08.26.09 Journey @ Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

[isla]

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/li ... &FORM=ZZNR


Extended play
More than three decades later, Journey finds a new audience
Sunday, August 23, 2009 3:21 AM
By Kevin Joy THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


In May, the end of the premiere of Glee -- a Fox comedy series about a high-school choir in small-town Ohio -- found the ragtag group of misfits belting out a brassy rendition of Don't Stop Believin'.

Soon after, the 1981 song shot to No. 1 on iTunes.

Not the original Journey version -- but the one by the young Glee singers.

The tune was also featured in a Family Guy episode from 2005 on Fox: The animated characters became one-night celebrities after singing the song karaoke-style (and a widow nearby was instantly snapped out of her grief by the wafting strains).

Don't Stop Believin' was used last year in a Hillary Clinton campaign video and in recent years on the TV shows Scrubs, South Park and Laguna Beach.

And, in 2007, the song saw perhaps its widest -- and oddest -- pop-culture exposure: as the closing music for the finale of the HBO mob drama The Sopranos, whose last scene abruptly cut to black.

Such modern ubiquity baffles Journey members, who composed the hit in less than three hours.

"It's sort of a cosmic thing," said keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who wrote the song's opening piano riffs -- among the most recognizable in modern pop music.

"This song is still speaking to a generation, even 25 years later. That's something every songwriter and singer could ever hope for."

Yet the band -- set to perform Wednesday in Columbus -- has never hid its ambitions.

The San Francisco group first formed in 1973. The musicians raised the bar visually with giant video screens and elaborate light shows during live stage performances in the 1980s (aesthetics of the current go-round are more modest, Cain said).

Journey continued to maintain a polished songwriting style, despite poor critical reception (Rolling Stone, for one, was harsh on the group's earliest efforts).

"Critics tried to put us in a box," said Cain, 59. "We made radio records, really good records. They sound effortless when you listen to them."

They had 26 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100, with their biggest hits including Open Arms, Who's Crying Now and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).

Several hiatuses and numerous personnel changes, though, were hiccups.

Lead vocalist Steve Perry left in 1998 after band members issued an ultimatum for the frontman to stop delaying hip-replacement surgery so as to facilitate a reunion tour. Singer Steve Augieri joined that year but left in 2006, citing a throat infection. Jeff Scott Soto stepped in to complete the tour and parted ways the next year.

Arnel Pineda, a 41-year-old Filipino cover-band singer whom the band discovered via YouTube, made his debut last year.

"He's just absolutely dynamic," Cain said. "He brings a fresh, young take to our songs."

Although Journey has always been a juggernaut -- with more than 80 million albums sold to date and a greatest-hits compilation that's said to move almost 1 million units per year -- the aging commercial-rock giants have only recently garnered a peculiar sense of youth-approved cool.

The ages of concertgoers have decreased dramatically, Cain said. The band has 204,195 Facebook fans. Their music brings the house down at college bars and sporting events. (Perry performed in a parade with the Chicago White Sox after the team won the 2005 World Series.)

As a teenager in the 1970s, Mark Dantzer wouldn't have imagined such a scenario.

"You could not even consider, as a guy in my school, to like Journey," said the Columbus disc jockey at WVMX (107.9 FM) and a wedding DJ. "It was nerdy, not manly enough."

Now, Don't Stop Believin' is his most-requested song at receptions.

The online cover-band directory www.tributecity. com lists 63 Journey tribute acts nationwide.

"Journey tends to get a bad rap, but they're all phenomenal players," said Jeff Kolbfleisch, keyboardist for the Pittsburgh band Bon-Journey, which covers the music of Journey and Bon Jovi (and played to a packed house Aug. 14 at the East Side venue Screamin' Willie's).

The 37-year-old paralegal wasn't familiar with Journey's catalog until he joined the five-piece band, which tours in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

"I was dumbfounded by the quality of the material," Kolbfleisch said. "The fact that it's highly commercial is icing on the cake.

"People act like it's too cool to have fun with it -- but once we start playing, they can't help themselves."

For Mike Hilliard, bass player for Columbus "live karaoke" band Fonzie Monroe, Journey is a staple of the group's sizable singalong repertoire.

"It's definitely '80s ballads that are huge with the college crowd right now," said Hilliard, who is 32. "Stuff like that is just huge -- . . . what their parents listened to growing up."

Cain, too, agrees that nostalgia for his decades-old fare -- even to those who weren't alive during its heyday -- is what drives Journey's curious longevity.

"We were lucky to have hits when times were good," Cain said. "The Reagan years and all that -- everybody was making a lot of money, having babies, making out in back seats.

