Open Letter to Neal and the Guys

[fred_journeyman]

Neal,

Now that you've most likely got a new singer on board who has the chops, the personality and the energy for a night after night concert blitz, from city to city, would you mind doing at least SOME of us a MAJOR favor?

Get into the studio, produce some new, high-quality Journey music and then...PLAY IT LIVE IN CONCERT!

I'm sorry man, but the golden oldies has become so passe for me that I am not even interested in going to a Journey concert anymore! I want new material and I want it to have that Journey SOUND. More than that, I want you guys to be brave enough to PLAY IT in concert. I'm not talking about one or two songs either. I'm talking about five or six songs!

I realize that people expect Journey to play the oldies, however at least some of that is JOURNEY'S fault. You guys caved to the pressure and didn't push on with the new material way back when you had the chance.

Now, the band has a new opportunity to do something great, so I'm asking - no I'm BEGGING - please change it up! Bring on the NEW in concert (and I'm NOT talking about "new" as in "Hey, we haven't done this one in YEARS" new)! It might be tough at first, but if you persevere, then the reward just might be worth it.

It's either that, or you can plan on playing the golden oldies until you're propped up on stage with a walker. There are many of us who want more and we're tired of those who only want to recognize the classics as true Journey material. You can still give it to them in a medley of sorts, but for God's sake man, give the fans who have been with Journey for years, through all the changes and who are STILL hanging on, something to sing about!

Do it for all the loved ones in your life...

[Granny]

I agree! That would be wonderful, but I still like the oldies too. They need to do a 2 1/2 hr. concert by themselves to include all of their music, not just 1hr. 15 min. We are all still waiting and hoping they get into the studio and produce some new stuff for us die-hard fans. and there are lots of us.
Granny

[styxman]

Styx do the medley thing Fred..it kills a few songs with one stone, without omitting. I wanted to hear the classics as I'd not heard them before but I'd go along with a medley and 40% new material, mind you I would have settled for a full Cyclorama set without anything else that night. I'm sure Journey will introduce more new material as and when it appears but yep, a medley would be a good idea

[brywool]

A- FRICKIN' - MEN!

[TRAGChick]

If:

1. U2
2. Bon Jovi
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Rolling Stones

Can release new music, then why can't Journey - with the OPPORTUNITY (Read: JSS) to DO SO.

Hey - It might help "convert" some of us still on the fence.

What a waste to be stuck....

...Or - for whatever BIZARRE reason - does a "certain someone" still have the Keys to the Harley?

[Clasicrockldy]

I agree, Fred ! Awesome post.

[Clasicrockldy]

...Or - for whatever BIZARRE reason - does a "certain someone" still have the Keys to the Harley?

They can hotwire the Harley, Nora !

[TRAGChick]

...Or - for whatever BIZARRE reason - does a "certain someone" still have the Keys to the Harley?

They can hotwire the Harley, Nora !

AMEN, Sister! LOL

[styxman]

while we wait for new material, couldn't they let JSS let rip with one or two tracks of his own material:idea:

[Paul_UK]

I agree! That would be wonderful, but I still like the oldies too. They need to do a 2 1/2 hr. concert by themselves to include all of their music, not just 1hr. 15 min. We are all still waiting and hoping they get into the studio and produce some new stuff for us die-hard fans. and there are lots of us.
Granny

With a ticket price of £37.00 each, i'd expect AT LEAST a two hour set.

[Paul_UK]

while we wait for new material, couldn't they let JSS let rip with one or two tracks of his own material:idea:

Ooh yeah...STAND UP 'N' SSSHHHHHOOOUUUUUUUUUUUTTT!!!!

Maybe even a Soul Sirkus track..."Alive" please!!

[heardonthestreet]

...Or - for whatever BIZARRE reason - does a "certain someone" still have the Keys to the Harley?



........................................

What's so "BIZARRE" about that reason. Neal said that "certain someone" brought the band all it's success, so someone has to be just as good, if not better, to get some actiion.

Not going to happen, imo.

