Journey will be on Ellen on 05/11

[Journey/Survivor]

It would be hilarious if they went on Ellen and played "Hustler."

[Memorex]

Hmmm. Not a lot of guys on Ellen.

haha, just those suckers who's wives dragged them to that trash to hear Journey sing a ballad... too bad they didn't break into something from the first 3 albums just to see all the dumb looks on the faces of those who hadn't even heard of journey until DSB or OA.

I guess you didn't get my joke.

[koberry]

What is with Neal these days?! I hate how much he's come to use his tremolo to slur notes, play it straight, man. It certainly doesn't embellish the classic theme in OA. And that "look at me" fast run in his solo. That crap is all over the new Santana album. He says "If you're thinkin', you're stinkin'". But playing the same old noodlefest sh*t in every song suggests he's got that backwards.

[Navarro]

What is with Neal these days?! I hate how much he's come to use his tremolo to slur notes, play it straight, man. It certainly doesn't embellish the classic theme in OA. And that "look at me" fast run in his solo. That crap is all over the new Santana album. He says "If you're thinkin', you're stinkin'". But playing the same old noodlefest sh*t in every song suggests he's got that backwards.

I like Neal's playing, but he definitely has 'look at me' syndrome which to the average viewer comes off as obnoxious and narcissistic. Guitar is pretty irrelevant in OA. The song is all about the vocal melody. If you are going to take a solo, play a melodic solo which adds to the song, not a 'squeeze in as many notes as possible' shredfest. In general, Journey looked tired, dated, and old in this performance. After seeing it, I thought it was time to call it quits. Sorry, I love Journey's songs, but they are tarnishing their legacy at this point.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I like Neal's playing, but he definitely has 'look at me' syndrome which to the average viewer comes off as obnoxious and narcissistic. Guitar is pretty irrelevant in OA. The song is all about the vocal melody. If you are going to take a solo, play a melodic solo which adds to the song, not a 'squeeze in as many notes as possible' shredfest. In general, Journey looked tired, dated, and old in this performance.

Neal's solo was not a "shred fest." If you "love" this band so much, you would know it was an abbreviated version of the same OA solo Neal has been playing for years now. The only shredding was when he had to rush and bring the solo back into the song.

After seeing it, I thought it was time to call it quits. Sorry, I love Journey's songs, but they are tarnishing their legacy at this point.

They have been through a much much rougher patch than this. Just a few years ago, they couldn't even get booked on a major daytime TV show.

[Journey/Survivor]

I was very happy to see/hear Neal play that little solo at the end of "Open Arms!"
If they're going to play those same tired old ballads over and over again, then they should add in things to make it more interesting.

Neal may arguably be the most talented of all of the Journey members from any time in the bands history? Yet he has had to take the back seat to Steve Perry for years, and to Jonathan Cain's insistence on playing so damn many ballads.
It's time for Neal to do the whole "look at me" thing. Although, sure as hell not with any more disgusting selfies! But Neal should be calling as much attention to his guitar playing as possible.

It's Neal's band, and it's time to get that deserved recognition. His guitar playing is also my #1 favorite thing about Journey albums.

[Navarro]

I like Neal's playing, but he definitely has 'look at me' syndrome which to the average viewer comes off as obnoxious and narcissistic. Guitar is pretty irrelevant in OA. The song is all about the vocal melody. If you are going to take a solo, play a melodic solo which adds to the song, not a 'squeeze in as many notes as possible' shredfest. In general, Journey looked tired, dated, and old in this performance.

Neal's solo was not a "shred fest." If you "love" this band so much, you would know it was an abbreviated version of the same OA solo Neal has been playing for years now. The only shredding was when he had to rush and bring the solo back into the song.

Of course I had heard this version before, but it is a vanity guitar solo in a song that doesn't need one and stands alone without one. As the old saying goes, 'you should play for your girlfriend, not for other guitar players'. Neal's melody playing great, but his fast playing can be-less than attractive and certainly wasn't a good fit here. He is trying to be Malmsteen, but he is not and doesn't need to be. No one wants to hear it in a ballad.

After seeing it, I thought it was time to call it quits. Sorry, I love Journey's songs, but they are tarnishing their legacy at this point.

They have been through a much much rougher patch than this. Just a few years ago, they couldn't even get booked on a major daytime TV show.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Of course I had heard this version before, but it is a vanity guitar solo in a song that doesn't need one and stands alone without one. As the old saying goes, 'you should play for your girlfriend, not for other guitar players'. Neal's melody playing great, but his fast playing can be-less than attractive and certainly wasn't a good fit here. He is trying to be Malmsteen, but he is not and doesn't need to be. No one wants to hear it in a ballad.

I like the solo. Don't think Neal quite pulled it off here. But if the band is going to be bound to the dozen, they may as well spice things up where they can.