show as a “tribute” to Perry’s years with the band? That would be pretty cringe but Schon and Cain are not immune to cringe decisions.

[The_Noble_Cause]

But back to the whole “why” of it all, am I the only one that noticed the Perry Beacon Theater outfit? Vocals aside the one thing I can’t figure out from these clips is why, upon getting this big break onstage with Journey, why trot out the whole Perry impersonation thing? The gestures, leaning and raising of the shoulder, the interaction with Neal, the outfit… like why come out and do the impersonation?

Cuz that's his shtick and nostalgia is in, baby!

[youkeepmewaiting]

Re Hugo copying Perrys mannerisms… he’s been doing it forever, it will be ingrained in him now, I doubt he even knows he’s doing it at this point

[Monker]

Also, Jonathan introduced Hugo as a "friend of the band". When did this happen? Has Hugo been hanging out with Neal and Jonathan and become friends?

[Monker]

These clips have bombarded my social media and I don’t even follow anything around Journey.

But back to the whole “why” of it all, am I the only one that noticed the Perry Beacon Theater outfit? Vocals aside the one thing I can’t figure out from these clips is why, upon getting this big break onstage with Journey, why trot out the whole Perry impersonation thing? The gestures, leaning and raising of the shoulder, the interaction with Neal, the outfit… like why come out and do the impersonation?

One thing that occurred to me is that huh this being their final farewell and obviously no chance of Perry coming out to perform with them, is there some chance they bring Hugo out at some point during the show as a “tribute” to Perry’s years with the band? That would be pretty cringe but Schon and Cain are not immune to cringe decisions.

I was thinking more along the lines of, "Hey, we thought about bringing in Hugo for about a half second to replace Perry, 30yrs ago. We could bring him in for a couple songs and let the fans see what that would have been like. They will love it!"

It also would not surprise me if Jonathan is no longer part of Journey's decision making process. Or, he just doesn't care what Neal does any longer.

If this is a glimpse of "after Journey"...Neal bringing in "guest singers" is a fine idea, for "Neal Schon's Journey", or "Journey Beyond", or whatever he calls it. But, for the real band? Seriously? No, not cool...IMO.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Also, Jonathan introduced Hugo as a "friend of the band". When did this happen? Has Hugo been hanging out with Neal and Jonathan and become friends?

Jon played in Dubai at a Trump property with Hugo (and his band) in May 2005 doing Journey material. I posted about it on this forum somewhere. Honestly, I thought Neal was going to flip out about it.

[FamilyMan]

Also, Jonathan introduced Hugo as a "friend of the band". When did this happen? Has Hugo been hanging out with Neal and Jonathan and become friends?

Jon played in Dubai at a Trump property with Hugo (and his band) in May 2005 doing Journey material. I posted about it on this forum somewhere. Honestly, I thought Neal was going to flip out about it.

This definitely has a Cain vibe - especially with the adoring intro. It's all utterly ridiculous, and couldn't be more offensive to Arnel, their workhorse all these years. Once he leaves, they should "do whatever they want to, with whoever they want to." But 'fracturing the stone' is clearly all they consistently know how to do.

[The_Noble_Cause]

It's all utterly ridiculous, and couldn't be more offensive to Arnel, their workhorse all these years.

Weren't you involved with that CBS Arnel puff piece that dismissed workhorses, Augeri and JSS, as "never capturing the Perry magic" or something equally offensive? Maybe sit this one out.

[brywool]

am I the only one that noticed the Perry Beacon Theater outfit?

NOPE! Caught it right away. Kept waiting for the tails to drop from the ceiling, which, granted, is a pretty cool bit for Journey fans when Perry did it.

Vocals aside the one thing I can’t figure out from these clips is why, upon getting this big break onstage with Journey, why trot out the whole Perry impersonation thing?

I think he's getting the live audition for the band to see how the crowd would react to seeing a near lookalike onstage with them, and to see how he handles the audience. If they just rehearsed the tunes with him in an empty arena, the band would eventually get over that, but to see what a crowd does with that is definitely something they should factor in. I think some people might've thought it actually was SP. I have already seen a TON of people complaining about 'tribute band singer', 'imitator', 'clone', 'trying to be Steve Perry", etc. So even with people hearing him, he's getting that as a first reaction. Not sure how great that is for Journey.

As for the mannerisms, I bet it's an unconscious thing at this point. I like Hugo, but damn, he needs to be himself. When he walks over to Neal and air guitars, I cringe. As much as people dump on Arnel, at least he's always been his own man- another reason I like him so much.

[Arkansas]

But back to the whole “why” of it all, am I the only one that noticed the Perry Beacon Theater outfit? Vocals aside the one thing I can’t figure out from these clips is why, upon getting this big break onstage with Journey, why trot out the whole Perry impersonation thing? The gestures, leaning and raising of the shoulder, the interaction with Neal, the outfit… like why come out and do the impersonation?

One thing that occurred to me is that huh this being their final farewell and obviously no chance of Perry coming out to perform with them, is there some chance they bring Hugo out at some point during the show as a “tribute” to Perry’s years with the band? That would be pretty cringe but Schon and Cain are not immune to cringe decisions.

Maybe it's just "Make A Wish" fulfillment for Hugo.

later~

[Monker]

Also, Jonathan introduced Hugo as a "friend of the band". When did this happen? Has Hugo been hanging out with Neal and Jonathan and become friends?

Jon played in Dubai at a Trump property with Hugo (and his band) in May 2005 doing Journey material. I posted about it on this forum somewhere. Honestly, I thought Neal was going to flip out about it.

This definitely has a Cain vibe - especially with the adoring intro. It's all utterly ridiculous, and couldn't be more offensive to Arnel, their workhorse all these years. Once he leaves, they should "do whatever they want to, with whoever they want to." But 'fracturing the stone' is clearly all they consistently know how to do.

IMO, there hasn't been a "Journey stone" since Neal sued Smith/Valory/Nightmare and they were replaced. The only stone left is what is in Neal's head.

[Monker]

At least these guys mostly know what they are talking about :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RYwB47fUVc

[danielb]

I was ready to not enjoy this but there was something that felt just right about hearing these songs sung by someone with a voice similar to Perry’s again. I liked KOR especially.

In some weird way it works having a sound and lookalike onstage with them. As if finally they’ve embraced the Perry ghost, literally It seems to have gone down well judging by the crowd response and the rapport with Neal appears to be genuine. Expect the unexpected with this band. Maybe Jon ends up staying

[Jeremey]

Yeesh. Sorry but that's the last time I'm going to log into this message board, verify that I am indeed logged in, write a well-thought-out 300 word post and then hit "submit" only to have it disappear into the void forever and have to sign in again.

That sucked. Anyway...

[kmjrr]

I'm sorry, I don't understand. Do I hear differently than others?
Hugo, to me, sounds very little like Steve Perry. His voice is very airy and seems to be in falsetto all the time. No power at all. His pitch control is poor. The second night at Japan may have been better, but please. Arnel for years was powerful and had perfect pitch, and in my opinion is not a sound-alike. There are so many others out there much better than Hugo.