"Those songs ended up meaning something to people's lives. I think the music is bigger than all of us."

kjoy@dispatch.com



"Critics tried to put us in a box. We made radio records, really good records. They sound effortless when you listen to them."

Jonathan Cain
keyboard player

[RocknRoll]

You would think after all this time that Journey would learn on a summer tour; take your break the last week of August/1st week of September when school is starting.

So So review of the concert:

http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_ ... ml?sid=101

CONCERT REVIEW | JOURNEY
New 'Perry' scores with old hits
Thursday, August 27, 2009 12:19 AM
By Kevin Joy

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Filling the shoes of Journey lead vocalist Steve Perry isn't an easy feat, but Filipino cover-band singer Arnel Pineda took to the role with appropriate grace and high-octane enthusiasm.

The pint-sized 41-year-old pranced about as if he'd chugged a few Red Bulls before showtime - pointing at no one in particular and leaping atop speakers.

That was the least the instrument-free Pineda could do to match the heft of the longstanding megaband's catalog of commercial-rock hits, packed with enough helium to fill a not-quite-full (the back upper bowl was closed off with a black sheet) Value City Arena last night.

Luckily, his powerful voice mimics perfectly the pitch and wail of Perry's, a key reason Pineda - discovered in 2007 via YouTube - was tapped to fill the role after Perry's 1998 departure.

It was odd to see a stranger at front and center, working his way through decades-old fare such as Only the Young, Wheel in the Sky and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). Pineda looked positively cherubic compared to his aging band mates but mingled comfortably among them.

Yet questions remained.

Were we watching a great cover band or the same old Journey? Would a third of the audience - still in the womb when Faithfully was on the radio - even know the difference if the rapid-fire shredding of guitarist Neal Schon or piano strains of Jonathan Cain were replaced by someone else? Is it strange that young kids were swaying along with their parents to Open Arms?

Last night, those things didn't matter.

Nor did the flak of years past: Journey was never a critical smash.

But the music has aged irresistibly well, making it romantic nostalgia for one generation, pseudo-ironic fun for another.

What brought the house down, not surprisingly, was the band's now-iconic 1981 hit Don't Stop Believin' - saved for next to last in the 90-minute show, followed by Any Way You Want It and an extended encore version of Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin', whose closing na-na-na-na-

[stevew2]

It was dead on

[donnaplease]

I guess that guy is a dumb fuck, huh?

[stevew2]

I guess that guy is a dumb fuck, huh?

I only read the first half, im bad

[Don]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

[donnaplease]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

Butt kisser!!!

[Don]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

Butt kisser!!!

I know what I meant but I just couldn't put it into the proper words to show my true intentions.
Major Fail on my part.

[donnaplease]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

Butt kisser!!!

I know what I meant but I just couldn't put it into the proper words to show my true intentions.
Major Fail on my part.

Suuurreeee! I believe you.

I think basically you're saying that they are a great cover band reliving the heyday of Journey. Am I close?

[Don]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

Butt kisser!!!

I know what I meant but I just couldn't put it into the proper words to show my true intentions.
Major Fail on my part.

Suuurreeee! I believe you.

I think basically you're saying that they are a great cover band reliving the heyday of Journey. Am I close?

[Maui Tom]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

[Don]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

Whateverrr.

[Maui Tom]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

Whateverrr.

Shit GB...go put on Crazy Eyes by Poco and chill.....

[Don]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

Whateverrr.

Shit GB...go put on Crazy Eyes by Poco and chill.....

I just finished listening to Arrival to tell you the truth. Would be nice to see that acoustic version of Kiss Me Softly that everyone was talking about.
Crazy Eyes. Richie Furay's homage to Gram Parsons. Good stuff.

[steveo777]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

Whateverrr.

heberite

[Maui Tom]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

Whateverrr.

Shit GB...go put on Crazy Eyes by Poco and chill.....

I just finished listening to Arrival to tell you the truth. Would be nice to see that acoustic version of Kiss Me Softly that everyone was talking about.
Crazy Eyes. Richie Furay's homage to Gram Parsons. Good stuff.

maybe my fav Poco album....

[fightingilliniJRNY]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

So, according to you, a band that plays any of their hits in concert is a nostalgia act. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

It baffles me the people who think that just because Journey has good songs that people know, they are labeled a nostalgia act. 99% of the other bands out there would KILL for two or three songs that are still staples of rock and roll 30 years later, let alone 10 or 11. The songs are good, therefore people want to hear them. Journey plays them, and the fans are happy. Is U2 a nostalgia act when it plays anything from The Joshua Tree album in concert? Is AC/DC a nostalgia act when they break into Thunderstruck and You Shook Me All Night Long?

