Would you really have wanted to see Perry on stage in '96?

[KingdomOfMan]

Even if we all know that Steve Perry's voice would've sounded very different and probably finished him off for good, would you have still wanted to see him on stage with Journey for a TBF tour in '96/'97, just to satisfy your own Journey needs at the time?

People dislike him for not continuing at that point, but I would rather one of musical heroes maintain at least some self-respect.

[george_g]

even in a lower range he would still be awesome, c'mon everybody goes through this....no singer of that career length and catalog performs the songs ideally...change and adoption is part of the magic for the fans, that\s the same for the musicians, they cannot play the same old solo all the time...

[jrnyjetster]

Well, in a word YES, as any diehard Journey fan would agree. There hadn't been anything new from Journey in 10 years and the prospect of a tour in support of Trial By Fire just heightened the excitement! It was a major downer that tour never happened.

I caught Perry on his solo tour in '94, so I was well aware of his vocal limitations.

[onmyjrny]

If he still had the same abilities as he did on the 94 tour, I would have loved to see him in 96 or 97. I thought he sounded great. So what if his range wasn't what it was in the 80s, or if his voice was lower or a little raspy? He still sounded like Steve Perry; he still had the incredible emotion and stage presence.

HOWEVER, if his voice was shot, as some people claim, then no, I don't think I would want him to front Journey in that case. I saw Lou Gramm in what I think was his last Foreigner tour and really felt bad for him.

[Gideon]

I preface this by saying I would only have been 5 years old if this happened, but I would like to see Perry do something (an album, a very lite live concert) at that age. Fronting Journey? Perhaps for a one-off concert, but if he didn't have the range or strength to sing the songs near the original key for a typical length concert, then no.

[Art Vandelay]

Absolutely! All interviews prior to the CD release indicated that it would have been a large scale, most likely stadium tour, spread out over dates with enough down time between each show. I'm sure that they would have retooled the songs to keep it at a comfortable, yet acceptable level for Perry. Plus there would have been more focus on each member instead of just Perry, since this was a reunion of the classic line-up, so not all of the pressure would have been on him.

[Greg]

Oh course! Why should it has been a prerequisite for Perry to have sounded exactly like he did in the early 80's in order for it to have been a respectful performance? While Perry would have had some obvious limitations with his vocals due to heavy touring in the 80's and age, he still would have sounded decent I think. I'm sure it probably wouldn't have been a lengthy tour like what the band has been used to doing in the past few years, but a tour with spaced out concert dates would have been better than no concerts at all.

I've never gotten to see the man live in concert. I am very jealous of those here who have been lucky to have had that opportunity - whether if that was during the height of his career in Journey or if it was on his last solo tour. The man's voice was magical. The fact that he still has fans today, despite not being in the music business full time in almost 20 years, says a lot about the man's musical abilities. The fact that probably most of us, if not all, including Saint John (LOL) would jump at the chance to see him performing on stage, even knowing that his voice might be merely a shell of what it used to be, says a lot about Steve Perry.

Also the fact that we continue to talk about him, whether positive or negative, speaks volumes on the influence, his musical contributions have had on all of us here. While in retrospect it probably would have been best for Journey to have reformed without him (if knowing in advance he was not going to tour) I'm not sure anybody here can honestly say that did not want to see Perry up there performing with the band. I mean come on....besides the small minority here who is only fans of the pre-Perry Journey or only fans of Arnel Pineda fronted Journey only, the majority of us would jump at a chance to see the guy performing with the band again. Besides Billy Joel, this would be the only concert I'd be willing to travel across country to see.

I was much appreciative of seeing Augeri perform with Journey. It was an excellent concert and the first time I ever had gotten to see my favorite band in the entire world in concert. But, if I had a choice, I'd have to go with Perry even if going into it I knew he wouldn't sound as good as he did back when I was 7 years old!

[kgdjpubs]

If he still had the same abilities as he did on the 94 tour, I would have loved to see him in 96 or 97. I thought he sounded great. So what if his range wasn't what it was in the 80s, or if his voice was lower or a little raspy? He still sounded like Steve Perry; he still had the incredible emotion and stage presence.

agreed. He had a few off nights on the '94 tour, but I thought he did very well on that tour overall.

I saw Lou Gramm in what I think was his last Foreigner tour and really felt bad for him.

Agreed here also, although it appears Lou has regained some of his higher range since then.

