08.26.09 Journey @ Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

[Don]

I think the review is spot on. The best nostalgia act money can buy. The new stuff is fine for a New York minute but the majority of people at the show want to be transported back to 1986 again and the band delivers in spades.

So, according to you, a band that plays any of their hits in concert is a nostalgia act. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

It baffles me the people who think that just because Journey has good songs that people know, they are labeled a nostalgia act. 99% of the other bands out there would KILL for two or three songs that are still staples of rock and roll 30 years later, let alone 10 or 11. The songs are good, therefore people want to hear them. Journey plays them, and the fans are happy. Is U2 a nostalgia act when it plays anything from The Joshua Tree album in concert? Is AC/DC a nostalgia act when they break into Thunderstruck and You Shook Me All Night Long?

The nostalgia act insult is probably the most ridiculous and over-blown thing on this board, other than stevew2's rantings on Jonathan Cain.

Heaven forbid them be popular at any time except the present.

They are popular now, but what are they popular for? The stunning hits off of Revelation, or Arrival or Generations?
They have to do what they have to do. Money has to be made. There's an audience out there still for that older product they were pushing decades ago. People like to relive the past. That's where AC/DC, REO, Foreigner,etc. step in, they become the time machine to transport the fans back.
Journey's Greatest Hits released 20 years ago, still moves almost half a million units a year. Despite Revelation being a three disc set for only 12 bucks and containing it's own Greatest Hits disc. people are going for the versions they remember best.
The people who really make out on all this are Sony, the band makes them money without even being under their label anymore. They just keep on touring and the back catalog keeps on selling.
Where is their newest album, Revelation on WAL-MART's site? Gone. But Sony's titles are still there because they are an EverGreen product.
WAL-MART uses limited shelf space for music so they only keep what moves and Sony's Journey catalog does that.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

Please don't tell me you are trying to say that AC/DC, Foreigner and REO are popular for their music they are releasing TODAY.

No band that was big in the 70's and 80's are popular for the music they release today.

[Don]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Poor success with Arrival and Generations? One was leaked onto the internet well before it's release AND wasn't promoted at all by the record label. The other one was given away for free at every concert.

Get real. Arrival didn't stand a chance after Sony dumped them, and it'd be hard to believe that Journey really had big dreams for Generations to go anywhere...They showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing when they released Revelation.

Wal-Mart showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing. If Journey was responsible for the marketing than we can expect their new album to do as well as Revelation. Platinum or better.

[Don]

Please don't tell me you are trying to say that AC/DC, Foreigner and REO are popular for their music they are releasing TODAY.

No band that was big in the 70's and 80's are popular for the music they release today.

No, I put them in the same category as Journey. The only difference being, that AC/DC has enough diehard fans to propel any new release they do to multi-platinum even if it isn't a quality product.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Poor success with Arrival and Generations? One was leaked onto the internet well before it's release AND wasn't promoted at all by the record label. The other one was given away for free at every concert.

Get real. Arrival didn't stand a chance after Sony dumped them, and it'd be hard to believe that Journey really had big dreams for Generations to go anywhere...They showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing when they released Revelation.

Wal-Mart showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing. If Journey was responsible for the marketing than we can expect their new album to do as well as Revelation. Platinum or better.

Wal-Mart did very little to market Revelation. They treated it like just another album. Did you go into a Wal-Mart when Revelation was new? Did you go into a Wal-Mart when 'Black Ice' was new? VAST difference. T-shirts, hats, posters, DVD's, displays...all throughout the store.

Journey got a little strip advertisement at the bottom of the CD rack that says 'Revelation, available June 4th'

[fightingilliniJRNY]

Wal-Mart showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing. If Journey was responsible for the marketing than we can expect their new album to do as well as Revelation. Platinum or better.

Yep, you're right. While I believe that Journey took steps in the right direction with Revelation, the fact of the matter is that Wal-Mart had a HUGE impact on its success. If they aren't with Wal-Mart for the next album, the strength of the material and new album promotion will have the impact on its success. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. If the sales of the new album fall back to Arrival and Generations numbers, than the release of Revelation was truly a perfect storm.

