The_Noble_Cause wrote:strangegrey wrote:
I disagree there...wholeheartedly. All one has to do is observe the constant and steady decline of the band's draw and the amount of power it projects in the music industry. Currently, the band is a fraction of it's former self. The constant during this decline, is Schon, Cain, and the hirelings. At this stage, it's rather obvious that Journey, as a band, has not allowed the singer to bring what he has to the table to allow Journey to start moving onward and upward.
No doubt.
Everything you said about the band forbidding its lead singers from taking the reins or creatively contributing in any substantive manner is 100% on the mark. That much is obvious. But while that may impede them from growing musically, I’m not convinced that has any real bearing on the band’s profits and touring longevity. Those are two separate issues.
Clearly, the band has reverted back to the precise model inplace during the Augeri years – bringing in another muzzled hired hand. Still, its worth noting that, while never coming close to recapturing their Escape glory days, Journey had no problem touring on their own as recently as 2005.
Has their "draw" really gone down since they first toured theatres in 1998?
I think that remains to be seen.
This is the same argument I was having with JSS-doomsayers just over a year ago.
I'm not squarely in the pom-pom-cheering Arnel crowd, I just think the issue of Journey's lead singer is entirely overrated.
As long as a touring band exists on the road called "Journey" to play the hits, Azoff Inc. will have no problem filling their coffers.
Eh, I disagree to a small extent. First...and I'm refering to Dean's post. In order to make a success out of this, Dean mentioned that Journey has to *market* Arnel. Make a spectacle out of his throat. Make him the second coming. Expose him. Allow Arnel to really project out front of the band and create a buzz. I had said in this thread that I couldn't paraphrase what Deano said any better...and I just did so, so I expect Deano to rightfully come in here and correct me. Regardless, the point was that Journey has to do what they haven't allowed with a singer since Perry (and in some cases, including Perry).
That's not going to happen.
Instead, Journey will do their best to subdue any explicit/outward notification to fans that they have a new singer. They think the less they say, the better...so people wont look at this with the disdain and amusement that they currently get when you hear they have yet another singer. What I think Deano was saying was give the sceptical fans (including myself) no where else to go with this. Push Arnel out front and go "Yeah, he's a new singer, so fucking what...he kicks ass, listen to him!"....
Journey wont do that because they want control...if this were 10 years ago, I would also say they would be afraid to push him into the center spotlight because they would be aprehensive about his performance...but I dont think that's it, even though I personally feel it's true. The fact of the matter is that they want to control this singer like they tried to control Jeff and Jeremey...and like they succeeded with Steve A.
As far as the decline of the band...this is where I feel that you might be wrong. You're citing an interesting year as an example. In 2005, Journey did their 30th aniversary tour. That tour was heavily promoted and touted as the tour to end all tours. They had plans to give away copies of generations for each ticket holder. Sadly, they stopped doing that partly into the tour, fucking ticket holders that were expecting a copy. Regardless, I would interested in seeing undoctored tour statistics from 2005 compared to say 2001. When I saw Journey at Jones Beach in 2001, on the arrival tour, the place was nearly filled. We're talking 10-15k. In 2005, on that 30th aniversary tour, the venue was half filled, at best.
So while they might have played the same venues from 01 compared directly to 05, their draw seems to have dropped...big time.
Also, take note of what venues they played in 03, on their shit13 tour.....I saw em at Bald Hill, out on Long Island. A dirt hill shit venue of 2-3k tops. The writing on the wall was clear then...the band was suffering.
All other tours have to be slightly called into question as they had strong supporting/coheadlining acts...Def Leppard, Styx, REO, etc.
I still maintain (as the news of JSS injecting some whoopass into the band probably travelled slowly, as journey didn't want to advertise yet another singer change) that if Journey were touring with a less popular band than Def Leppard, the 06 tour would have been at *much* smaller venues.
wow Lumpia festivals maybe big over there ...but here ...it's a different ball game...he may know his country men ...but this isn't his country,we expect a real show here.
...so I don't know really , maybe it is also what is being listened to at the time...Journey is more mellow than Rammstein 
...However, regarding Stage presence I think it is important to a fairly reasonable degree, I also think Charisma is an important ingredient for a performer too...you can leap around like a lizard but if you have no charisma it means nothing it's just a load of moves and actions...