[frfksakes]

Neal,

Now that you've most likely got a new singer on board who has the chops, the personality and the energy for a night after night concert blitz, from city to city, would you mind doing at least SOME of us a MAJOR favor?

Get into the studio, produce some new, high-quality Journey music and then...PLAY IT LIVE IN CONCERT!

I'm sorry man, but the golden oldies has become so passe for me that I am not even interested in going to a Journey concert anymore! I want new material and I want it to have that Journey SOUND. More than that, I want you guys to be brave enough to PLAY IT in concert. I'm not talking about one or two songs either. I'm talking about five or six songs!

I realize that people expect Journey to play the oldies, however at least some of that is JOURNEY'S fault. You guys caved to the pressure and didn't push on with the new material way back when you had the chance.

Now, the band has a new opportunity to do something great, so I'm asking - no I'm BEGGING - please change it up! Bring on the NEW in concert (and I'm NOT talking about "new" as in "Hey, we haven't done this one in YEARS" new)! It might be tough at first, but if you persevere, then the reward just might be worth it.

It's either that, or you can plan on playing the golden oldies until you're propped up on stage with a walker. There are many of us who want more and we're tired of those who only want to recognize the classics as true Journey material. You can still give it to them in a medley of sorts, but for God's sake man, give the fans who have been with Journey for years, through all the changes and who are STILL hanging on, something to sing about!

Do it for all the loved ones in your life...

Amen, to that! Great post! I hope Neal reads it! I think it's what a lot of us oldtimers are thinking, and hoping for!

Cheers,
C. Ives

[Vladan]

Neal,

Now that you've most likely got a new singer on board who has the chops, the personality and the energy for a night after night concert blitz, from city to city, would you mind doing at least SOME of us a MAJOR favor?

Get into the studio, produce some new, high-quality Journey music and then...PLAY IT LIVE IN CONCERT!

I'm sorry man, but the golden oldies has become so passe for me that I am not even interested in going to a Journey concert anymore! I want new material and I want it to have that Journey SOUND. More than that, I want you guys to be brave enough to PLAY IT in concert. I'm not talking about one or two songs either. I'm talking about five or six songs!

I realize that people expect Journey to play the oldies, however at least some of that is JOURNEY'S fault. You guys caved to the pressure and didn't push on with the new material way back when you had the chance.

Now, the band has a new opportunity to do something great, so I'm asking - no I'm BEGGING - please change it up! Bring on the NEW in concert (and I'm NOT talking about "new" as in "Hey, we haven't done this one in YEARS" new)! It might be tough at first, but if you persevere, then the reward just might be worth it.

It's either that, or you can plan on playing the golden oldies until you're propped up on stage with a walker. There are many of us who want more and we're tired of those who only want to recognize the classics as true Journey material. You can still give it to them in a medley of sorts, but for God's sake man, give the fans who have been with Journey for years, through all the changes and who are STILL hanging on, something to sing about!

Do it for all the loved ones in your life...

I agree with most of your posts here Fred. Most ofthe time you speak sense and honesty is there. A valued member no doubt!

Also, I hope they release a new CD aswell. The only thing is, do the rest of fans want this besides us "peons" but seriously, the masses count. Well, I am not going to a Journey concert anytime soon! so this doesn't effect me in anyway shape or form.

[treetopovskaya]

right on fred! }:C))

[Rockindeano]

...Or - for whatever BIZARRE reason - does a "certain someone" still have the Keys to the Harley?

They can hotwire the Harley, Nora !

I think "they" already have. I saw it hauling ass down the street in Boston last weekend.

[fred_journeyman]

I agree that some will still want to hear the classics. Personally, I can put up with that if at least CLOSE to equal time was given to new material.

I think this is Journey's last chance. If they either produce new music, but fail to play it to any degree live, or if they simply fail to produce new music, then they will have forever cemented themselves into the less-than-iconic status of being a band that is stuck in the nostalgia circuit. At that point, there will be no moving forward. As it is now, I think they'll have a very tough time moving away from being tagged "nostalgic" anyway, but I'd respect them if they tried...and tried hard.

