I am blown away !

[Liquid_Drummer]

I think some are being way short sighted and critical of Arnel's first time on stage with Journey. He kicked major ass and of story. Not perfect but very, very good. He is still a padawan ya know ? What matters to me is their new music. IF they can write a good enough tune they have a man with a voice that can take them "there" again. Maybe not Escape level but way better of than they have been. A hit is the key....

[ProgRocker53]

I think some are being way short sighted and critical of Arnel's first time on stage with Journey. He kicked major ass and of story. Not perfect but very, very good. He is still a padawan ya know ? What matters to me is their new music. IF they can write a good enough tune they have a man with a voice that can take them "there" again. Maybe not Escape level but way better of than they have been. A hit is the key....

Amen brother. I can't wait to see more of Arnel, and especially can't wait for the new album!

[brywool]

yup on being blown away. I totally agree.
People are dogging him because he sounds too much like Perry calling him an imitator, others are pissed because he doesn't sound enough to them like Perry, others are pissed because they are prejudice jerkoffs. The poor guy can't win, which is pretty shitty. He's got a great attitude, a great voice and it's a shame that many won't give him a chance.
I doubt Journey will EVER have another hit though. There's too much against them. History, age, PEOPLE THAT WON'T LET GO OF STEVE PERRY, and I can't imagine that without a major label behind them that they can do much.
It would be nice for them to come out with a kick ass album though.
Now if they can extract the bug that's constantly in Cain's ass...

[ProgRocker53]

There's alot of doubters saying Arnel lacks the passion and emotion, too.

Even though he might not have the rich vocal tapestry of Steve Perry, you can't deny the dude was singing his ass off and doing his best to sell the songs.

Journey has alot of songs that are easy to relate to for anyone, and it's not hard to get caught up in a fit of passion while singing a Journey song. I'm a horrible singer, but whenever I sing "Separate Ways" or "I'll Be Alright Without You" by myself, I'm taken to another place emotionally and find myself emoting beyond what I could singing a normal tune.

There's no way that Arnel lacks emotion in his singing, at all.

[youkeepmewaiting]

Like ive said before, i am excited about JOURNEY again, thats good enough for me.

[Voyager]

If you're concerned about Arnel's stage presence, I say go to a Journey concert this summer, put on a pair of blind man's sunglasses so all you can see are figures on the stage, and enjoy yourself. It may not be 100% Steve Perry from the 80's, but it's about as close as you're ever gonna get. Either that or stay home and play your Journey CD's.

[pinkvelvet]

I dont get the whole stage presence thing. He was running around on the stage, did a couple of david lee roth jumps. I think he did great. I realy dont know what some people expect from him. Maybe breath out fire? fly? do some breakdancing? geez

[brywool]

If you're concerned about Arnel's stage presence, I say go to a Journey concert this summer, put on a pair of blind man's sunglasses so all you can see are figures on the stage, and enjoy yourself. It may not be 100% Steve Perry from the 80's, but it's about as close as you're ever gonna get. Either that or stay home and play your Journey CD's.

Exactly. I'm sick of people bitching about it (no matter who IT is) bitching about "it's not Steve Perry". Duh. No Shit. If you can't get over Perry being gone, go put on the old albums. By the way, when you put on Raised on Radio then Trial by Fire, don't forget to ask yourself "Gee, how come there was no Journey between 86 and 96?" Because Steve Perry wouldn't work. Then remember to ask yourself where he is now. HE'S RETIRED. Get over it and move on.

Arnel's presence was fine. It was better than Steve Augeri's and he engaged the crowd much more than Augeri ever did. Augeri was a much more subdued presence. Arnel is "Hey, I'm Arnel. We are Journey, and we're in your face". COOL.
You Go Arnel. You've made me excited about this band again.

[T-Bone]

I've only seen the shitty quality videos that are circulating out there, but I'd have to say he did just fine for his first gig. Sure he missed some words here and there, but who cares?!?!?!? Obviously the only people who do, are HUNTING for something to bitch about. My own personal opinion, if you have no interest in the future of the band, quit whining about it because you're not changing anything. Steve Perry isn't in the band, so quit whining about it. Augeri isn't there anymore, so quit whining about it. For the love of GOD, get on with your life...

