The Who and how they relate to Journey

[jrnyman28]

I posted this over at BT and it got no traction (as Eric would say) so I thought the discussion might do better over here.


I receive the Bob Leftsetz newsletter and he usually has very interesting things to say about the "industry". Much of his rants concern a time when the MUSIC was all that mattered. I want to post a few quotes from his newsletter because they could be discussed concerning Journey as well. The Who have been around longer than Journey but that only amplifies the similar situations that "old" bands encounter. And this shows how The Who handled them.

This was not a calcified show. It was pure seventies. A full third was new
material. F*** the johnny-come-latelies. If you didn't buy the album in advance of the show, playing it enough to know the new numbers, then F*** YOU!
That was what was stunning. The show was not pure nostalgia. They neither apologized for the new material nor rushed it. They played all of "Endless Wire" and even closed with a new number. They were not playing by the rules.

The next part comes close to illustrating what I think JSS may have helped Journey do by re-energizing the band. And it certainly exemplifies why I fell in love with music. However, given the first passage and how it relates to Journey, this part questions a little of "why" Journey does this...

Because we remember. When music was THE most important thing. When it wasn't the just the grease, but the engine.
Most of the dinosaurs touring, they've given up. It's just about satiating the
audience, grabbing the bucks. It's not about music, it's about BUSINESS!

And I thought it would be the same with the Who. Especially at these prices.

But two-thirds of the way through the show, Pete said he wasn't doing it for the money. That TV had been very very good to him.

And he played like it.

I don't know if he'll ever come up with anything as classic as he once wrote.
But he's not giving up, he's still trying.

I think most of the audience had given up. It's the nature of aging. You struggle to establish a position, and then coast. Risk is out of the question. Why test the limits when you've got so much to lose.

We used to look to musicians for direction.

We can again. By playing his heart out, by not just replicating what was on the albums, by doing a ton of new material, Pete Townshend was serving notice that he was not done yet. We should embrace this message.

And if tickets were fifteen or twenty bucks, if only the younger generation
could see a show like this, they might believe too. Pricing has made this the
Bentley of rock tours. It's exclusive when the music of yore was INCLUSIVE!

You can debate ad infinitum whether music can change the world.

But I'll tell you one thing for sure, music can change the individual. Can inspire him. Can instruct him. Can change the direction of his life.

That's what it used to do. That's why it's so powerful. That's why they call it classic rock.

If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,

http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

[larryfromnextdoor]

its simply too much reading 28...i listened to Rock Line last week,,, Pete speaks ALOT or words,, yet says very little,,

[NealIsGod]

its simply too much reading 28...i listened to Rock Line last week,,, Pete speaks ALOT or words,, yet says very little,,

Yes, too many word. Make head hurt.

[lights1961]

I saw the WHO in SEPT and they were SOO GOOD.. Yes their heart and passion was in it for sure... and the audience in DM gave Pete and Roger great applause for the new stuff..I purchased the NEW CD because of this show... WE loved the hits that were played as well.. But this was not a GH show... When Pete thanked the crowd for sitting through the new stuff we gave them nice ovation...

great insight and yes----Journey, STYX GENESIS will have the same issue too if they release new material...all the other groups from that time have issues with playing new stuff... but I wish JOURNEY had the guts to play more from Arrival and Generations... ala the WHO... but sadly with augeri likely gone...I cant imagine any of those songs will be heard again... SO my suggestion to Journey---NEW CD asap with JSS and play most songs from that new cd, plus 7-9 hits. Hope Iam making sense.


Rick

[jrnyman28]

How about this:

This was not a calcified show. It was pure seventies. A full third was new
material. F*** the johnny-come-latelies. If you didn't buy the album in advance of the show, playing it enough to know the new numbers, then F*** YOU!
That was what was stunning. The show was not pure nostalgia. They neither apologized for the new material nor rushed it. They played all of "Endless Wire" and even closed with a new number. They were not playing by the rules.

The next part comes close to illustrating what I think JSS may have helped Journey do by re-energizing the band. And it certainly exemplifies why I fell in love with music. However, given the first passage and how it relates to Journey, this part questions a little of "why" Journey does this...

