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

[annie89509]

Echoing JfromB and Matthew's sentiments, I'm not sure I follow what Dano's reasoning is in bringing into the discussion "the loons being proven wrong." First of all, I do not see where perryloons (at least on this board) ever denigrated Neal or Jon or Arnel for forging ahead this year .... other than the fact that they chose (however it was mandated we do not know for sure, only what was stated, pr-wise) to re-record the Perry-era classics -- songs that are so near and dear to us.

Secondly, it certainly is no surprise, given the extra media publicity over this new incarnation, that they would draw phoenomenally. Remember, even during the SA years, the crowd attendance on all their tours were not too shabby. I think it is safe to say that the majority of music (and concert-going) fans are not die-hards. The fact that they didn't seem to know DOA and LaDoDa prove this. They all know the name Journey, and they want to go see the new lead singer from the Philippines with a unique life story, who sounds like Steve Perry, sing the songs they hear on the radio or on their parents' records.

More importantly, for us Journey watchers, are what lies ahead in the next few years. Will they be able to sustain this success, after the novelty and introduction of Arnel are no longer news? Will they be able to come back, after touring the world, to create new music with Arnel? Will they be content to rest on their laurels, milking the legacy for all its worth (like they were doing in SA's last few years)?

[Enigma869]

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.

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

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?

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?

Brilliant post, dude! You answered this nonsense of "It's almost like Perry never existed" a lot better than I did! You couldn't be more spot on with your rebuttals! Listen, I like Arnel, and like him a lot. I honestly don't know how anyone can listen to the guy and not be blown away by his talent (especially anyone who listened to Augeri struggle to sing this catalog for many years). Arnel is a great talent, and good for him to have the opportunity to sing the songs of a guy he cites as an idol of his. It will never change the fact that Journey (and I'm referring to the brand name "Journey") will FOREVER be about the Perry years, and the music that was made famous, during those years! Again, let's not lose sight of the fact that Mr. Pineda was chosen by Schon & Co for one reason and one reason only...He could actually emulate Perry's sound, better than anyone they had ever heard!


John from Boston

[Eric]

1. Heart sounded GREAT, but they need to drop the covers during such a short set

2. Journey was on fire

3. NYS Fair Grandstand is a fucking dump

4. The setlist pace was poor for a non-fan. Dead or Alive/La-Do-Da back to back at the end of the set is not wise. If you're gonna play songs nobody knows but us, play new songs. Also, they jammed the 3 new right at the start of the set. I loved, but they could have spaced them out more.

5. Add another show in Rochester/Buffalo!!!!