16,000-plus sellout at NYS Fair Tonight! My thoughts...

[Dano]

Just got in from the show at the New York State Fair in Syracuse tonight. Had to share some thoughts on the night before I went to bed. This won't be a review proper, with set lists and the like, but I did want to mention a few things.

First off, this was my fifth Journey show since 1998, and ironically the last four since 2000 (including tonight) I've seen them at the Fair Grandstand. I don't have the exact numbers handy, but from memory I remember every one of the previous three (in 2001, 2002 and 2004) were between 4000 and 6000 in attendance. Basically, there was a two-thirds empty shed every time. Well, that wasn't the case tonight. Every single seat in the house--a little over 16,000 total--was filled. Complete sellout. One of the only sellouts in the past 15 years according to one staffer. I think the most recent act to do so was Kenny Chesney a year or two ago. Mind you, this is a venue that has the Jonas Brothers, Daughtry, Brooks and Dunn with ZZ Top and Rascal Flatts on this year's lineup alone. Not one of those acts have sold it out. Journey has, and at $56 a head.

I have never, ever seen Neal or Jonathan smile as much as they did tonight. Both of them grinning from ear to ear the whole night. Most animated I've ever seen either of them. I may start a war by saying this, but I believe the Perry-era is almost completely out of people's minds now. Yes, people remember him, and God knows he's my favorite vocalist of all-time, but with just about every date on this tour a sellout and the album just a breath away from Platinum status (not to mention a top 10 AC hit with AATY), I think Journey has finally proven that they can move on successfully without Perry. I am as stunned as anyone that they've pulled it off, because I can't think of one band with this many vocalist changes that's managed to come back with this kind of success. And it's in no small part to the treasure they've found in Arnel.

....Speaking of which, let me just remark how this powerhouse had the whole crowd eating out of the palm of his hand from the first note. I overheard many conversations prior to the show starting, and people knew of him and were excited to hear what he could do. It wasn't like people were expecting Perry, at least not the people I listened to. And wow, did he deliver tonight. He hit so many unbelievable notes--I kept seeing jaws drop and high fives every time. He didn't just hit a few random high notes. He hit some of those ear-piercing wails that Perry killed with. The high notes during the solo in WITS? Pulled off perfectly. This gentleman is simply amazing. I was a huge Augeri supporter (still am), but Arnel is definitely the man for the job. His energy was totally non-stop.

A few other notes on Journey before I move on to the other bands: Don't know if they're doing this at other shows, but there was no Majestic intro. Instead, they had a live cam backstage showing them clowning around and doing their huddle while making their way to the stage. AC/DC's Back In Black was playing on the PA at the time and it was a riot watching Arnel lip-sync to it while mugging into the camera. We got Dead or Alive and La Do Da, both of which most people sat down for, unbelievably enough. They used a magnificent rapid-fire animation sequence on all the screens that lasted the length of DOA. Great, dizzying visuals. Some excellent graphics to WITS as well, so it's not all "CNN/Larry King" lights.

I can't say enough about the performance. Best Journey show I've seen since Vacation's Over in '98, and certainly the happiest I've ever seen Neal and Jon. Good for them--they deserve it! And I think the sales of Revelation would be even higher than they are right now, but the band is selling the CD set for $15 dollars at the shows. I saw those getting scooped up, along with an amazing amount of t-shirts. It seemed that every tenth person had a brand-new Revelation tour shirt on, and most of them were teenagers and twenty-somethings. You couldn't get near the merch booth all night.

As for Heart. I have to agree with what others have posted lately and say that they gave the band a run for their money. From comments I heard tonight, I think they were a good part of the draw as well. The crowd went wild for them. When Nancy Wilson first walked out, the roar of the crowd was unreal. Then when Ann stepped out a few moments later, it was sheer pandemonium. They both have so much respect from rock fans all over, and rightly so. They are truly rock royalty. And what a show--they started off with Wild Child and never let up after that. Unreal. And Ann did not miss or duck a note all night. She is truly a phenomenon. Hasn't lost one bit of range, and the backing musicians were top-notch. Absolute perfection.

