Folks...is it time...

[Gideon]

Tantra is good, but TWIMC is a superb ballad in my opinion. But its intro was too long, too.

[Yoda]

I don't really see where Journey has gotten better and better. Eclipse did poorly, the band doesn't even play new songs (or very limited if any) on tour, and they have been touring in a three band package deal, all the while, having reports of bad sound, sickness, and dropping attendance numbers. So, I can't really agree that Journey has been spectacular these last couple of years.

Change the words "Eclipse" to "Arrival" or "Generations" and this paragraph could apply to any of the past years. Nothing has changed really. The Revelation/DSB/Glee/Sopranos high was never going to last forever.

Absolutely agree. My statement was pretty much centered toward Journey, post 2010, after the Don't Stop Believing revival and Revelation album - not sure how Journey has gotten better and better since that point.

Most have been able to see that the band's popularity is probably starting to die down a bit.

Compared to what? The brief hysterical Arnel-mania which followed him joining the band? Why is this surprising? The band wasn't going to be featured on Ellen, Oprah, NBC Today Show and CBS Sunday Morning forever. That was a fluke media flashmob and the band exploited it as much as they could. Now they are back in Augeri boondock state fair obscurity. Hardcore fans shouldn't mind this one bit. If anything, it means less teenyboppers at concerts with their Iphones.

So, you agree with me or disagree? It's not a complaint from my end, but just basically an observation that "Arnel-Mania" and Revelation were probably the highest of highs for post-Perry Journey, and since about 2010, like you said, the band has floated back down to earth. Again, I agree, hardcore fans could probably care less as long as the band remains active in giving those hardcore fans something new to look forward to. What I fear is that most hardcore fans have already seen this band live countless times, heard the dirty dozen countless times, and so spending the money on the concerts is just something they don't see a need to do anymore. If Journey isn't putting out anything new, then what would hardcore fans have to look forward to?

The last album was definitely all Schon's baby, so we can't blame that on Cain.

Why would I blame anybody? It was a great album. Hey, if Cain doesn't want to write, Neal should get with Jack Blades. His tracks on Arrival are as good, if not better, than anything the band has ever put out.

Matter of tastes. I personally loved the "rockier" music on Eclipse, but didn't really care much for the songs themselves, save for Resonate or Anything is Possible. I felt the songs on Revelation were better in terms of content and overall quality, but again, matter of tastes. I'm merely comparing the commercial success of Revelation compared to Eclipse. I do agree with you though, I would love for Journey to collaborate more with Jack Blades on some songs, but I don't see Jack being someone you could easily replaced Cain with. Certainly a writing trio of Blades, Cain, and Schon would be pretty awesome in my opinion - hence what I stated before. A solid third songwriter in the band would definitely renew interest with a lot of fans, not just the hardcores who will accept everything Journey gives them as pure gold.