MR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwusFWnuplc

Pretty good right?

Bit off here and there but glad the songs still in the set list.

Is ok....but who, what, why, how??

If Deen isn't in the lineup let Arnel sing it. He does a good enough job with it.

scarab wrote:If Deen isn't in the lineup let Arnel sing it. He does a good enough job with it.

It's just to preserve Arnels voice

I'd like them to do something other than Mother Father. They stopped playing it in '15 cause deen was out but before that it seemed like they played it every night... I would like to see more variety, they have all these hits they don't play!!!

George_g888 wrote:I'd like them to do something other than Mother Father. They stopped playing it in '15 cause deen was out but before that it seemed like they played it every night... I would like to see more variety, they have all these hits they don't play!!!

This. Have Travis sing something else. With the additional keyboards at their disposal, I'd love to see them play Troubled Child.

I would much rather have them keep MF and drop say LTS or Escape or OA or OTY or SHML.

Travis is Cain's friend from Nashville (or something like that) and he sound very twangy. Good voice. I would like to hear Travis tackle "Still They Ride."

Majestic wrote:Is ok....but who, what, why, how??

The addition of a second keyboardist/BG vocalist was posted in prior threads. Travis was photographed rehearsing with the band while Arnel was still in Manila. Travis also confirmed on his website that he would be touring with the group.

SF-Dano wrote:I would much rather have them keep MF and drop say LTS or Escape or OA or OTY or SHML.

La Do Da is a song that has got to be dropped

George_g888 wrote:

SF-Dano wrote:I would much rather have them keep MF and drop say LTS or Escape or OA or OTY or SHML.

La Do Da is a song that has got to be dropped

Arnel's best songs are LaDoDa and Only The Young in my opinion....

anything non dirty dozen needs to stay. and let Arnel sing it.

Eric wrote:

George_g888 wrote:

SF-Dano wrote:I would much rather have them keep MF and drop say LTS or Escape or OA or OTY or SHML.

La Do Da is a song that has got to be dropped

Arnel's best songs are LaDoDa and Only The Young in my opinion....

La do da is a song that should be in the setlist every now and then. IMO it definitely doesn't need to be a staple in their setlist-which it has been for awhile now

youkeepmewaiting wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwusFWnuplc

Pretty good right?

Bit off here and there but glad the songs still in the set list.

The look of this is bad. Am I the only one who thinks this looks like amateur hour? The keyboard is really pathetic looking, like one of those old Casio keyboards from the 80s. Travis needs to tighten up his look and presence too if he is to hang with these guys. The singing is OK, but there is no need to do this song unless it is stellar like Deen. Love Smitty's drumming, but looks and feels a bit karaoke now and I don't say that lightly.

I thought he did a pretty good job, myself. It did look kind of funny with him being behind this little bitty keyboard, and he looked more of the part of a country music singer than someone in Journey, but hey, it was OK.

Navarro wrote:

youkeepmewaiting wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwusFWnuplc

Pretty good right?

Bit off here and there but glad the songs still in the set list.

The look of this is bad. Am I the only one who thinks this looks like amateur hour? The keyboard is really pathetic looking, like one of those old Casio keyboards from the 80s. Travis needs to tighten up his look and presence too if he is to hang with these guys. The singing is OK, but there is no need to do this song unless it is stellar like Deen. Love Smitty's drumming, but looks and feels a bit karaoke now and I don't say that lightly.

I agree with this post. The performance is awesome, but the optics are terrible. This keyboard riser was literally behind Cain - hidden from the majority of the audience. If they were going to give Travis a moment, it would have been nicer if they brought him downstage center. Maybe it was a trial balloon - to see how he did without making too much of it. At MSG, this wasn't in the set. Not sure what you mean about Smitty being karaoke, though I do think his style is completely different from the old days. All that really matters is how it sounds.

FamilyMan wrote:

Navarro wrote:

youkeepmewaiting wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwusFWnuplc

Pretty good right?

Bit off here and there but glad the songs still in the set list.

The look of this is bad. Am I the only one who thinks this looks like amateur hour? The keyboard is really pathetic looking, like one of those old Casio keyboards from the 80s. Travis needs to tighten up his look and presence too if he is to hang with these guys. The singing is OK, but there is no need to do this song unless it is stellar like Deen. Love Smitty's drumming, but looks and feels a bit karaoke now and I don't say that lightly.

I agree with this post. The performance is awesome, but the optics are terrible. This keyboard riser was literally behind Cain - hidden from the majority of the audience. If they were going to give Travis a moment, it would have been nicer if they brought him downstage center. Maybe it was a trial balloon - to see how he did without making too much of it. At MSG, this wasn't in the set. Not sure what you mean about Smitty being karaoke, though I do think his style is completely different from the old days. All that really matters is how it sounds.

Smitty is great, I meant the singer and set sounds and looks karaoke. Sorry!

Yup, way to treat the new/additional guy
Watch at 6.40 to the end.

"Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin" Journey@PPL Center Allentown, PA 4/16/16

https://youtu.be/9S4-M_5kje4

tater1977 wrote:Yup, way to treat the new/additional guy
Watch at 6.40 to the end.

"Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin" Journey@PPL Center Allentown, PA 4/16/16

https://youtu.be/9S4-M_5kje4

takes the gig, sings backup all night, sings a whole song, walks offstage before last song is even over because....he ain't getting introduced to the crowd. hope the money is good.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:

Majestic wrote:Is ok....but who, what, why, how??

The addition of a second keyboardist/BG vocalist was posted in prior threads. Travis was photographed rehearsing with the band while Arnel was still in Manila. Travis also confirmed on his website that he would be touring with the group.

Thanks for the explanation. I still don't know why in the world Journey needs a second keyboardist on tour. Definitely not a bad vocal but not bringing anything the band needs in my opinion. Arnel can sing that song fine, and if Arnel needs a rest Neal can sing one of his standbys or just shred. Smith could do a solo too.

MCC620 wrote:takes the gig, sings backup all night, sings a whole song, walks offstage before last song is even over because....he ain't getting introduced to the crowd. hope the money is good.

I saw two separate clips where Ross introduced Travis and so did Jonathan.

Majestic wrote:

The_Noble_Cause wrote:

Majestic wrote:Is ok....but who, what, why, how??

The addition of a second keyboardist/BG vocalist was posted in prior threads. Travis was photographed rehearsing with the band while Arnel was still in Manila. Travis also confirmed on his website that he would be touring with the group.

Thanks for the explanation. I still don't know why in the world Journey needs a second keyboardist on tour. Definitely not a bad vocal but not bringing anything the band needs in my opinion. Arnel can sing that song fine, and if Arnel needs a rest Neal can sing one of his standbys or just shred. Smith could do a solo too.

If this had been a full tour with Santana instead of The Doobie Brothers, then they could have had Rolie as the second-keyboardist/additional-lead-vocalist.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:

MCC620 wrote:takes the gig, sings backup all night, sings a whole song, walks offstage before last song is even over because....he ain't getting introduced to the crowd. hope the money is good.

I saw two separate clips where Ross introduced Travis and so did Jonathan.

ok fair enough but don't you think he should still be introduced and standing with them at the end?

MCC620 wrote:

The_Noble_Cause wrote:

MCC620 wrote:takes the gig, sings backup all night, sings a whole song, walks offstage before last song is even over because....he ain't getting introduced to the crowd. hope the money is good.

I saw two separate clips where Ross introduced Travis and so did Jonathan.

ok fair enough but don't you think he should still be introduced and standing with them at the end?

Why? Is he in the band?

You know...is Jonathan implicating his replacement??

I sure don't see why this band needs two keyboardists on a tour.

Majestic wrote:Why? Is he in the band?

You know...is Jonathan implicating his replacement??

I sure don't see why this band needs two keyboardists on a tour.

Agreed.

The only keyboardist that I would want sharing the stage with Cain is Rolie. It would be nice to see/hear Rolie playing keyboards on his original songs from his past Journey years, and it would be great to hear him sing a few songs too.
Other than that, there's no need at all to have another keyboardist in the band.

MCC620 wrote:

The_Noble_Cause wrote:

MCC620 wrote:takes the gig, sings backup all night, sings a whole song, walks offstage before last song is even over because....he ain't getting introduced to the crowd. hope the money is good.

I saw two separate clips where Ross introduced Travis and so did Jonathan.

ok fair enough but don't you think he should still be introduced and standing with them at the end?

I agree with you, but Travis appeared to storm off the stage before the band even began to take the curtain call formation. Maybe Travis had to take a really bad shit? The band is already introducing him during the show AND allowing him to share the spotlight with Arnel, so it's not like they have him playing under the rafters. Some bands, as you know, have back-up musicians and keep them out-of-view completely.

Majestic wrote:You know...is Jonathan implicating his replacement??

I could easily see Jon taking a break to tour with his new Christian album.

I think you're all reading too much into this.

Odds are Travis is there to fill the backing vocal void left by Deen. He sings Mother Father so Arnel can take a break. The added keyboard means less canned instrumentals, less multitasking for Jon. Maybe a chance for him to be on guitar more. I think that's the extent of it.

I don't have a problem with Travis being a backup singer, but I don't care for him coming out front and singing lead on a track. Just not a fan of his voice. He's technically solid but just flat out bland, and I'm left feeling like I'm in a country bar and some guy who had a few too many just wandered to a karaoke mic to impress some waitress.

Would rather see them drop mother father and have the band rock out on an extended instrumental -- like the end of Who's Crying now or The Party's Over -- and have that tangent off to solos for Smitty and Cain. Build it into something that is a meaningful break for Arnel. My 2 cents of course...

STORY_TELLER wrote:I think you're all reading too much into this.

Odds are Travis is there to fill the backing vocal void left by Deen. He sings Mother Father so Arnel can take a break. The added keyboard means less canned instrumentals, less multitasking for Jon. Maybe a chance for him to be on guitar more. I think that's the extent of it.

Perhaps, or Smitty could have said - lose the click track and the canned vox. Do it for real or I'm outta here.

My bet is that this season clears the smoke and by next year Deen is back in the band, that is, if Journey continues to stay a band and Cain doesn't retire. Of course Deen probably won't be allowed to room alone, while on the road.