Worst Performance by Steve Perry

[Since 78]

I hadn't heard this one before. He sounded great!
Stay Awhile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osEEKWcFJ4g

[EightyRock]

Cain wrote the songs and Steve set the tune on most of them.

I think you should check your facts, dude. To my knowledge, the only song in the entire Journey catalog that Cain wrote on his own was "Faithfully". While Cain was certainly instrumental in the songwriting of Journey, he had plenty of help from both Perry and Schon!


John from Boston

Cain was the main songwriter. Period. He wrote most of the lyrics. It only make sense. Look at Perry's solo albums...8,950 other writers and the songs still sucked!!!

Ok, Einstein....who wrote the lyrics for the Perry/Schon songs before Liberace came onboard?

I'm only referring to albums that sold more than 5 million, bitch. Fuck that early, obscure bullshit.

Comprehendo, your dickheadedness. That early, obscure bullshit still has an audience. I'm laying odds on Anyway You Want It not sending the casual fan running for the shitter quite as fast as one of those BIG HITS from Revelation.

[Saint John]

Comprehendo, your dickheadedness. That early, obscure bullshit still has an audience. I'm laying odds on Anyway You Want It not sending the casual fan running for the shitter quite as fast as one of those BIG HITS from Revelation.

We're talking Cain versus Rolie, your taintness. Who in Andrew's ass said anything about Revelation? Try to stay on topic, meth head.

[StoneCold]

I hadn't heard this one before. He sounded great!
Stay Awhile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osEEKWcFJ4g

Great isn't what we're looking for.

[Since 78]

I hadn't heard this one before. He sounded great!
Stay Awhile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osEEKWcFJ4g

Great isn't what we're looking for.

The loonacy just comes out!! What can I say?

[Deb]

I hadn't heard this one before. He sounded great!
Stay Awhile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osEEKWcFJ4g

Great isn't what we're looking for.

The loonacy just comes out!! What can I say?

Always knew you were one of us.

LOVE that version of Stay Awhile.....the vocals on that one damn near make my toes curl.

[Since 78]

I hadn't heard this one before. He sounded great!
Stay Awhile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osEEKWcFJ4g

Great isn't what we're looking for.

The loonacy just comes out!! What can I say?

Always knew you were one of us.

LOVE that version of Stay Awhile.....the vocals on that one damn near make my toes curl.

Stay Awhile is in my top 5 of Journey songs!

[Jana]

Stay Awhile is one of my top ten Journey songs. I love it.

Okay. Back on topic.

[Aaron]

I loved that version of Stay Awhile. That is one of my favorite songs ever!

[*Laura]

Perry's worst performance is something that most rock singers would call their all time best.

[conversationpc]

Read my typing.......FTLOSM tour.

Even with his diminished range, I think Perry's performances on the FTLOSM tour were far better and much more consistent than the ROR tour, for instance.

[texafana]

I know this is going to get me into trouble here but....and trust me, you won't find a BIGGER Perry fan than me....BUT....this whole hip thing was crap. There was NO WAY, I mean NO FRIGGIN WAY he was going to be able to tour for Trial By Fire. Even if they changed all the keys to a whole step lower...he is older, it's natural. I don't know why anyone would EXPECT him to be able to still be the phenomenal singer of his youth. No one expects Michael Jordan to come back when he's over 50 and play like he used to, it's not possible. That doesn't change the incredible player he was. Same with Perry...in my humble opinion, one of the best in rock and roll history. It's ALRIGHT that he can't do what he used to...it means he's human.

Maybe what we don't feel comfortable with is the reminder that we're all getting older? I don't know. I just know that he and the band are still not getting the respect they deserve in the music business. That is what bothers me the most.

Everyone has bad nights and bad performances...

Dude...as a musician you should already know this....opera singers with more range than perry sing well into their 60's 70's and keep the range. It's all about taking care of your voice. We "speak" all day, we can sing all day.