Although I am admittedly not the biggest Cheap Trick fan in the world, I do like them and have to say that they were spot-on as well. Special props have to go to Robin Zander. Again, as with the other two vocalists tonight, he was dead on the whole set and hasn't lost a bit of range either. He hit every high note in The Flame and the crowd went nuts. And no one is more fun to watch than Rick Nielsen. That guy is just non-stop hilarity, not to mention one hell of a guitarist.

So that's it in a nutshell people. If you're one of the few that's chosen to sit this tour out, I implore you not to. You are missing three world-class bands at the top of their game, and probably the best Journey show you'll ever see outside of the Escape tour. I'm telling you, Arnel is that good. Watch him live and you'll be amazed! This band is back, and I daresay better than ever.

[RocknRoll]

Glad you had a great time. Sounds like an awesome show.

Heart and Journey should team up again. They are a great combo.

[StoneCold]

This really is a perfect classic rock ticket.

CT for the rockers and "that 70's show" fans, Heart for the 80's ladies, Journey for everyone else. Better bang for your buck than the DL setup last time.

[Rick]

Great to hear Dano. It's always good to read a review like that. And I agree with R&R, Journey and Heart do make a great team. Hopefully they'll do it again next year.

I sure hope to hear a La Do Da boot on Youtube, but it hasn't shown up yet. Maybe it will from the show you attended. Great tune.

Thanks for the great review, made my night.

[epoy]

Great review Dano. Thanks.

[jrnyjetster]

Dano, what was the crowd's reaction to the Revelation stuff and what songs did they play? Excellent post, BTW! I think you hit the nail on the head.

[Dano]

They opened with Never Walk Away, and also played Change for the Better and After All These Years. The crowd sat for the latter two, although I heard lots of people in the crowd singing along to AATY. As I said before though, I was surprised at how many people sat through La Do Da and Dead or Alive, not to mention Escape. I do have to say that the set was paced nicely. The encore was only one song, which was Anyway You Want It, with the Lay It Down guitar intro.

One correction (original post corrected to reflect it): The Grandstand is a 16,000 seat venue, not 18,000. I was a little tired when I wrote the post, having just got in from the show. Regardless, it was still a sellout. It must've been a great feeling for the band to see that house packed.

[janus65]

Great to hear Dano. It's always good to read a review like that. And I agree with R&R, Journey and Heart do make a great team. Hopefully they'll do it again next year.

I sure hope to hear a La Do Da boot on Youtube, but it hasn't shown up yet. Maybe it will from the show you attended. Great tune.

Thanks for the great review, made my night.

here it is Rick! Just recently added, im not familiar with the song thou but the description says La Do Da..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=507BCvtR06A

[EightyRock]

16,000 seat sell out doesn't seem like alot, considering there are three bands.

[Enigma869]

I believe the Perry-era is almost completely out of people's minds now.

Right...It's almost as if Perry never existed

but with just about every date on this tour a sellout

Good for Journey that they're selling out state fairgrounds, but let us not forget that they have two fairly well known bands on this tour with them, and I'm quite sure that both of those other bands contributed to the ticket sales. In fact, I'm willing to bet that half of the tickets that were sold were sold by Heart's fans!

I think Journey has finally proven that they can move on successfully without Perry.

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). A couple of key points...first and foremost, nothing that Journey recorded with Augeri in the band sold to anyone outside of close friends, family, and people on Journey message boards. Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

I can't think of one band with this many vocalist changes

That's because there isn't a single band in history who has had this many vocalist changes!


John from Boston

[Rick]

Great to hear Dano. It's always good to read a review like that. And I agree with R&R, Journey and Heart do make a great team. Hopefully they'll do it again next year.

I sure hope to hear a La Do Da boot on Youtube, but it hasn't shown up yet. Maybe it will from the show you attended. Great tune.

Thanks for the great review, made my night.

here it is Rick! Just recently added, im not familiar with the song thou but the description says La Do Da..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=507BCvtR06A

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's fantastic to see them doing that song again. The crowd was like, wtf is this? They always do a couple like that for the hard core fans and I think that's very cool.

[Rick]

I believe the Perry-era is almost completely out of people's minds now.

