MR

Journey / TOTO Freedom tour kicked off last night (02-09). Set list is posted below. Same ole, same ole.


Only the Young
Guitar Solo
Stone in Love
Don't Stop Believin'
Lights
Send Her My Love
Who's Crying Now
Escape
Mother, Father
(Deen Castronovo on vocals)
Let It Rain
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Piano Solo
Open Arms
Faithfully
Girl Can't Help It
(Jason Derlatka on vocals)
Guitar Solo
Wheel in the Sky
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Be Good to Yourself
Any Way You Want It

Why do they insist on playing Let It Rain - I suppose it's better than not playing any new songs... but only barely. Personally Together We Run would be great addition, very Journey Sounding

Let's go right for the elephant in the room: lip syncing! - To my ears, it sounds legit. (Certainly NOT the complete lip sync performances that they recently did.) - The songs sound on par to latter 2022 & 2023 shows.


Only The Young: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3h2LEMArE4

Stone In Love/Don't Stop Believin' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dUeEZVAs2A

Lights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT4YHqdcdzw

Send Her My Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w9THV9x4vs

Who's Crying Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsGDcgxYwpA

Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bCwXdBmKE0

Open Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVBwRaNd4wc

Faithfully: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmh32iwOfu0

Separate Ways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13aPsAprJWc

Anyway You Want It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PuWXWFkIXM

Man, I wish the spots for Who's Cryin Now, Let it Rain, and Girl Can't Help It would be revolving song spots going forward, at least that would be throwing a bone to the hardcore fans to have a chance at something rare. Even THAT isn't asking much! Maybe even keep the Girl Can't Help It spot dedicated to a different ROR song each night, and even bring back Deeno for a second song with Suzanne or if we're completely losing out minds dust off Happy To Give.

Yawn. I hoping for better from Voyage in April.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Journey / TOTO Freedom tour kicked off last night (02-09). Set list is posted below. Same ole, same ole.


Only the Young
Guitar Solo
Stone in Love
Don't Stop Believin'
Lights
Send Her My Love
Who's Crying Now
Escape
Mother, Father
(Deen Castronovo on vocals)
Let It Rain
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Piano Solo
Open Arms
Faithfully
Girl Can't Help It
(Jason Derlatka on vocals)
Guitar Solo
Wheel in the Sky
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Be Good to Yourself
Any Way You Want It

Not sure I've ever seen Neal over on Jon's side of the stage so much.
He even gets on the piano riser, WCN circa 3:40.
I hope it's for real and not just the show.

later~

I supported them doing Let It Rain, but this is a new year. There are other songs on Freedom that demand being played. It is time to freshen things up for a brand new year.

JourneyHard wrote:I supported them doing Let It Rain, but this is a new year. There are other songs on Freedom that demand being played. It is time to freshen things up for a brand new year.

They played Higher Place for years and it actually became a concert staple expected to be heard. True HP is a more likable song. But if the band believes in the song then I am glad they continue to support and play it. Maybe it will take hold.

jrnyman28 wrote:

JourneyHard wrote:I supported them doing Let It Rain, but this is a new year. There are other songs on Freedom that demand being played. It is time to freshen things up for a brand new year.

They played Higher Place for years and it actually became a concert staple expected to be heard. True HP is a more likable song. But if the band believes in the song then I am glad they continue to support and play it. Maybe it will take hold.

Yes, but is it the band that believes in this song and wants to play it, or is it just Neal?

I know that I've said it before, but I love Let It Rain. So I have no complaints with them playing it live on a regular basis, for a while.

Monker wrote:

jrnyman28 wrote:

JourneyHard wrote:I supported them doing Let It Rain, but this is a new year. There are other songs on Freedom that demand being played. It is time to freshen things up for a brand new year.

They played Higher Place for years and it actually became a concert staple expected to be heard. True HP is a more likable song. But if the band believes in the song then I am glad they continue to support and play it. Maybe it will take hold.

Yes, but is it the band that believes in this song and wants to play it, or is it just Neal?

We’ll probably never know. But if the band is playing it I guess it counts.
I hate that the band dropped HP but I don’t know if I want to hear Arnel singing it. But it’s the ONE post Perry track that they worked and it worked.

Journey/Survivor wrote:I know that I've said it before, but I love Let It Rain. So I have no complaints with them playing it live on a regular basis, for a while.

I haven’t listened to Fteedom in a while now, but I remember digging the track too!

jrnyman28 wrote:We’ll probably never know. But if the band is playing it I guess it counts.
I hate that the band dropped HP but I don’t know if I want to hear Arnel singing it. But it’s the ONE post Perry track that they worked and it worked.

I was also hearing "Higher Place" on the radio. A couple weeks before Augeri left, I remember driving home from work and hearing it on the radio. I have not heard it since.