[finalfight]

I know this is going to get me into trouble here but....and trust me, you won't find a BIGGER Perry fan than me....BUT....this whole hip thing was crap. There was NO WAY, I mean NO FRIGGIN WAY he was going to be able to tour for Trial By Fire. Even if they changed all the keys to a whole step lower...he is older, it's natural. I don't know why anyone would EXPECT him to be able to still be the phenomenal singer of his youth. No one expects Michael Jordan to come back when he's over 50 and play like he used to, it's not possible. That doesn't change the incredible player he was. Same with Perry...in my humble opinion, one of the best in rock and roll history. It's ALRIGHT that he can't do what he used to...it means he's human.

Maybe what we don't feel comfortable with is the reminder that we're all getting older? I don't know. I just know that he and the band are still not getting the respect they deserve in the music business. That is what bothers me the most.

Everyone has bad nights and bad performances...

Dude...as a musician you should already know this....opera singers with more range than perry sing well into their 60's 70's and keep the range. It's all about taking care of your voice. We "speak" all day, we can sing all day.

Totally different style of singing. And for the record there are few (if any) opera singers male or female with Perry's range and I worked with Glyndebourne for a number of years.

[OneJourney]

I know this is going to get me into trouble here but....and trust me, you won't find a BIGGER Perry fan than me....BUT....this whole hip thing was crap. There was NO WAY, I mean NO FRIGGIN WAY he was going to be able to tour for Trial By Fire. Even if they changed all the keys to a whole step lower...he is older, it's natural. I don't know why anyone would EXPECT him to be able to still be the phenomenal singer of his youth. No one expects Michael Jordan to come back when he's over 50 and play like he used to, it's not possible. That doesn't change the incredible player he was. Same with Perry...in my humble opinion, one of the best in rock and roll history. It's ALRIGHT that he can't do what he used to...it means he's human.

Maybe what we don't feel comfortable with is the reminder that we're all getting older? I don't know. I just know that he and the band are still not getting the respect they deserve in the music business. That is what bothers me the most.

Everyone has bad nights and bad performances...

You're really talking about two separate issues here. Perry is obviously older, and I don't think anyone thinks he would be able to tour and pull off the Journey catalog, at this point in his life. The reality is that it would be a super human feat. That said, I think you're out of line saying that his hip was simply a made up issue. As I understand it, he actually had a surgical procedure on his hip, so I don't believe that it was made up. You can certainly argue whether or not it was Perry's way out, if he was looking for a way out, but I don't believe that he concocted a medical issue that wasn't there!


John from Boston

Yep, I worded that wrong. I meant I don't believe his hip was the issue. Sorry about the mixup.....

[CASue]

Perry's worst performance has got to be the Bill Graham tribute concert. *shudder* must have had one day's notice or something cause that was BAD !

Sorry, don't have a clip - can't remember where I saw it.

Sue

[Jana]

I agree with Sue, that was not a very good performance. Definitely sung it in a lower register and just sounded too rusty. It's on YouTube under 1991 Bill Graham tribute Journey. But he looked very handsome.

I wonder why Ross and Steve S. weren't there. Maybe they were still pissed off for being fired on ROR.

[TRAGChick]

Dude...as a musician you should already know this....opera singers with more range than perry sing well into their 60's 70's and keep the range. It's all about taking care of your voice. We "speak" all day, we can sing all day.

Welllll.....not so fast.....

I found this article on CNN.com a while ago:

:arrow: Very interesting read.....considering Opera Training is the PINNACLE of what the voice can achieve....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/0 ... index.html


Opera singers talk about sordid side of art

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Stripping away opera's glamour, singers are increasingly speaking out about a more sordid side of their world -- increased drug and alcohol use sparked by relentless pressure to perform often and well.

Most performers continue to avoid the pitfalls of substance abuse and no figures exist documenting the extent of such behavior. But insiders agree that heightened competition, unyielding sponsor demands and the weight of stardom are leading to excesses that invite comparisons of opera to sports tarnished by doping scandals.