Because we remember. When music was THE most important thing. When it wasn't the just the grease, but the engine.
Most of the dinosaurs touring, they've given up. It's just about satiating the
audience, grabbing the bucks. It's not about music, it's about BUSINESS!

We used to look to musicians for direction.

We can again. By playing his heart out, by not just replicating what was on the albums, by doing a ton of new material, Pete Townshend was serving notice that he was not done yet. We should embrace this message.

You can debate ad infinitum whether music can change the world.

But I'll tell you one thing for sure, music can change the individual. Can inspire him. Can instruct him. Can change the direction of his life.

[jrnyman28]

Oh, and now I know why people don't think anyone brings any interesting discussions to the forum...apparantly they don't have the attention span to read it!

[larryfromnextdoor]

I saw the WHO in SEPT and they were SOO GOOD.. Yes their heart and passion was in it for sure... and the audience in DM gave Pete and Roger great applause for the new stuff..I purchased the NEW CD because of this show... WE loved the hits that were played as well.. But this was not a GH show... When Pete thanked the crowd for sitting through the new stuff we gave them nice ovation...

great insight and yes----Journey, STYX GENESIS will have the same issue too if they release new material...all the other groups from that time have issues with playing new stuff... but I wish JOURNEY had the guts to play more from Arrival and Generations... ala the WHO... but sadly with augeri likely gone...I cant imagine any of those songs will be heard again... SO my suggestion to Journey---NEW CD asap with JSS and play most songs from that new cd, plus 7-9 hits. Hope Iam making sense.


Rick

rick, playing Generations songs right now might be like the Who playing "i eat heavy metal" from Petes solo stuff.... heck i dont know.... just thought id say that ....

[bluejeangirl76]

I saw the WHO in SEPT and they were SOO GOOD.. Yes their heart and passion was in it for sure... and the audience in DM gave Pete and Roger great applause for the new stuff..I purchased the NEW CD because of this show... WE loved the hits that were played as well.. But this was not a GH show... When Pete thanked the crowd for sitting through the new stuff we gave them nice ovation...

great insight and yes----Journey, STYX GENESIS will have the same issue too if they release new material...all the other groups from that time have issues with playing new stuff... but I wish JOURNEY had the guts to play more from Arrival and Generations... ala the WHO... but sadly with augeri likely gone...I cant imagine any of those songs will be heard again... SO my suggestion to Journey---NEW CD asap with JSS and play most songs from that new cd, plus 7-9 hits. Hope Iam making sense.


Rick

I had to get into this topic because we're talking about my 2 favorite bands here...

Makes sense, Rick. But I think the ship has sailed on Generations and Arrival. I mean, here we are in 2006, Generations is the most recent thing they've done, as recent as just last year, yet all they're doing is a Greatest Hits Parade (not that I minded that, but...I'm sure some people did, anyway...)

That would be like The Who putting out Endless Wire and going on a Greatest Hits Tour, playing none of the new material. I think Journey's best bet is to get something new in the can and go from there. Throw a couple in for the fans or something... a token tune from Arrival or Generations, 7 - 8 old tunes, and get some new stuff in there.

I saw The Who in September as well and they were so unbelievably great. Their mistake was touring the album 6 weeks before it came out, but hey, it's been so long since we've had new Who material that I'm not even going to bother complaining about that.

[fred_journeyman]

Hey Dave,

Funny thing, but I have a DVD of Deep Purple playing at the California Jam and there were TONS of people - literally a SEA of people! I remember in the 70s, when I went to concerts, it was an event and you knew that the groups that were playing were playing because they loved what they were doing.

Maybe too many bands today ARE doing it just for the money. Not only bands, but actors, or singers-turned-actor/actress, or visa versa. When ROCK music really came to the fore and into its own, it was raw and there was this huge hunger from the musicians to SAY what they wanted to say through music.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore for most. It's all about fame and fortune, but preferrably fortune...at least, that's the way it seems.