"Let It Rain" is so guitar heavy that it would not surprise me if Neal wants to play it regardless. But, like you said, we'll never know...unless he mentions it in an interview at some point.

I like supporting new stuff, but "Let It Rain" sucks - production-wise and songwriting-wise.
When they played it at my last concert, I literally let it rain by going to take a piss.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:I like supporting new stuff, but "Let It Rain" sucks - production-wise and songwriting-wise.
When they played it at my last concert, I literally let it rain by going to take a piss.

Agree, I think it's the worst song on the album. And that says a lot. Of all the options they have to mix up the set list and that's what they go with. Terrible.

jrnyman28 wrote:

JourneyHard wrote:I supported them doing Let It Rain, but this is a new year. There are other songs on Freedom that demand being played. It is time to freshen things up for a brand new year.

They played Higher Place for years and it actually became a concert staple expected to be heard. True HP is a more likable song. But if the band believes in the song then I am glad they continue to support and play it. Maybe it will take hold.

How is a new song that does not get radio play or has any presence other than YouTube clips supposed to take hold, when it is being played to a new audience every night?
I'm not asking this to be a smart ass. I'm really questioning, how are new songs able to become concert standards?

I haven't seen the band since 2007. They are playing in Baltimore on Sunday and I was considering getting a cheap $40 ticket. Toto is one of the few bands I like that I've never seen live so I was thinking "Why not?"

Dialed up some concert footage from opening night and Sunrise, FL. While there was nothing particularly wrong about the performances, there was nothing exciting or energetic about them either. Just more of the same but seemingly tired and going through the motions it seemed at least to me. Just a show for soccer moms and people who go to concerts maybe once a year on a whim.

Journey aren't the only ones. This era of rock is slowly dying off. Very few heritage bands are worth seeing anymore.

After a serious illness last year I went on a mini concert binge when I recovered. I think of the older acts I've seen the last few months I was impressed by a couple. Jon Anderson with the Band Geeks was really good. Kansas seemed to have some gas left in the tank. Rod Stewart surprised me. Cheap Trick opened and while they have been terrific for many years with varied setlists I saw some decline in their performance although it was still good. I passed on Kiss because they the make "tapegate" JRNY era seem like a minor offense compared to the joke they've become. Paul Stanley should be sued for fraud.

If I go Sunday it will be because I find a super cheap ticket on Stubhub and the venue is so close. The videos I've seen though don't exactly have me enthused about doing it though.

GD you're still alive. Cool!

AR wrote:I haven't seen the band since 2007. They are playing in Baltimore on Sunday and I was considering getting a cheap $40 ticket. Toto is one of the few bands I like that I've never seen live so I was thinking "Why not?"

Dialed up some concert footage from opening night and Sunrise, FL. While there was nothing particularly wrong about the performances, there was nothing exciting or energetic about them either. Just more of the same but seemingly tired and going through the motions it seemed at least to me. Just a show for soccer moms and people who go to concerts maybe once a year on a whim.

Journey aren't the only ones. This era of rock is slowly dying off. Very few heritage bands are worth seeing anymore.

After a serious illness last year I went on a mini concert binge when I recovered. I think of the older acts I've seen the last few months I was impressed by a couple. Jon Anderson with the Band Geeks was really good. Kansas seemed to have some gas left in the tank. Rod Stewart surprised me. Cheap Trick opened and while they have been terrific for many years with varied setlists I saw some decline in their performance although it was still good. I passed on Kiss because they the make "tapegate" JRNY era seem like a minor offense compared to the joke they've become. Paul Stanley should be sued for fraud.

If I go Sunday it will be because I find a super cheap ticket on Stubhub and the venue is so close. The videos I've seen though don't exactly have me enthused about doing it though.

Aaron wrote:GD you're still alive. Cool!

This time last year I was lucky to be.

Lesson learned. Once you hit your mid 50’s things start going wrong. (Taking better care of myself now)

AR wrote:

Aaron wrote:GD you're still alive. Cool!

This time last year I was lucky to be.

Lesson learned. Once you hit your mid 50’s things start going wrong. (Taking better care of myself now)

Happy to hear it brotha!

it's good to hear from you sir. We're all getting old AF

AR wrote:

Aaron wrote:GD you're still alive. Cool!

This time last year I was lucky to be.

Lesson learned. Once you hit your mid 50’s things start going wrong. (Taking better care of myself now)

Same LM1

Loneman1 wrote:

AR wrote:

Aaron wrote:GD you're still alive. Cool!

This time last year I was lucky to be.

Lesson learned. Once you hit your mid 50’s things start going wrong. (Taking better care of myself now)

Happy to hear it brotha!

I had time off to see them opening night in Biloxi, but they sold the coliseum out, and aftermarket resells were through the roof.