Right...It's almost as if Perry never existed

but with just about every date on this tour a sellout

Good for Journey that they're selling out state fairgrounds, but let us not forget that they have two fairly well known bands on this tour with them, and I'm quite sure that both of those other bands contributed to the ticket sales. In fact, I'm willing to bet that half of the tickets that were sold were sold by Heart's fans!

I think Journey has finally proven that they can move on successfully without Perry.

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). A couple of key points...first and foremost, nothing that Journey recorded with Augeri in the band sold to anyone outside of close friends, family, and people on Journey message boards. Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

I can't think of one band with this many vocalist changes

That's because there isn't a single band in history who has had this many vocalist changes!


John from Boston

JFB, Perry's legacy is firmly intact. And we have the loons to prove it.

The concert I was at was a predominately Journey crowd, judging by the people standing during each act and the t-shirts. Not to take anything away from Heart, they were fantastic. I just could not have imagined Ann sounding that good at this stage in her life. Nancy as well. Was a treat to see and hear.

[wednesday's child]

here it is Rick! Just recently added, im not familiar with the song thou but the description says La Do Da..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=507BCvtR06A

THANK YOU!!!!!

Good stuff... but maybe Arnel needs to rein it in a wee bit, LOL.
His voice is gold, but a mite too powerful at times, when it drowns out
what should be a more even harmony with the other boys.*
(Then again, all I have is a partial clip, decrepit sapmling and all, haha)

Wish they'd play more stuff outside of the Dirty D more often.

-wech

*That is NOT a knock on Arnel's abilities, just in case MR still has a bunch
of rabid Pineda-fan lurkers who live to stir shit up.

[jrnyjetster]

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

Name me one rock band that is filling up STADIUMS this summer.....??
This tour will almost certainly end up being in the top 5 highest grossing concerts of the summer selling out 15k-20k seats a night. Not too shabby in my book.

[S2M]

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

Name me one rock band that is filling up STADIUMS this summer.....??
This tour will almost certainly end up being in the top 5 highest grossing concerts of the summer selling out 15k-20k seats a night. Not too shabby in my book.

RUSH....nuff said!

[Rick]

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

Name me one rock band that is filling up STADIUMS this summer.....??
This tour will almost certainly end up being in the top 5 highest grossing concerts of the summer selling out 15k-20k seats a night. Not too shabby in my book.

Well "separate_wayz" tallied the numbers and said if they sell out every show, (which they haven't but were damn close and have added dates) they'll sell over 900,000 seats on this tour. At 900,000 multiplied by the average ticket price is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of forty to fifty million dollars. That's some good scratch. Revelation is probably going Platinum, and Journey are getting something like $7 a sale off of that, so there's another seven million before they pay off the production costs.

[RocknRoll]

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

Name me one rock band that is filling up STADIUMS this summer.....??
This tour will almost certainly end up being in the top 5 highest grossing concerts of the summer selling out 15k-20k seats a night. Not too shabby in my book.

Well "separate_wayz" tallied the numbers and said if they sell out every show, (which they haven't but were damn close and have added dates) they'll sell over 900,000 seats on this tour. At 900,000 multiplied by the average ticket price is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of forty to fifty million dollars. That's some good scratch. Revelation is probably going Platinum, and Journey are getting something like $7 a sale off of that, so there's another seven million before they pay off the production costs.

psst Rick. $3.5m

[Rick]

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

Name me one rock band that is filling up STADIUMS this summer.....??
This tour will almost certainly end up being in the top 5 highest grossing concerts of the summer selling out 15k-20k seats a night. Not too shabby in my book.

Well "separate_wayz" tallied the numbers and said if they sell out every show, (which they haven't but were damn close and have added dates) they'll sell over 900,000 seats on this tour. At 900,000 multiplied by the average ticket price is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of forty to fifty million dollars. That's some good scratch. Revelation is probably going Platinum, and Journey are getting something like $7 a sale off of that, so there's another seven million before they pay off the production costs.

psst Rick. $3.5m

D'oh!!!