[The_Noble_Cause]

I suggest everyone try to watch the clips in order.
After OA, Arnel began to hit his stride.
Everything before that was "feh" and understandably passable.

[stevew2]

I think some are being way short sighted and critical of Arnel's first time on stage with Journey. He kicked major ass and of story. Not perfect but very, very good. He is still a padawan ya know ? What matters to me is their new music. IF they can write a good enough tune they have a man with a voice that can take them "there" again. Maybe not Escape level but way better of than they have been. A hit is the key....

You must be blown away,or any one that thinks this concert was good, look how Friga was embarressed. Listen to Stone in Love,it was butchered.It was a train wreck, and there was plenty of time to practice and get prepared. Shit was thrown together,any tribute band could have down better.Standards for this band is at a new low.If people want to accept this as Journey,so be it, this is a joke and will fail.By July, they will be using tapes again, or another singer

[brywool]

I think some are being way short sighted and critical of Arnel's first time on stage with Journey. He kicked major ass and of story. Not perfect but very, very good. He is still a padawan ya know ? What matters to me is their new music. IF they can write a good enough tune they have a man with a voice that can take them "there" again. Maybe not Escape level but way better of than they have been. A hit is the key....

You must be blown away,or any one that thinks this concert was good, look how Friga was embarressed. Listen to Stone in Love,it was butchered.It was a train wreck, and there was plenty of time to practice and get prepared. Shit was thrown together,any tribute band could have down better.Standards for this band is at a new low.If people want to accept this as Journey,so be it, this is a joke and will fail.By July, they will be using tapes again, or another singer

I highly doubt it. It was their first show for a long time. It wasn't just Arnel that missed cues.
Neal was pretty sloppy actually. Imagine how nervous the whole friggin' band must've been. The guy's voice and confidence got better as the show went on. I also noticed that as soon as Arnel pulled out his in ear monitors, he improved exponentially. I suspect he had a wonky monitor mix going on. The TV live feed was also funky. In Stone in Love, Neal's guitar was WAY out front in the mix. Throughout the night, the backup vox were buried. The tv mix was funky. Listen to the audience recorded stuff. Way better. As for Arnel, after messing up Rubicon, he got back into the swing of things and did a great show. Did you hear and see the friggin' 15,000 + audience going apeshit for the band? Read the Youtube posts. Watch the show again ( I just did) and Cain's reaction? Dude, Cain ALWAYS looks like he's about to wet his pants. Have you EVER seen the guy look comfortable and like he's having fun on stage? I NEVER have and I saw Journey (with Perry) 5 times and once with Augeri. He's always that way. Edge of the Blade hasn't sounded that good since it was released. Train wreck? Hardly.

[MarcelJordan]

Edge of the Blade hasn't sounded that good since it was released. Train wreck? Hardly.

EOTB was excellent!

[ForeverInBlue]

If you're concerned about Arnel's stage presence, I say go to a Journey concert this summer, put on a pair of blind man's sunglasses so all you can see are figures on the stage, and enjoy yourself. It may not be 100% Steve Perry from the 80's, but it's about as close as you're ever gonna get. Either that or stay home and play your Journey CD's.

Exactly. I'm sick of people bitching about it (no matter who IT is) bitching about "it's not Steve Perry". Duh. No Shit. If you can't get over Perry being gone, go put on the old albums. By the way, when you put on Raised on Radio then Trial by Fire, don't forget to ask yourself "Gee, how come there was no Journey between 86 and 96?" Because Steve Perry wouldn't work. Then remember to ask yourself where he is now. HE'S RETIRED. Get over it and move on.

Arnel's presence was fine. It was better than Steve Augeri's and he engaged the crowd much more than Augeri ever did. Augeri was a much more subdued presence. Arnel is "Hey, I'm Arnel. We are Journey, and we're in your face". COOL.
You Go Arnel. You've made me excited about this band again.

Who are YOU to tell anyone what to do. I should tell you that you prefer a Steve Perry lead Journey, so get over yourself.
See how ridiculous that sounds. To each his own. I just happen to want a SP lead Journey, now I have a firm grip on reality and KNOW it's NEVER happening again. If I prefer to listen to my CD's and DVD's, so be it.