The nostalgia act insult is probably the most ridiculous and over-blown thing on this board, other than stevew2's rantings on Jonathan Cain.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

I get tired of these reviews having to tell what TV shows 'Don't Stop Believin' has been in. Man....unless your favorite song is 'Don't Stop Believin'..

[paste]

I enjoyed the show and thought Arnel was great, but was a bit disappointed in the setlist - would have loved to have had some of the extended jams on some of the songs condensed so they could have added more songs. Would have liked to have heard "Escape," "Chain Reaction," "Send Her My Love," "After the Fall," something other than "Be Good to Yourself" off of Raised on Radio,"Just The Same Way," "Party's Over," "Anytime," "Feeling That Way," and a few others. Not a huge fan of the song, but I wouldn't have minded hearing "Who's Crying Now," too.

Weird crowd. Behind us was a biker, his girlfriend/wife, and another biker, who seemed like a third wheel. He spent most of the show trying to carry on a conversation with the people around him, much to the annoyance of most of the people around him. Luckily, he took off towards the end of the show.

In the row in front of me, there were a group of five or six women. When Cain announced that they were going to do a song off the new album, they all sat down in unison and pulled out there phones, blackberrys, etc... and started texting. The next song was "Lights," and all except one of them stood right back up and got back into the show. When they played stuff from Arrival, they sat right back down again.

Night Ranger opened and put on a tight, one hour set. They played all the major singles, Damn Yankees' "Coming of Age" and two older album tracks, "Eddie's Coming Out" and "This Boy Needs to Rock," the opening song. Nothing from the latest album or the other two post reunion albums. It was my sixth NR show and I think it was the first time they didn't play "Touch of Madness" or "Rumors in the Air." The crowd reaction was kind of subdued and a bit sparse in some areas at first, but by the time they finished with "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," "Sister Christian" and "You Can Still Rock in America," the crowd had filled in and people were standing up and cheering.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

In the row in front of me, there were a group of five or six women. When Cain announced that they were going to do a song off the new album, they all sat down in unison and pulled out there phones, blackberrys, etc... and started texting. The next song was "Lights," and all except one of them stood right back up and got back into the show. When they played stuff from Arrival, they sat right back down again.

Glad you enjoyed the show. Unfortunately, that's a common reaction when "old-school" bands like Journey play stuff from new albums. Shame, really. It's frustrating for me to even read, it must be maddening for the band to see it in the crowd.

[stevew2]

I enjoyed the show and thought Arnel was great, but was a bit disappointed in the setlist - would have loved to have had some of the extended jams on some of the songs condensed so they could have added more songs. Would have liked to have heard "Escape," "Chain Reaction," "Send Her My Love," "After the Fall," something other than "Be Good to Yourself" off of Raised on Radio,"Just The Same Way," "Party's Over," "Anytime," "Feeling That Way," and a few others. Not a huge fan of the song, but I wouldn't have minded hearing "Who's Crying Now," too.

Weird crowd. Behind us was a biker, his girlfriend/wife, and another biker, who seemed like a third wheel. He spent most of the show trying to carry on a conversation with the people around him, much to the annoyance of most of the people around him. Luckily, he took off towards the end of the show.

In the row in front of me, there were a group of five or six women. When Cain announced that they were going to do a song off the new album, they all sat down in unison and pulled out there phones, blackberrys, etc... and started texting. The next song was "Lights," and all except one of them stood right back up and got back into the show. When they played stuff from Arrival, they sat right back down again.

Night Ranger opened and put on a tight, one hour set. They played all the major singles, Damn Yankees' "Coming of Age" and two older album tracks, "Eddie's Coming Out" and "This Boy Needs to Rock," the opening song. Nothing from the latest album or the other two post reunion albums. It was my sixth NR show and I think it was the first time they didn't play "Touch of Madness" or "Rumors in the Air." The crowd reaction was kind of subdued and a bit sparse in some areas at first, but by the time they finished with "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," "Sister Christian" and "You Can Still Rock in America," the crowd had filled in and people were standing up and cheering.

I hate bikers at concerts they are rude and reak of flat beer and stale Marlboros

[Since 78]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

So, according to you, a band that plays any of their hits in concert is a nostalgia act. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

It baffles me the people who think that just because Journey has good songs that people know, they are labeled a nostalgia act. 99% of the other bands out there would KILL for two or three songs that are still staples of rock and roll 30 years later, let alone 10 or 11. The songs are good, therefore people want to hear them. Journey plays them, and the fans are happy. Is U2 a nostalgia act when it plays anything from The Joshua Tree album in concert? Is AC/DC a nostalgia act when they break into Thunderstruck and You Shook Me All Night Long?