[Saint John]

I've seen 6 shows on this tour and this one was by far the best. Jonathan knew it too. I was front row right in front of him and as Arnel tore through song after song with ease,Jon's face lit up with excitement. These guys are really running on all cylinders right now. I had front row, but they were Heart fan club seats so I was surrounded by all Heart fans and they couldn't get over how good Arnel was. I must've been asked by ten people what his name was. They loved him.

[Rick]

I've seen 6 shows on this tour and this one was by far the best. Jonathan knew it too. I was front row right in front of him and as Arnel tore through song after song with ease,Jon's face lit up with excitement. These guys are really running on all cylinders right now. I had front row, but they were Heart fan club seats so I was surrounded by all Heart fans and they couldn't get over how good Arnel was. I must've been asked by ten people what his name was. They loved him.

Dude I haven't seen you in here in a while.

[nutz4Neal]

I've seen 6 shows on this tour and this one was by far the best. Jonathan knew it too. I was front row right in front of him and as Arnel tore through song after song with ease,Jon's face lit up with excitement. These guys are really running on all cylinders right now. I had front row, but they were Heart fan club seats so I was surrounded by all Heart fans and they couldn't get over how good Arnel was. I must've been asked by ten people what his name was. They loved him.

Dan-ba-bee, I know your Heart tix were cheap - but but but, front row in front of Neal ROCKS!

[Saint John]

I've seen 6 shows on this tour and this one was by far the best. Jonathan knew it too. I was front row right in front of him and as Arnel tore through song after song with ease,Jon's face lit up with excitement. These guys are really running on all cylinders right now. I had front row, but they were Heart fan club seats so I was surrounded by all Heart fans and they couldn't get over how good Arnel was. I must've been asked by ten people what his name was. They loved him.

Dude I haven't seen you in here in a while.

I was using invisible ink.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

I've seen 6 shows on this tour and this one was by far the best. Jonathan knew it too. I was front row right in front of him and as Arnel tore through song after song with ease,Jon's face lit up with excitement. These guys are really running on all cylinders right now. I had front row, but they were Heart fan club seats so I was surrounded by all Heart fans and they couldn't get over how good Arnel was. I must've been asked by ten people what his name was. They loved him.

Dude I haven't seen you in here in a while.

Yeah man, good to see you again.

[RocknRoll]

I will grant you that "Revelation" has been a success (by post-Perry standards). Also, the so-called "success" that Journey is enjoying now isn't one tenth of what they experienced when that guy who "never existed" was the lead singer of the band.

Name me one rock band that is filling up STADIUMS this summer.....??
This tour will almost certainly end up being in the top 5 highest grossing concerts of the summer selling out 15k-20k seats a night. Not too shabby in my book.

RUSH....nuff said!

I don't believe Rush sold out here in Chicago. (28,000)

[hoagiepete]

Thanks for the La Do Da clip. That sounded pretty damn good.

Now...how about Precious Time (Cain could get his harmonica out and Schon could shine) or Winds of March (jam would be incredible)?

[stevew2]

They opened with Never Walk Away, and also played Change for the Better and After All These Years. The crowd sat for the latter two, although I heard lots of people in the crowd singing along to AATY. As I said before though, I was surprised at how many people sat through La Do Da and Dead or Alive, not to mention Escape. I do have to say that the set was paced nicely. The encore was only one song, which was Anyway You Want It, with the Lay It Down guitar intro.

One correction (original post corrected to reflect it): The Grandstand is a 16,000 seat venue, not 18,000. I was a little tired when I wrote the post, having just got in from the show. Regardless, it was still a sellout. It must've been a great feeling for the band to see that house packed.

They did change for the better?? awesome. I want to see them this week. The $$$ aint happening. Im working on it,They sound so fuckin good, ill find a way

[Matthew]

I may start a war by saying this, but I believe the Perry-era is almost completely out of people's minds now.

Dano - good review - but not sure that the above comment makes much sense - given that the set-list is still dominated by Perry era songs. And two out of the three discs on Revelation represent a trip down memory lane to the Perry era as well.

So I'd maybe wait and see what happens with the next album and tour before making any wild claims about the band or the fans 'moving on'. Seems to me that Journey are just as dependent on Perry's legacy as they've always been but the difference now is that they have found a way to exploit it with some real flair and pride.