[NoMoreTails]

Regarding buying the album before going to the show....
If I like a band enough to pay a big ticket price, then I like them enough to have bought their latest album before going...not that Gens was available to buy before the show...
I never understood people going to shows of bands they didn't like enough to buy the album, even back in the 80s when ticket prices were low.
I agree, F'em if they don't "get" the new stuff. You got their money, play what you want to play. The thing with Journey is, they're always worrying about the audience coming back next time. They think if a crowd isn't standing for the entire show, they're not into it, I've been to very few shows other than Journey where most of the crowd stood the whole show. Perhaps Journey's playing (nearly) only old material as they have done most of the last 8 years will change next tour, if Jeremy was right in his review thread about the band being hungry again and beginning a new era. I have been over hearing the Greatest Hits for about 6 years now.

[Clasicrockldy]

I was watching the morning news yesterday, and they did a piece on the Rolling Stones. Now the Stones had to cancel last Sunday's show in Oakland, CA, because Mick had a throat problem, so they rescheduled for Monday. What got me when listening to the story, is that the tix were high as $400.00 ! Talk about grabbing big bucks !...............

[Wheels Of Fyre]

Oh, and now I know why people don't think anyone brings any interesting discussions to the forum...apparantly they don't have the attention span to read it!

Yup. And they've forgotten how to rock at a concert without having to run for a beer because their favorite make-out song from when they were a teenager isn't being played!!!

This is EXACTLY ON THE MARK!!!

The current fan base is CHOKING the life out of JOURNEY.

[conversationpc]

Oh, and now I know why people don't think anyone brings any interesting discussions to the forum...apparantly they don't have the attention span to read it!

I read the entire thing. Quite interesting and I agree on most points.

[jrnyman28]

Oh, and now I know why people don't think anyone brings any interesting discussions to the forum...apparantly they don't have the attention span to read it!

I read the entire thing. Quite interesting and I agree on most points.

If people were really worried about long-winded they would never be able to sit through this guy's newsletter. He does babble at times. But he does have some very good points/ideas/opinions.

I wish Journey would take the attitude the Who appears to have. Obviously it is unlikely to happen with any Augeri-era material, and really it is just too late. But I hope JSS material gets and (more importantly) REMAINS in the setlist.

The ticket prices nowadays are sky-high. Especially for a band like the Who and other near-legendary acts. Joureny is not much better though. Another point in the article was that if the younger generation could afford to see the way these bands play they might be inspired to do the same.

And I know many will read the post. But given certain criticisms of late....

[heardonthestreet]

There could be a few reasons for Journey not playing the new material, Dave. What's wrong with telling the people that the next song is something new? Has Schon tried this? Why isn't JSS singing "Higher Place" or whatever they feel is their best effort in new material? JSS sang some new material in the beginning, so what happened? Someone said that there wasn't time for more than the G.H. Is Journey supposed to be two piano solo's or Schon's SSB? Sure it's nice but come on, it's a Journey concert not a recital. Or it could be just the fact that if it's good they will listen.

[jrnyman28]

I agree they could still play some Augeri-era material. Higher Place should stick around since it is the only Augeri-era song to somewhat get it's own legs. But the way the band seems to be operating would suggest they might want to simply overlook that era. Besides, the band also seems to feel that if you give the audience time to catch their breath you might lose them Intro's should be made for the new material, something the band started to do a little on the Generations tour. But there really is little time on this tour. I KNEW this tour would not feature new material, even though I believed this was the BEST tour to feature the Generations tunes. You and I obviously disagree on the merit of the new material. But honestly, even if the stuff is not as strong I think the band should have stood behind it. How many songs have you heard on the radio and at first you didn't like them? Then, after being force-fed the tunes every day/every hour you find they are quite enjoyable. Do you think your first impression was wrong? I don't. I think familiarity breeds appeal to some extent.

[heardonthestreet]

The "Who" is probably banking on this, Dave.

[Big J]

There is absolutely no reason why an Arrival tour show couldn't have looked like this (modified Journey 2001 DVD set list):

Separate Ways
Higher Place
guitar solo,
Stone in Love,
Lights,
Signs of Life
Nothin' Comes Close
piano solo,
Open Arms,
All the Way,
World Gone Wild
Wheel in the Sky
Lifetime of Dreams
Any Way You Want It,
Don't Stop Believin',
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin',
Faithfully.