[Tito]

I would have wanted to see the classic lineup back in 96, not so much today, 2011, though. That would have been huge. The question I have, what would have happened after that tour. That clearly was going to be a one and done tour. Even then, I didn't expect more than that. I wonder what Schon, Cain, and Valory would have done after that tour. Would they have kept it going, ended it there too, or take a number of years off and re-form with it with others.

In hindsight, it may have worked out better for the band that Perry did walk. Grant it, they had to work longer and harder but they probably have made more money in the last 13 years than they would have on that one tour. Obviously, the best case scenario would have been able to do the TBF tour and then continue on immediately after. But, I'm not sure that would have worked, long term at least.

[scarab]

Was lucky enough to see Perry twice in 94, and yes, would have sold a kidney or my first child to see him w/ Journey again

My two wishes before I die is to see him sing live again, and for the Vikings to win the SB.

looks like i will live forever!

[RSParker]

Hell Yes.
Saw him in 94, and thought my was complete.

[steveo777]

I saw Perry in 95, so I doubt 96 would have been much different. Frankly, I didn't think he sounded that good on the FTLOSM concert I saw in Spokane, Wa.

[Tracie555]

Hell yes!!!

[STORY_TELLER]

Any true fan of any band wants to see the players who originated the music they love. There is no emotional attachment to another guy singing someone elses songs. It's just another guy and I don't care about him unless HE originates something I care about (i.e. Van Roth/Van Hagar).

I don't care if Castronovo was brought on stage standing at a mic with a tambourine in-hand just so he could cover the high notes Perry couldn't hit. I would have wanted to see Perry up there with Neal, Ross, Cain/Rollie, & Smitty. It would have been about me enjoying seeing and celebrating the originators of the music I continue to play to this day, and for that reason alone, it would have been awesome.

I was lucky enough to have been at the FTLOSM tour that was recorded at the Beacon in 94. No recording gives you an accurate sense of what it was like hear him in person. As good as Arnel is, he does not come close to Perry live in 94 for me. Worlds better than Augeri but not even close to Perry.

[portland]

Any true fan of any band wants to see the players who originated the music they love. There is no emotional attachment to another guy singing someone elses songs. It's just another guy and I don't care about him unless HE originates something I care about (i.e. Van Roth/Van Hagar).

I don't care if Castronovo was brought on stage standing at a mic with a tambourine in-hand just so he could cover the high notes Perry couldn't hit. I would have wanted to see Perry up there with Neal, Ross, Cain/Rollie, & Smitty. It would have been about me enjoying seeing and celebrating the originators of the music I continue to play to this day, and for that reason alone, it would have been awesome.

I was lucky enough to have been at the FTLOSM tour that was recorded at the Beacon in 94. No recording gives you an accurate sense of what it was like hear him in person. As good as Arnel is, he does not come close to Perry live in 94 for me. Worlds better than Augeri but not even close to Perry.

Well said.....I would have loved to see them all together on stage.

[escapefan]

I have never seen my favorite band perform live, so yes I would. And I love his lower register..

[yandtguy]

It's not just his voice to take into consideration, though. If he has a degenerative bone disease, that would make everything about a live performance more difficult. Eddie Van Halen went through a similar circumstance. His career has been erratic since 1999. He had a hip replacement and has arthritis. He went through some substance abuse issues along with a divorce in the midst of it all. He's had some pretty horrible things said about him in the interim as well, and his reputation has been trashed by some in the media.

Health issues can send a person spiraling. It takes a lot of time and patience to see somebody through a degenerative illness. I have a close family member who has a degenerative bone condition, and we have all had to have a massive amount of patience in dealing with him over the last 10 years. Some days, he just isn't the same guy, because he is in pain. This is after several surgeries and many, many sessions of physical therapy. I'm glad that he has NOT resorted to illegal drugs and excessive alcohol to relieve the pain. Then again, he isn't a high profile entertainer with a career that would see him away from his home and family for months on end.

So, no, I would not want Perry to tour again. His health and mental wellness is far more important than putting on a show for our entertainment. I would rather him be happy and have the memories of him from the ROR tour which I was fortunate to witness live. If putting out a solo album at some point in a healthy atmosphere could be achieved, I would be happy for him, but if it was at the expense of his health, I would rather just listen to the old albums. He's left a more than adequate musical legacy.

Greg

[KingdomOfMan]

Don't get me wrong, I actually prefer Steve's voice post-ROR, but I would have been concerned that his own 'vocal wrecking-ball' would have destroyed his singing voice forever had he performed a full-scale tour for Trial By Fire.