The nostalgia act insult is probably the most ridiculous and over-blown thing on this board, other than stevew2's rantings on Jonathan Cain.

No, the Band without Perry is a nostalgia act. If he was back with the Band the Loons would be posting every youtube video and article they could get their hands on. Nothing wrong with this article, everyone has an opinion, the Loons just jump on anything they perceive as negative about the Band then run back to the rare picture thread
to pine away over Perry's ass.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

No, the Band without Perry is a nostalgia act.

Really? A band that has put out three albums and an EP since said lead singer left the band is a nostalgia act? You really think that?

[Don]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

So, according to you, a band that plays any of their hits in concert is a nostalgia act. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

It baffles me the people who think that just because Journey has good songs that people know, they are labeled a nostalgia act. 99% of the other bands out there would KILL for two or three songs that are still staples of rock and roll 30 years later, let alone 10 or 11. The songs are good, therefore people want to hear them. Journey plays them, and the fans are happy. Is U2 a nostalgia act when it plays anything from The Joshua Tree album in concert? Is AC/DC a nostalgia act when they break into Thunderstruck and You Shook Me All Night Long?

The nostalgia act insult is probably the most ridiculous and over-blown thing on this board, other than stevew2's rantings on Jonathan Cain.

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

Why do you think people still go to see old groups like the Moody Blues or Boz Scaggs or Hall and Oates even though they haven't put out any thing new? it ain't for the pristine vocals, it's for nostalgia pure and simple and once again getting to visit a time and place where you first heard that music. I know it's hard for young people to fathom but these guys we're in their musical hay-day over a quarter century ago.
The only older group that can even come close to what they did in sales all those years ago are the Eagles, who's last album went 7x Platinum.
You can call it new but when the majority of the setlist matches the setlist I saw them playing in the 80's, that is nostalgia.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

[RaisedOnRadio92]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Poor success with Arrival and Generations? One was leaked onto the internet well before it's release AND wasn't promoted at all by the record label. The other one was given away for free at every concert.

Get real. Arrival didn't stand a chance after Sony dumped them, and it'd be hard to believe that Journey really had big dreams for Generations to go anywhere...They showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing when they released Revelation.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

And for the record, I'm not a rah-rah cheerleader of Journey with rose-colored glasses. If I disagree with something, I'll say it. But I'm not afraid to give the band props when I feel they are trying, and succeeding, at shedding the nostalgia image and are actually sticking to their new material more than they have since 1998.

It must be a bad feeling to cater to the die-hard fans and therefore see 95% of the audience sit down or take a beer run. And it must be a bad feeling to ignore the die-hard fans and only rush through the greatest hits in a 75-minute set to please the masses. How Journey has been catering to both sides is worth recognizing that at least they're trying.

What I saw on the Grand Rapids setlist is worth saying that at least they are trying. That's a solid, solid 105-minute set.

[Since 78]

No, the Band without Perry is a nostalgia act.

Really? A band that has put out three albums and an EP since said lead singer left the band is a nostalgia act? You really think that?

No, read the rest of my post!

[fightingilliniJRNY]

Poor success with Arrival and Generations? One was leaked onto the internet well before it's release AND wasn't promoted at all by the record label. The other one was given away for free at every concert.

Get real. Arrival didn't stand a chance after Sony dumped them, and it'd be hard to believe that Journey really had big dreams for Generations to go anywhere...They showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing when they released Revelation.

We're on the same side of this argument. I'm as big a fan of Arrival, Generations and Revelation as I am of Infinity, Escape and Frontiers, maybe more.

I was just comparing the success of U2's new albums with the success of Journey's new albums. And anyone can clearly see that U2 fans are much more receptive to anything new the band puts out than Journey fans are. Much of that stems from the fact that U2 are still the same four guys it was at the beginning, but still...

And the real test of Journey's marketing mettle and position in mainstream music will come from this new album if they are not with Wal-Mart. They've set themselves up with Revelation and its tour to have a successful release of the new album. If its not a Wal-Mart release, which clearly helped Revelation's successes, and still does well, then they're still a player in today's music scene.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

No, the Band without Perry is a nostalgia act.

Really? A band that has put out three albums and an EP since said lead singer left the band is a nostalgia act? You really think that?

No, read the rest of my post!

Yeah, it didn't make sense to me. You said the band without Perry is a nostalgia act, and the rest didn't make sense. Sorry.