No reason at all. The way Journey does things is how "dinosaur rock bands" become dinosaur rock bands. Same shit different tour. There was a time when touring in support of new albums sold albums. Instead they'd rather live off past glory.

There is no reason why the dirty dozen couldn't be pared WAY down. Lights, Wheel int he Sky, Don't Stop Believin', Open Arms, Faithfully. Stone in Love does not HAVE to be played. AWYWI does not HAVE to be played. LTS does not HAVE to be played. Not every night. And Escape CERTAINLY doesn't have to be.

I don't understand why bands like this even bother recording new albums, AND, like Neal, have the balls to bitch about record companies not supporting the new record when they won't even do it themselves.

The Who has balls. That's why they do a setlist like that. Journey, Def Leppard, Kiss, Aerosmith, the whole 70's/80's rock generation...they don't. Bon Jovi does, a little. The rest, not a chance.

[Big J]

There could be a few reasons for Journey not playing the new material, Dave. What's wrong with telling the people that the next song is something new? Has Schon tried this? Why isn't JSS singing "Higher Place" or whatever they feel is their best effort in new material? JSS sang some new material in the beginning, so what happened? Someone said that there wasn't time for more than the G.H. Is Journey supposed to be two piano solo's or Schon's SSB? Sure it's nice but come on, it's a Journey concert not a recital. Or it could be just the fact that if it's good they will listen.

Agree somewhat. Cut the solos and play Faith in the Heartland.

There's nothing "rock concert" at all about Cain's piano solo.

[SF-Dano]

While I agree that more new music should be played live. I think the band is kind of caught in a catch 22. We die hards will go and enjoy the show no matter what they play. At least up until recently, that was the sentiment I got from this board. Now things are changing and we the die hard fans are asking for new material and different sets to be played. The casual fans, by my experience, will not show up for anything but a hits show.

Last year's tour, aside from the tape gate fiasco, was supposed to be for the die hard fans. 3 hours of Journey playing the hits, rare tracks, and new tunes, and I completely enjoyed it. At the show I attend, I had a large group of people screaming "play some Journey" and "this show sucks" during the whole first set. Now, when more of the Escape and beyond era hits were played during the second set the comments changed to "its about fucking time" and "thats the shit I'm talking about".

I have experienced these types of comments during previous tours when new songs were played also. The casual fans don't buy the new CDs, there is no radio play to expose the casual fan to new music, and they only want to go to a concert to sing and dance along to the songs they know. It sucks, but that is reality.

Now Journey has to decide whether they want to continue to be a successful, viable, money making touring band. Or be a pure artistic group that plays 75 to 25 new to old music ratio in concert. Thus risk loosing (and probably would) a large part of the casual audience and playing much smaller venues like clubs, casinos, and fairs. The same small venues that some of us here were ridiculing them for playing in the past.

I just think there could be more of a middle ground between the new and old in concert. IMO - in a 90 min set 3 to 4 new songs is enough. Now if you want to go 3hrs like last year, then I can go up to 7 or 8 tunes and pull out some other rare tunes from your catalog. Just my opinion and I know it is not with the majority here.

One other note, when I think back to my younger days, some newer/younger fans have never seen Journey live. They want to see the dirty dozen tunes played live as it is their first time seeing the band. The ROR tour was the first time I saw the band live, and though, I enjoyed the concert, there were many other songs I wanted to hear live that I did not get a chance to. So for me, when they pull out a Mother Father or a Precious time, or STR, it is a treat for me still.

Sorry, did not realize how long this got ...

[fred_journeyman]

I wish Journey would take the attitude the Who appears to have. Obviously it is unlikely to happen with any Augeri-era material, and really it is just too late. But I hope JSS material gets and (more importantly) REMAINS in the setlist.

I'm with you, Dave. I think if Journey DOES record new music with JSS, at least some of it deserves to be in the setlist.