[brywool]

If you're concerned about Arnel's stage presence, I say go to a Journey concert this summer, put on a pair of blind man's sunglasses so all you can see are figures on the stage, and enjoy yourself. It may not be 100% Steve Perry from the 80's, but it's about as close as you're ever gonna get. Either that or stay home and play your Journey CD's.

Exactly. I'm sick of people bitching about it (no matter who IT is) bitching about "it's not Steve Perry". Duh. No Shit. If you can't get over Perry being gone, go put on the old albums. By the way, when you put on Raised on Radio then Trial by Fire, don't forget to ask yourself "Gee, how come there was no Journey between 86 and 96?" Because Steve Perry wouldn't work. Then remember to ask yourself where he is now. HE'S RETIRED. Get over it and move on.

Arnel's presence was fine. It was better than Steve Augeri's and he engaged the crowd much more than Augeri ever did. Augeri was a much more subdued presence. Arnel is "Hey, I'm Arnel. We are Journey, and we're in your face". COOL.
You Go Arnel. You've made me excited about this band again.

Who are YOU to tell anyone what to do. I should tell you that you prefer a Steve Perry lead Journey, so get over yourself.
See how ridiculous that sounds. To each his own. I just happen to want a SP lead Journey, now I have a firm grip on reality and KNOW it's NEVER happening again. If I prefer to listen to my CD's and DVD's, so be it.

You just made my point: "I just happen to want a SP lead Journey, now I have a firm grip on reality and KNOW it's NEVER happening again. If I prefer to listen to my CD's and DVD's, so be it."
I'm with you. If you dig Steve Perry and can't get over the fact that he's gone, go play your dvds and cds of his performances. That's exactly what I said and that's exactly what you said, so I'm not sure what your problem is. You're agreeing with my post.

In the meantime, THE GUY'S NEVER (N E V E R) COMING BACK so people that just piss and moan and cry because this incarnation or that incarnation isn't Perry's, well, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE PERRYLESS JOURNEY. Jesus, he's been out of the band 12 YEARS. And he was out of the band 10 years prior to that. You say you're living in reality. You're living in the past. That's great. Have fun reminiscing, but to burn new singers or piss and moan cuz it ain't Steve Perry is stupid. Hey, it'd be great if Perry were here. He ain't, and he'll never be. He's said it himself.

It'd be nice if those who claim Perry is their idol would friggin' LISTEN to his interviews. He's NOT coming back.

Who am I? I'm the guy with Steve Perry is God avatar. Obviously a big Perry fan. But smart enough to be aware of the fact that he's been gone for 12 years... many apparently think he must be off with Neal working on the follow up to Trial By Fire or something...

[mistiejourney]

I've only seen the shitty quality videos that are circulating out there, but I'd have to say he did just fine for his first gig. Sure he missed some words here and there, but who cares?!?!?!? Obviously the only people who do, are HUNTING for something to bitch about. My own personal opinion, if you have no interest in the future of the band, quit whining about it because you're not changing anything. Steve Perry isn't in the band, so quit whining about it. Augeri isn't there anymore, so quit whining about it. For the love of GOD, get on with your life...

Can we whine because JSS isn't there?

[brywool]

I've only seen the shitty quality videos that are circulating out there, but I'd have to say he did just fine for his first gig. Sure he missed some words here and there, but who cares?!?!?!? Obviously the only people who do, are HUNTING for something to bitch about. My own personal opinion, if you have no interest in the future of the band, quit whining about it because you're not changing anything. Steve Perry isn't in the band, so quit whining about it. Augeri isn't there anymore, so quit whining about it. For the love of GOD, get on with your life...

Can we whine because JSS isn't there?

Many do that here every day...

[T-Bone]

Ya know where I was going with that rant...

[Enigma869]

I definitely wasn't "blown away" by any part of the concert. There were some good moments and some bad. I thought "Faithfully" was super strong, and I thought "Stone in Love" was beyond a disaster! I also thought he struggled a bit to hit the higher notes that I think he was hired for. I still think Arnel will be just fine. It was the guy's first performance and I have zero doubt that he's going to improve.

To my ears, Arnel definitely has a voice that is more suited to sing Journey's catalog than Jeff or Augeri had. I'm looking forward to listening to their new CD. I just hope that Neal and these fuckers have smartened up and leave the singing on the new CD to Arnel! I'm encouraged by the fact that Deen no longer seems to be singing the ballads. That tells me that he was singing them more out of necessity than novelty.


