In The Grand Scheme of Things

[Wheels Of Fyre]

Being a JOURNEY fan is a bitter/sweet experience. They've changed musical directions and personnel so many times. As soon as you get into their groove they make a slick move or slam through you in ways that would make Walter Payton envious.

Change is the grand scheme of things with JOURNEY. Always has been. I struggle with change which goes to show I'm not as holy as I'm perceived. This change has bothered me as much as any. I didn't like it when Gregg left. Ultimately, the results of his departure are just as incredible as anything he did when he was in the band. I think the same can be said of every personnel change - including bringing in SA. Had SA not arrived then JOURNEY would potentially have folded and many people would've missed the opportunity to experience live JOURNEY - well, some of it was live. I think SA's "rescuing" JOURNEY was just as meaningful as SP's rescuing them. JSS's rescuing was equally meaningful in the grand scheme of things.

JOURNEY has a history of being rescued. SP rescued JOURNEY and fans were hurt/won. Same with SS, JC, MB, RJ, SA, DC, and JSS. Perhaps Herbie was the most influential life saver. He rescued the band probably more than all of them put together.

Who's going to rescue them now? Maybe it's time that they be big boys and save themselves.

[Perry86fan]

Fyre you just said it all. I never felt anyone could ever take Mr P place to me he was the very best.Then came SA he tryed but could not pull it off.Not mad at him at all that was some really big shoes to try and fill. Jeff came to help them out and we all felt there could & would be a change. But it was not to be for whatever reason.It makes me sick as this was the frist time i wanted to see them again but i will never see them again. I will just remember the times i saw them with Mr P and they rocked .They left you wanting MORE. I think the problem is they need Mr P but we know he will NEVER be back they put the screws to him. He is so much better off without the jerks To me there is no more journey Jeff could have brought something great to the band.

[Wheels Of Fyre]

...I will just remember the times i saw them with Mr P and they rocked .They left you wanting MORE. I think the problem is they need Mr P but we know he will NEVER be back they put the screws to him. He is so much better off without the jerks To me there is no more journey Jeff could have brought something great to the band.

I think they left many fans wanting more! If they want to pursue the "legacy sound" then it would make sense to bring back SP however like you said that will probably never happen. That’s probably for the best anyway. At this point, I'm not so sure that even SP can get out from under his own shadow. His shadow is a wonderful legacy that you can't cast any further nor get out from under - so why try? The more sensible thing to do would be to respectfully walk around it and work on sparking some light to cast your own shadow. This is something that they failed to do with SA and seemingly failed to consider with JSS.

I responded to Deano in another thread but it's relative here, too:

I just cannot believe some of you would even consider still supporting them whether it be buying records or concerts.

Unbelievable.

Everyone has a tolerance. Some people couldn't believe fans would support them after they brought in SP. Same with JC coming in and GR leaving. Same with the arrivals of both SA and JSS.

I supported them through ALL OF IT and I'll continue to do so. I may not always like HOW they do things but ultimately, it's THEIR art NOT mine. If it were up to me they would've kept JSS and pursued a Latin rhythm album as he and Neal are more than capable of that style. They could've created something cool but they've decided instead to pursue their "legacy sound" without JSS.

Oh, well!

I'm a FAN - nothing more, nothing less. I'm not an "insider" or a friend of a friend of a friend of the band. I have absolutely ZERO personal connection with them. I connect with THE MUSIC. I can understand and appreciate from where you and others with "connections" are coming from, though.

Bottom line for me is that if their future work is schlock like TBF-Generations OR something worth a damn like Journey-ROR then I'll respond accordingly.

Until then I'm just sittin' here watchin' the wheels go 'round and 'round...