[fred_journeyman]

There could be a few reasons for Journey not playing the new material, Dave. What's wrong with telling the people that the next song is something new? Has Schon tried this? Why isn't JSS singing "Higher Place" or whatever they feel is their best effort in new material? JSS sang some new material in the beginning, so what happened? Someone said that there wasn't time for more than the G.H. Is Journey supposed to be two piano solo's or Schon's SSB? Sure it's nice but come on, it's a Journey concert not a recital. Or it could be just the fact that if it's good they will listen.

Funny, but as many Journey concerts I've been to over the past few years, I'm really not sure they DID do this (introducing new songs). I kind of remember Augeri briefly mentioning almost as an aside "Here's a new one..." but the fact that the record didn't get any airplay meant that they probably should have taken more time to properly introduce it.

During the Escape tour, I remember Perry intro'g a song from Escape and all he had to say was something like, "Here's a song from our latest album. Maybe you've heard of Escape?" Of course the crowd went wild because they knew every song on the disc!

[ohsherrie]

I read the whole post Dave(but you know I'm kinda anal like that ) I think The Who did the right thing because they believed in their new material and wanted to get it heard.

I agree it's time for Journey to bite the bullet and make people hear their new stuff. I mean the new stuff they do with Jeff because even though to most audiences Arrival and Generations will be new stuff I'd say they need to skip that so they can get the new JSS material heard instead. They're going to have to decide what their direction is going to be. Are they going to be content with being a nostalgia act? I don't see a talent like Jeff settling for that. If they really want to make their new material relevant they're going to have to be brave enough to risk the disapproval of some of the casual fans and play their new material. It surely will be tough, but that's where the biting the bullet comes in. If they need the money from the tickets too bad to stand up for their new stuff, then maybe they don't deserve the faith that I have in this new lineup.

[Crazie Scarab]

There could be a few reasons for Journey not playing the new material, Dave. What's wrong with telling the people that the next song is something new? Has Schon tried this? Why isn't JSS singing "Higher Place" or whatever they feel is their best effort in new material? JSS sang some new material in the beginning, so what happened? Someone said that there wasn't time for more than the G.H. Is Journey supposed to be two piano solo's or Schon's SSB? Sure it's nice but come on, it's a Journey concert not a recital. Or it could be just the fact that if it's good they will listen.

Funny, but as many Journey concerts I've been to over the past few years, I'm really not sure they DID do this (introducing new songs). I kind of remember Augeri briefly mentioning almost as an aside "Here's a new one..." but the fact that the record didn't get any airplay meant that they probably should have taken more time to properly introduce it.

During the Escape tour, I remember Perry intro'g a song from Escape and all he had to say was something like, "Here's a song from our latest album. Maybe you've heard of Escape?" Of course the crowd went wild because they knew every song on the disc!

I think the difference between then & now is that radio basically ignores newer material, especially when it comes to Journey. Now, I'm not ready to give up, by any means. I'll tell you why.

I really, really was excited when I found out Journey was touring again, back in '98. I went to a show and was blown away by Augeri's ability to bring life to classic Journey songs. The possibilities at that time seemed infinite. Journey did a great job with the Arrival CD and alot of that CD should have made the airways. However, it wasn't SP fronting the band. Thus, the radio people basically ignored it. No. They totally ignored it.

Red 13 was ok. It was an EP designed for us fans. I really enjoyed it and still do. But, the songs on Red 13 weren't "radio friendly," for whatever reason. Track length, perhaps? Too much change in Journey's sound? I don't really know. But, I really enjoy it still to this day! The Under The Radar Tour was awesome! I made 4 shows that year and they played stuff off of R13.

Then, the Main Even Tour in 03. It was so fun to see Journey with a couple other bands I really like from the 70/80's.

It wasn't until the following year, 04, that I noticed something wrong. I went to the show early in the tour at Pechanga Casino. SA was really struggling and it was obvious. I shrugged it off to that it was early on the tour & he needed a little time to come around.

Then, the HWOF show at the House Of Blues, Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA. It was a really incredible show, no doubt. Hell, Steve Smith played! Robert was there and sang. It was a great time. However, when SA sang, he started losing his vocals and waved down (to the mixer), over and over. The rest of the band ultimately drowned out his voice because of it. That night, I shrugged it off to be that he was performing when not being on tour. I never thought twice about it.