John from Boston

[Strange Medicine]

I thought he started off decent, but my smile faded and my hopes nearly came to a grinding halt when I heard him perform "Rubicon". I admit, I about shut the damn thing off. But I listened to the rest -- including SIL -- and I liked it. But, especially from "Lights" on out, I was pumped as hell.

[StoneCold]

DSB
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lUkksIV8dC8

He jammed on this one. If the new album is good, Journey may hit radio again. There's gonna be buzz over Arnel and concerts are gonna be packed.

[xflajrnylvr]

I wish them well and I might listen to the new music but with the way radio is today JOURNEY will NEVER have another hit on the radio

[brywool]

I wish them well and I might listen to the new music but with the way radio is today JOURNEY will NEVER have another hit on the radio

Yeah, I think you're right. HOWEVER, maybe because of Arnel's ethnicity, maybe in those parts of the world, they can have more hits. You never know, Cheap Trick was nothing here and then Japan caught on (Live at Budokan) and that created an interest here.
Could happen...

[Deb]

It'd be nice if those who claim Perry is their idol would friggin' LISTEN to his interviews. He's NOT coming back.

Awww, leave Saint John alone.

[Moon Beam]

If the new album is good, Journey may hit radio again.

I think you need to hit the past tense pipe plenty with this post.
No harm meant, found it funny is all.

[StoneCold]

If the new album is good, Journey may hit radio again.

I think you need to hit the past tense pipe plenty with this post.
No harm meant, found it funny is all.

No sweat. Someone above caught my meaning. His ethnicity is going to bring them support from some pretty rabid fans. If they have even 1 great song on this cd, it could get radio play in the Phillipines and start spreading.

I remember a crappy as hell song call "The Macarena" getting played on the radio.

[hgwy407]

I am going out on a limb here and stand a real chance of getting flamed, but here it goes. I have been a huge Journey fan since Infinity. I have also been involved in music since my early teens. I currently own a studio and still record and gig. That said, I watched the Chile show with my wife last night, and although there were glimpses of real potential I was seriously disappointed with his overall performance. Arnel's voice continued to break up throughout the show, revealing a real throaty/gravely tendency when he was attempting to hit many of the real high notes. This concerns me for his long term prospects with the band. I see real problems with his vocal health if this continues to be a challenge for him. He hit some seriously sharp/flat notes throughout in addition to not knowing the lyrics. That is something I can't believe. The guy needed to be prepared for his debut performance, one which was going to be televised!! It was quite obvious he was reading a teleprompter throughout the show, which caused him to have problems. Bad idea!! Learn the freakin' set before your debut and televised show!! Overall, I would like to see the guy become a long term fit for the band, but he needs to step it up. One other thing, he seemed like an "American Idol" type of performer with the band. I can't quite put my finger on it, perhaps it was his age compared to the other guys, or the stage they were using, but it seemed strange in some way...

[Little Lenny]

yup on being blown away. I totally agree.
People are dogging him because he sounds too much like Perry calling him an imitator, others are pissed because he doesn't sound enough to them like Perry, others are pissed because they are prejudice jerkoffs. The poor guy can't win, which is pretty shitty.

Thats a shame, he is himself and no one else...
Thats a lot of pressure, and before anyone says thats par for the course, I would say it isn't. It is wrong to say that someone should sound like someone, or to say that someone doesn't sound like some one...
it is also sad that a person going about his work is just a cog in a sound machine that must sound like this or that...and that that individuals vocal talent seems to be overlooked and regardless of whether that individual is from the land of nod or timbuktu, they do have a right to have there voice heard as their own voice not as someone elses, or a perception that they should sound like someone else.
This is just an opinion, I don't say I am right or wrong.

[wildone]

They're great for the county fair circuit ...but other then that maybe they should just hang it up ...people want to hear what they know and love ...not a copycat version of it...but hell if it's at the county fair the tickets are usually free so what the hellI'd see them ...as long as there was cotton candy being served ....

[Eric]

They're great for the county fair circuit ...but other then that maybe they should just hang it up ...people want to hear what they know and love ...not a copycat version of it...but hell if it's at the county fair the tickets are usually free so what the hellI'd see them ...as long as there was cotton candy being served ....

Ridiculous