Some attempts to stay on top are relatively harmless, like popping a beta blocker to soothe the butterflies before stepping on stage. But others are more alarming.

Singers often overuse steroids in the form of cortisone to control inflamed vocal cords -- sometimes in amounts that can permanently impair their abilities, say performers and their doctors. Others drink too much. Still others snort cocaine, according to insiders.

Inability to cope sometimes turns into tragedy -- as in the case of American tenor Jerry Hadley, who killed himself last month after what friends said was a prolonged bout of depression and reported financial and drinking problems.

"It's become somewhat like a pop-star culture," the Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka said of the growing pressures to get to the top -- and stay there.

"People are already talking about a new Anna Netrebko and she's only in her mid-30s," Pieczonka told The Associated Press, referring to the superstar Russian soprano. "Now it's kind of like 'Anna's passe, let's get a new person.' "

Reflecting today's harsh environment, even Netrebko, who became Austria's darling when she took out citizenship last year, was scathingly criticized by Salzburg Festival officials when she recently canceled a performance because of throat problems.

Also missing this year from Salzburg, one of the world's premier opera events, were Rolando Villazon, Neil Shicoff and Elina Garanca -- an unusual number of stay-aways by big names and all linked in some way to job stresses.

Tenor Endrik Wottrich received harsh criticism for pulling out of a performance of the Wagner festival at Bayreuth, Germany, because of a cold.

Fuming, he lifted the curtain on the pressure and resulting abuses.

"We are faced with the choice of performing and being attacked because we sing one false note, or being attacked because we are taking care of ourselves," he told the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

To deal with the pressures, "soloists are taking beta blockers to control their angst, some tenors take cortisone to push their voice high, and alcohol is everywhere," he said. "The real pressure is no longer good old stage fright but comes from a new dimension that has penetrated opera -- it now lives from glamour, and normal human mistakes are a disruption in such an environment."

The mezzo Vesselina Kasarova spoke of colleagues who "are doing much too much ... and are not as robust as they think.

"They then turn to drugs to be able to cope with this kind of lifestyle," she told the German weekly Die Zeit.

It's not that singing opera was ever a piece of cake. The stresses of performing are probably as old as opera itself.

But the art has come a long way.

In the past 50 years, stages have grown in size, orchestral instruments accompanying singers have become stronger and opera seasons have lengthened. Adding to the pressure, singers get paid by the performance -- no money for no shows.

Good singers are now in demand all year round, globe-trotting from one hemisphere to another. And even those who avoid long-distance travel often have little time between the late spring end of the subscription season, the start of rehearsals for summer festivals, and tours promoting their own recordings.

Growing emphasis on appearance adds to the pressure.

Stars like Netrebko and Villazon are feted as much for their looks as for their voices, sometimes forcing others less photogenic to resort to drastic measures. After American soprano Deborah Voigt was fired from a London production of "Ariadne auf Naxos" because she couldn't fit into the costume, she underwent gastric bypass surgery, reportedly losing nearly 100 pounds.

The slower pace of earlier times also led to greater tolerance of cancellations, which sometimes even enhanced careers by becoming part of a diva's allure.

Montserrat Caballe is still in demand in her 70s, despite a history of bowing out at the last minute that gave rise to the apocryphal line, supposedly from one of her managers: "Mrs. Caballe is available for only an extremely limited number of cancellations this season."

"The interest in musical theater and opera has grown greatly just in the last few years," Austrian music critic Wilhelm Sinkowitz said. "Opera always was stressful and back then, if someone like (Maria) Callas canceled that was a catastrophe for those who paid to see her.

"But all of that has been amplified -- there are more and more performances and more and more pressure," Sinkowitz said. "And today, the public simply does not accept that a brand name like Netrebko or Villazon is not available. This is why the pressure on top performers is tremendous."