Until.. Until the Generations tour.

I went to the 3rd or fourth show last year in San Diego. Steve sounded awful. Still, I had a great time. But, Steve sounded awful. Later in the tour, I heard he sounded great. Again, I thought nothing of it. I figured it all came together after they were on the road awhile. What do I know? I'm not a singer.

This year.. the DL/Journey concert. Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't too excited about it. I've experienced SA going downhill, vocally and there just wasn't too much excitement. However, I decided to go because you just never know.. Well, you just never know..

In the meantime, I saw Soul SirkUS. I saw how Neal and JSS interact. I saw Jeff's absolute professionalism on stage. So, when I heard JSS was taking over vocals for Journey, I was ecstatic. It was not until after I found out about JSS taking on Journey vocals that I visited this site and ultimately found out about the tapes. I had too slow of a modem connection the first part of this year to even log on and bring up the Google page, let alone jump around thread to thread here and there...

Anyways, I really respect & appreciate SA for what he's done. The years SA has been with Journey, he has brought on new, younger Journey fans. He's brought some original fans back, myself included. SA has paved the way for yet another Journey. A Journey with JSS. While I will miss SA, JSS is a master at what he does and the reviews reflect just that. Journey and their fans are in for some great times & memories ahead.

[Crazie Scarab]

I posted this over at BT and it got no traction (as Eric would say) so I thought the discussion might do better over here.


I receive the Bob Leftsetz newsletter and he usually has very interesting things to say about the "industry". Much of his rants concern a time when the MUSIC was all that mattered. I want to post a few quotes from his newsletter because they could be discussed concerning Journey as well. The Who have been around longer than Journey but that only amplifies the similar situations that "old" bands encounter. And this shows how The Who handled them.

This was not a calcified show. It was pure seventies. A full third was new
material. F*** the johnny-come-latelies. If you didn't buy the album in advance of the show, playing it enough to know the new numbers, then F*** YOU!
That was what was stunning. The show was not pure nostalgia. They neither apologized for the new material nor rushed it. They played all of "Endless Wire" and even closed with a new number. They were not playing by the rules.

The next part comes close to illustrating what I think JSS may have helped Journey do by re-energizing the band. And it certainly exemplifies why I fell in love with music. However, given the first passage and how it relates to Journey, this part questions a little of "why" Journey does this...

Because we remember. When music was THE most important thing. When it wasn't the just the grease, but the engine.
Most of the dinosaurs touring, they've given up. It's just about satiating the
audience, grabbing the bucks. It's not about music, it's about BUSINESS!

And I thought it would be the same with the Who. Especially at these prices.

But two-thirds of the way through the show, Pete said he wasn't doing it for the money. That TV had been very very good to him.

And he played like it.

I don't know if he'll ever come up with anything as classic as he once wrote.
But he's not giving up, he's still trying.

I think most of the audience had given up. It's the nature of aging. You struggle to establish a position, and then coast. Risk is out of the question. Why test the limits when you've got so much to lose.

We used to look to musicians for direction.

We can again. By playing his heart out, by not just replicating what was on the albums, by doing a ton of new material, Pete Townshend was serving notice that he was not done yet. We should embrace this message.

And if tickets were fifteen or twenty bucks, if only the younger generation
could see a show like this, they might believe too. Pricing has made this the
Bentley of rock tours. It's exclusive when the music of yore was INCLUSIVE!

You can debate ad infinitum whether music can change the world.

But I'll tell you one thing for sure, music can change the individual. Can inspire him. Can instruct him. Can change the direction of his life.

That's what it used to do. That's why it's so powerful. That's why they call it classic rock.

If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,

http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

BTW.. That was nothing but a bunch of gobbledygook. Heads, tails? Who cares?

[NoMoreTails]

Are they going to be content with being a nostalgia act? I don't see a talent like Jeff settling for that.

I have been more surprised by talents like Neal and Jon settling for that...and we're talking way before Steve's voice problems.

[ohsherrie]

Are they going to be content with being a nostalgia act? I don't see a talent like Jeff settling for that.