Journey is never going to drastically alter their sets because they're not trying to gain new fans. They know who comes to their shows and they know how strong the catalog is. The vast majority of fans going to see Journey are going because of the hits.

They make new albums to satisfy themselves and for the small percentage of legacy fans who care. They know new albums are not going to sell, and they know most of their live audience won't know any new songs.

Journey will go to their collective grave playing the same songs because they can.

I also think so about Journey

Pelata wrote:They make new albums to satisfy themselves and for the small percentage of legacy fans who care. They know new albums are not going to sell, and they know most of their live audience won't know any new songs.

I don't think this is true at all. Freedom was released for the same reason Journey does almost anything - to make money. That is the only reason to have a contract to release the album on any label. If all they care about is some type of artistic expression or to give something to fans, all they have to do is put up a website with free downloads, or release "new songs" on YouTube and Twitter...as Neal does with his 'noodling'. Yeah, they probably do not expect platinum albums but I'm sure they want to sell enough to stay on a decent label with a decent contract. Prior to Freedom, they couldn't get on one of the few major labels. Now, I doubt they can get on anything larger than Frontiers. It would be interesting to know the details of their last contract...if they were paid something in advance, if everything was off record sales, etc. If they were old school and given an advance to pay for the recording and had to make that up with sales, then they may be in debt to the label since Freedom did not sell well at all. If that happened, what is the point of doing it again - if Journey is going to LOSE money?

Pelata wrote:Journey is never going to drastically alter their sets because they're not trying to gain new fans. They know who comes to their shows and they know how strong the catalog is. The vast majority of fans going to see Journey are going because of the hits.

They make new albums to satisfy themselves and for the small percentage of legacy fans who care. They know new albums are not going to sell, and they know most of their live audience won't know any new songs.

Journey will go to their collective grave playing the same songs because they can.

As for their set list. Why fix something that isn't broke? If people are going to fall over themselves to pay hundreds for a Journey ticket even if the concert has been the same for over a decade, why change it? Give Neal a couple slots to fill with whatever he wants to keep him happy and keep everything else the same for the same huge crowds they have been playing to for 25yrs now, since Vacations Over. They are simply giving the people who buy those tickets what they want.

I would like to know how many casual Journey fans are going to Journey's concerts over and over again?

Who would pay those insane ticket prices to go see a band over and over again if they are only a casual fan of the band?

I would think that a casual fan would only go once every 7 to 10 years to see a band.

If I myself am only a casual fan of a band I'm not considering paying a lot of money to go see that band.

Joe Satriani and Steve Vai are doing a show in Cleveland soon. I would love to go see them perform. But I am not sure if I will even pay the like $38 to get the cheapest ticket?

Billy Joel is coming to Cleveland in September and I would never pay those ticket prices to see him even though I'm a fairly big fan of his songs. I did see him back in 1994, but those were much more reasonable prices.

Monker wrote:

Pelata wrote:Journey is never going to drastically alter their sets because they're not trying to gain new fans. They know who comes to their shows and they know how strong the catalog is. The vast majority of fans going to see Journey are going because of the hits.

They make new albums to satisfy themselves and for the small percentage of legacy fans who care. They know new albums are not going to sell, and they know most of their live audience won't know any new songs.

Journey will go to their collective grave playing the same songs because they can.

As for their set list. Why fix something that isn't broke? If people are going to fall over themselves to pay hundreds for a Journey ticket even if the concert has been the same for over a decade, why change it? Give Neal a couple slots to fill with whatever he wants to keep him happy and keep everything else the same for the same huge crowds they have been playing to for 25yrs now, since Vacations Over. They are simply giving the people who buy those tickets what they want.

I agree about the set list. That's why they do it.

As for releasing albums, of course they want to make some money on them. Whichever label licenses it from them most likely pays them up front for X-number of units and a percentage for anything beyond that. They've been doing this long enough to know that no new music from them is going to sell anywhere close to what they sold at their peak. Neal loves making new music, Journey or otherwise. I honestly think Cain doesn't care either way anymore, though pre-Eclipse he has said there is no need to since they have more songs now than they can play live. The newer/newish members are probably into it more than he is.

Point is, selling records isn't a money-making venture really for anyone anymore. There's a small percentage of their global fanbase who cares and I'm sure they enjoy it to some degree.

Journey/Survivor wrote:I would like to know how many casual Journey fans are going to Journey's concerts over and over again?

Last time I saw them, the indoor arena was close to full. I would argue that most of the fans there for them were fans of the hits. Example: when they played "Keep On Running" and "Mother Father", the crowd milled around, took selfies, had beer/bathroom breaks, and were largely sitting down.

But when they played "DSB", I thought the roof was going to blow off the place.

To a lot of people, it's not about "seeing Journey", it's about a night out with their friends with old songs they love.