[Saint John]

I agree that some will still want to hear the classics. Personally, I can put up with that if at least CLOSE to equal time was given to new material.

I think this is Journey's last chance. If they either produce new music, but fail to play it to any degree live, or if they simply fail to produce new music, then they will have forever cemented themselves into the less-than-iconic status of being a band that is stuck in the nostalgia circuit. At that point, there will be no moving forward. As it is now, I think they'll have a very tough time moving away from being tagged "nostalgic" anyway, but I'd respect them if they tried...and tried hard.

BULLSEYE. I'd like to hear the "Dirty Dozen" trimmed to about 7 or 8. That allows you to play 5 or 6 new (Soto-Era) songs and also 3-5 "surprise songs" which would make each concert unique. This puts the entire show in the 15-19 song range. Perfect for a 2 hour show. Great post, Fred.

[Monker]

Styx do the medley thing Fred..it kills a few songs with one stone, without omitting. I wanted to hear the classics as I'd not heard them before but I'd go along with a medley and 40% new material, mind you I would have settled for a full Cyclorama set without anything else that night. I'm sure Journey will introduce more new material as and when it appears but yep, a medley would be a good idea

And, that's the trade-off...Put in a bunch of new songs and ignore some classic songs, and lose part of your audience. That's what Styx chooses to do...and they seem OK with it. They perform a few Cyclorama, BBT, or songs from the next album...and cut some of the songs casual fans want to hear. They do that, IMO, cuz they would rather play "One With Everything" then Mr. Roboto...or whtever songs you choose to substitute. It's THEIR choice for THEIR OWN satisfaction - IMO anyway. I know some Styx fans disagree with that - but whtever.

Is Journey willing to do that...alienate a large part of their audience to satisfy their own creativity? I have doubts about that - always have. As soon as they notice people are losing interest in their shows - they put the familiar back in.

[Rockindeano]

No it doesn't, St John.

I love the dirty dozen. Call me whatever, but looking up and back at the crowd Saturday night in Massachussetts gave me chills. Sure I want new stufff too, but when they stop touring with these knuckle dicks from the UK, we can have more time. neal was right about last years' tour, he just had the wrong "singer."

[Saint John]

No it doesn't, St John.

I love the dirty dozen. Call me whatever, but looking up and back at the crowd Saturday night in Massachussetts gave me chills. Sure I want new stufff too, but when they stop touring with these knuckle dicks from the UK, we can have more time. neal was right about last years' tour, he just had the wrong "singer."

Dude, NO ONE loves the DD more than me, but I think you forgot one thing. I don't want Soto blowing out his voice. And to be quite honest, I want ONE dude singing the whole show.

[itsjustme]

Styx do the medley thing Fred..it kills a few songs with one stone, without omitting. I wanted to hear the classics as I'd not heard them before but I'd go along with a medley and 40% new material, mind you I would have settled for a full Cyclorama set without anything else that night. I'm sure Journey will introduce more new material as and when it appears but yep, a medley would be a good idea

And, that's the trade-off...Put in a bunch of new songs and ignore some classic songs, and lose part of your audience. That's what Styx chooses to do...and they seem OK with it. They perform a few Cyclorama, BBT, or songs from the next album...and cut some of the songs casual fans want to hear. They do that, IMO, cuz they would rather play "One With Everything" then Mr. Roboto...or whtever songs you choose to substitute. It's THEIR choice for THEIR OWN satisfaction - IMO anyway. I know some Styx fans disagree with that - but whtever.

Is Journey willing to do that...alienate a large part of their audience to satisfy their own creativity? I have doubts about that - always have. As soon as they notice people are losing interest in their shows - they put the familiar back in.

I think they're alienating part of their audience by only doing the dirty dozen.
I love those songs, but how many times are their diehard fans going to keep going and paying big bucks for basically the same show, over and over? (Though, I can't wait to hear Jeff's spin on them)
I realize they want to appeal to the casual listeners, but ask that they consider those of us who want to see them year after year.
I hope things will change with JSS, and they'll actually play whatever new stuff they put out. I'm sure they will.