I have been more surprised by talents like Neal and Jon settling for that...and we're talking way before Steve's voice problems.

I never liked or understood that either but I think it's a little different situation now. Neal and Jon have already had tremendous success in their careers and after such a cool reception for Arrival seemed to be happy to just keep touring. Augeri really had no other options in the music business so he was happy with it. Jeff on the other hand has other options so I don't see why he would be content to spend his career covering someone else's songs.

[NoMoreTails]

Are they going to be content with being a nostalgia act? I don't see a talent like Jeff settling for that.

I have been more surprised by talents like Neal and Jon settling for that...and we're talking way before Steve's voice problems.

I never liked or understood that either but I think it's a little different situation now. Neal and Jon have already had tremendous success in their careers and after such a cool reception for Arrival seemed to be happy to just keep touring. Augeri really had no other options in the music business so he was happy with it. Jeff on the other hand has other options so I don't see why he would be content to spend his career covering someone else's songs.

While I definitely hope that Journey will record and increasingly perform new music (being tired of GH over and over), and thinking JSS probably makes a good living for himself, I doubt it compares to what he'll earn with Journey, and that may be a great temptation to put aside other options and cover someone else's songs....the "someone else" being Journey, of course.

[Moon Beam]

I think the difference between then & now is that radio basically ignores newer material, especially when it comes to Journey. Now, I'm not ready to give up, by any means. I'll tell you why.

I really, really was excited when I found out Journey was touring again, back in '98. I went to a show and was blown away by Augeri's ability to bring life to classic Journey songs. The possibilities at that time seemed infinite. Journey did a great job with the Arrival CD and alot of that CD should have made the airways. However, it wasn't SP fronting the band. Thus, the radio people basically ignored it. No. They totally ignored it.

Red 13 was ok. It was an EP designed for us fans. I really enjoyed it and still do. But, the songs on Red 13 weren't "radio friendly," for whatever reason. Track length, perhaps? Too much change in Journey's sound? I don't really know. But, I really enjoy it still to this day! The Under The Radar Tour was awesome! I made 4 shows that year and they played stuff off of R13.

Then, the Main Even Tour in 03. It was so fun to see Journey with a couple other bands I really like from the 70/80's.

It wasn't until the following year, 04, that I noticed something wrong. I went to the show early in the tour at Pechanga Casino. SA was really struggling and it was obvious. I shrugged it off to that it was early on the tour & he needed a little time to come around.

Then, the HWOF show at the House Of Blues, Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA. It was a really incredible show, no doubt. Hell, Steve Smith played! Robert was there and sang. It was a great time. However, when SA sang, he started losing his vocals and waved down (to the mixer), over and over. The rest of the band ultimately drowned out his voice because of it. That night, I shrugged it off to be that he was performing when not being on tour. I never thought twice about it.

Until.. Until the Generations tour.

I went to the 3rd or fourth show last year in San Diego. Steve sounded awful. Still, I had a great time. But, Steve sounded awful. Later in the tour, I heard he sounded great. Again, I thought nothing of it. I figured it all came together after they were on the road awhile. What do I know? I'm not a singer.

This year.. the DL/Journey concert. Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't too excited about it. I've experienced SA going downhill, vocally and there just wasn't too much excitement. However, I decided to go because you just never know.. Well, you just never know..

In the meantime, I saw Soul SirkUS. I saw how Neal and JSS interact. I saw Jeff's absolute professionalism on stage. So, when I heard JSS was taking over vocals for Journey, I was ecstatic. It was not until after I found out about JSS taking on Journey vocals that I visited this site and ultimately found out about the tapes. I had too slow of a modem connection the first part of this year to even log on and bring up the Google page, let alone jump around thread to thread here and there...

Anyways, I really respect & appreciate SA for what he's done. The years SA has been with Journey, he has brought on new, younger Journey fans. He's brought some original fans back, myself included. SA has paved the way for yet another Journey. A Journey with JSS. While I will miss SA, JSS is a master at what he does and the reviews reflect just that. Journey and their fans are in for some great times & memories ahead.

Good job on this post, nice reads.
Thank ya kindly