Still, physicians who treat singers urge them to resist the temptation to perform at any cost. Some, they say, overdose without knowing it, as they travel from gig to gig in one city after the another without keeping track of cortisone treatments that -- if overdone -- can destroy a voice.

Asked about cortisone overuse, Chicago otolaryngologist Robert Bastian, who counts many singers among his patients, said "a sense of vocal invincibility" -- the trademark of a good singer -- can backfire in an increasingly competitive performing world.

Pieczonka says she has tamped down the pressure by pacing herself -- she said she was taking a two-week vacation, something many others would never do out of fear of being off the circuit too long.

Still, she has no illusions.

"The word that comes to describe this lifestyle is 'hideous,' " she said.

[ttango1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgKOCBAkPKU

At least in comparison to the SP we all know and love.

[annie89509]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgKOCBAkPKU

At least in comparison to the SP we all know and love.

Coming out and singing for the BG tribute (1991), he was definitely rusty. I believe after the OTW album was turned down by Sony ('89), he must have quitted for a few years. Then he started up for FTLOSM around '92-'93.

[froy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoIQZ1jX40s

I recorded that

Wasn't that one of the first nights of the tour?

The very first
Milwaukee Riverside
He did Open Arms also

[CASue]

"I agree with Sue, that was not a very good performance. Definitely sung it in a lower register and just sounded too rusty. It's on YouTube under 1991 Bill Graham tribute Journey. But he looked very handsome."

I agree with Jana - very handsome indeed ! The man should introduce color into his wardrobe - enough with the black already !

Sue

[Rick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoIQZ1jX40s

I recorded that

Wasn't that one of the first nights of the tour?

The very first
Milwaukee Riverside
He did Open Arms also

Thanks, did you record OA?

[tj]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgKOCBAkPKU

At least in comparison to the SP we all know and love.

The first time I saw the picture of the girl at the bottom of your post, I thought she was going to take a dump.

[Saint John]

damn near make my toes curl.

God knows a good hard Calgary cock hasn't had a chance to do that!

[annie89509]

Anyway You Want It, Stay Awhile, Lights, Sweet&Simple, L-T-S, WalksLikeALady, Dixie Highway, The Party's Over .... no JonCain in sight.

I LOVE the songs with JC, but the notion that he was Journey's chief songwriter (while SP was there) is ridiculous.

[Loneman1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoIQZ1jX40s

I recorded that

Wasn't that one of the first nights of the tour?

The very first
Milwaukee Riverside
He did Open Arms also

Thanks, did you record OA?

Apparently he did, at least its on my copy. Definitely not Perry at his best, but still pretty interesting.

[Loneman1]

Anyway You Want It, Stay Awhile, Lights, Sweet&Simple, L-T-S, WalksLikeALady, Dixie Highway, The Party's Over .... no JonCain in sight.

I LOVE the songs with JC, but the notion that he was Journey's chief songwriter (while SP was there) is ridiculous.

I gotta agree there. Those first albums were golden. While Cain helped in writing alot of their biggest hits, I can't really say he is what made them radio friendly. There were some definite gems before he joined. I may be a bit biased since my favorite album is "Evolution", but there were a quite a few more potential "radio friendly" gems on those their albums from that era.

[Saint John]

I LOVE the songs with JC, but the notion that he was Journey's chief songwriter (while SP was there) is ridiculous.

Perry was THE songwriter, not Liberace, err, Friga. Yeah Libby wrote some good piano riffs, but Espee wrote the words and Schon sewed it shut. Perry was the MVP.

[Deb]

damn near make my toes curl.

God knows a good hard Calgary cock hasn't had a chance to do that!

Dean.

[Saint John]

I would totally have sex with you Dean. Fuck, I have waited forever for you to ask me!!

Sex? With me, Deb? I am in a relationship now. I thought you knew that! Perhaps later, when I travel north, we can meet up, but until then, I have to say no. I am sorry honeybun.

I swear to shit tho, if you put on the radio that God forbidden Mr Big shit, I am outta there!