[fred_journeyman]

I think they're alienating part of their audience by only doing the dirty dozen.
I love those songs, but how many times are their diehard fans going to keep going and paying big bucks for basically the same show, over and over? (Though, I can't wait to hear Jeff's spin on them) I realize they want to appeal to the casual listeners, but ask that they consider those of us who want to see them year after year.
I hope things will change with JSS, and they'll actually play whatever new stuff they put out. I'm sure they will.

I HOPE they will.

And I agree with what you've said...they ARE alienating part of their audience/fan base by only playing the same tunes every year. Last time I went to a Journey concert, it was well over $100 for two of us. I don't mind paying the money, but why should I go and hear basically the SAME thing? I could do that with Weird Al and he'll SAY that right up front at his concerts!

If Journey was the Rocky Horror Show, I would EXPECT to hear the same tunes year after year. They're not and I want change. I don't think that's asking too much, but maybe the guys cannot afford to make that change. Maybe they feel the loss would be too great (in fans and income).

I will go to another Journey concert when they start singing totally new music and not until. I'm NOT protesting either. I'm simply really tired of hearing the same songs. It's boring. The songs are old and frankly, Steve Perry did them much better.

It's just really funny to me that here is Journey HOW MANY YEARS AFTER Perry stopped being frontman and they are STILL doing the songs that his voice made famous. They did it with Augeri and now they're continuing with JSS.

[styxman]

No it doesn't, St John.

I love the dirty dozen. Call me whatever, but looking up and back at the crowd Saturday night in Massachussetts gave me chills. Sure I want new stufff too, but when they stop touring with these knuckle dicks from the UK, we can have more time. neal was right about last years' tour, he just had the wrong "singer."

Hey Dean, you've got to stop this one man crusade of callin' anyone the wrong side of the pond, name after name, it was funny man but it's getting a little irritating now. Journey don't need to spend time over here and Europe but they choose to come and we're greatful as fuck. My guessing is they like it over here, so cut the shit buddy and don't make me pull you up about this again...understood

[NealIsGod]

No it doesn't, St John.

I love the dirty dozen. Call me whatever, but looking up and back at the crowd Saturday night in Massachussetts gave me chills. Sure I want new stufff too, but when they stop touring with these knuckle dicks from the UK, we can have more time. neal was right about last years' tour, he just had the wrong "singer."

Man, imagine that 30th anniversary tour with JSS fronting them. That would have been incredible.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Neal,

Now that you've most likely got a new singer on board who has the chops, the personality and the energy for a night after night concert blitz, from city to city, would you mind doing at least SOME of us a MAJOR favor?

Get into the studio, produce some new, high-quality Journey music and then...PLAY IT LIVE IN CONCERT!

I'm sorry man, but the golden oldies has become so passe for me that I am not even interested in going to a Journey concert anymore! I want new material and I want it to have that Journey SOUND. More than that, I want you guys to be brave enough to PLAY IT in concert. I'm not talking about one or two songs either. I'm talking about five or six songs!

I realize that people expect Journey to play the oldies, however at least some of that is JOURNEY'S fault. You guys caved to the pressure and didn't push on with the new material way back when you had the chance.

Now, the band has a new opportunity to do something great, so I'm asking - no I'm BEGGING - please change it up! Bring on the NEW in concert (and I'm NOT talking about "new" as in "Hey, we haven't done this one in YEARS" new)! It might be tough at first, but if you persevere, then the reward just might be worth it.

It's either that, or you can plan on playing the golden oldies until you're propped up on stage with a walker. There are many of us who want more and we're tired of those who only want to recognize the classics as true Journey material. You can still give it to them in a medley of sorts, but for God's sake man, give the fans who have been with Journey for years, through all the changes and who are STILL hanging on, something to sing about!

Do it for all the loved ones in your life...

Fred, u can relax.
I don't think JSS and Neal need any coaxing to write and jam.
It's what musicians naturally do.
Remember, Sirkus was written together in a matter of weeks.