[Dano]

I may start a war by saying this, but I believe the Perry-era is almost completely out of people's minds now.

Dano - good review - but not sure that the above comment makes much sense - given that the set-list is still dominated by Perry era songs.

What I meant by that statement is not that the Perry-era music is gone, but the fact that the band has a top-selling album and sellout tour without him. The masses have really taken to Arnel, and the band are doing big business again. Certainly no one will forget Perry, but I think the loons are now proven wrong. It's about the songs, and the band Journey to the general public. I think that's probably what's so vindicating to Neal and Jon right now. Yes, they needed a soaring tenor voice to sing the songs, but with packed houses from coast to coast, they've proven that it doesn't need to specifically be Perry.

Look, though not achieving the level of success they are riding right now, Augeri managed to walk into an almost impossible situation and help make the band a functioning unit again, gaining a strong fanbase of his own to boot. Again, this band proves time and again that it can sustain itself without Perry. They've got a Top 10 AC charting track to confirm that fact.

I am not discounting what Perry brought to this band one bit, with his songwriting or his legendary talent. As I said before, he's my favorite vocalist of all-time and I'm a huge lifelong fan. I just think now, judging by most people I've talked to, they realize he's no longer in the band and people know that there's a new lead singer. It's a lot different now that a significant time has passed. We all remember the confusion, at least initially, with the Augeri-era, where so many people didn't know Perry wasn't with them anymore and were shocked when seeing the band live.

[Matthew]

What I meant by that statement is not that the Perry-era music is gone, but the fact that the band has a top-selling album and sellout tour without him. The masses have really taken to Arnel, and the band are doing big business again. Certainly no one will forget Perry, but I think the loons are now proven wrong. It's about the songs, and the band Journey to the general public.

The Loons have always maintained that Journey cannot survive without the songs Perry co-wrote and made famous - and without imitating Perry's voice as well. And this remains true to this day. The tour relies on the songs from his time in the band and so too did the Revelations package. Okay - you can cite one Top 10 AC hit as some kind of beacon of independence but people are not showing up in their thousands to hear After All These Years, are they? And they might not even be turning up just to see Journey either. Both Heart and Cheap Trick have made significant contributions to the success of the US tour this year.

So by all means celebrate the fact that Journey without Perry are finally living up to the minumum standards that we ought to expect for a band of this stature - but it's too early to claim some kind of 'victory' over a section of the fanbase. When Journey release a record with only new material and tour with an unknown support band and can make that album/tour combo work for them...well, then you might be in a stronger position to make these claims.

Yes, they needed a soaring tenor voice to sing the songs,

And why do you think they "needed" this given that - according to you - people only care about the songs?

Look, though not achieving the level of success they are riding right now, Augeri managed to walk into an almost impossible situation and help make the band a functioning unit again, gaining a strong fanbase of his own to boot. Again, this band proves time and again that it can sustain itself without Perry.

An almost impossible situation? Journey are one of the biggest bands in the history of American rock music. Surely it would be hard not to 'sustain' a basic ongoing career with the use of the Journey name?

I am not discounting what Perry brought to this band one bit, with his songwriting or his legendary talent. As I said before, he's my favorite vocalist of all-time and I'm a huge lifelong fan. I just think now, judging by most people I've talked to, they realize he's no longer in the band and people know that there's a new lead singer.

And most people who go and see musicals at the theatre based on classic rock songs - such as the Queen show - know that the orginal singers aren't there either. But they still enjoy it. It doesn't therefore follow that they have 'forgotten' who created the songs and brought them to the masses in the first place does it?

[jourmapac]

Great to hear Dano. It's always good to read a review like that. And I agree with R&R, Journey and Heart do make a great team. Hopefully they'll do it again next year.

I sure hope to hear a La Do Da boot on Youtube, but it hasn't shown up yet. Maybe it will from the show you attended. Great tune.

Thanks for the great review, made my night.

here it is Rick! Just recently added, im not familiar with the song thou but the description says La Do Da..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=507BCvtR06A

thanks a lot for the vid bro!!