[Don]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Poor success with Arrival and Generations? One was leaked onto the internet well before it's release AND wasn't promoted at all by the record label. The other one was given away for free at every concert.

Get real. Arrival didn't stand a chance after Sony dumped them, and it'd be hard to believe that Journey really had big dreams for Generations to go anywhere...They showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing when they released Revelation.

Wal-Mart showed what they are capable of when it comes to marketing. If Journey was responsible for the marketing than we can expect their new album to do as well as Revelation. Platinum or better.

Wal-Mart did very little to market Revelation. They treated it like just another album. Did you go into a Wal-Mart when Revelation was new? Did you go into a Wal-Mart when 'Black Ice' was new? VAST difference. T-shirts, hats, posters, DVD's, displays...all throughout the store.

Journey got a little strip advertisement at the bottom of the CD rack that says 'Revelation, available June 4th'

What Wal-Mart were you in? They had big old cut out displays in a lot of the stores here in SoCal and Big Splash Adds in their circulars.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

Please don't tell me you are trying to say that AC/DC, Foreigner and REO are popular for their music they are releasing TODAY.

No band that was big in the 70's and 80's are popular for the music they release today.

No, I put them in the same category as Journey. The only difference being, that AC/DC has enough diehard fans to propel any new release they do to multi-platinum even if it isn't a quality product.

No, it's because AC/DC has always been promoted as a band far superior to what it really is. People think, 'Oh..AC/DC...they're popular, I had better buy this.'

[fightingilliniJRNY]

Wal-Mart did very little to market Revelation. They treated it like just another album. Did you go into a Wal-Mart when Revelation was new? Did you go into a Wal-Mart when 'Black Ice' was new? VAST difference. T-shirts, hats, posters, DVD's, displays...all throughout the store.

Journey got a little strip advertisement at the bottom of the CD rack that says 'Revelation, available June 4th'

You can't deny that being able to buy three discs for $12 helped sales. The material was very strong, but that doesn't come through until people actually take it home. Getting the bang for your buck at Wal-Mart that you did with Revelation persuaded many, many people to give it a shot. The re-records didn't hurt, either, and might have been all that 75% of the people who bought Revelation listened to.

If the new album stands alone and a regular record store and STILL goes gold, then that is extremely impressive. Not that the sales of Revelation weren't impressive, because they were, but it had some other factors going for it.

And at my Wal-Mart there was a large Revelation display at the front and back of the store on the June 3 release, and the Revelation DVD was playing on all the TVs. The album was being played in the store as well.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

What Wal-Mart were you in? They had big old cut out displays in a lot of the stores here in SoCal and Big Splash Adds in their circulars.

Keyword: SoCal

Journey is from California. I live in the middle of the Great Lakes area, Journey does a lot of touring around here. Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cadott, Rockford, Indianapolis, Detroit, Grand Rapids, etc..

Journey is very popular around here, but Revelation was NOT promoted around here like AC/DC was.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

What Wal-Mart were you in? They had big old cut out displays in a lot of the stores here in SoCal and Big Splash Adds in their circulars.

Keyword: SoCal

Journey is from California. I live in the middle of the Great Lakes area, Journey does a lot of touring around here. Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cadott, Rockford, Indianapolis, Detroit, Grand Rapids, etc..

Journey is very popular around here, but Revelation was NOT promoted around here like AC/DC was.

I saw the big cut out displays and the Revelation DVD on the TVs in central Illinois...Saw it in Madison, Wisconsin, too.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

Wal-Mart did very little to market Revelation. They treated it like just another album. Did you go into a Wal-Mart when Revelation was new? Did you go into a Wal-Mart when 'Black Ice' was new? VAST difference. T-shirts, hats, posters, DVD's, displays...all throughout the store.

Journey got a little strip advertisement at the bottom of the CD rack that says 'Revelation, available June 4th'

You can't deny that being able to buy three discs for $12 helped sales. The material was very strong, but that doesn't come through until people actually take it home. Getting the bang for your buck at Wal-Mart that you did with Revelation persuaded many, many people to give it a shot. The re-records didn't hurt, either, and might have been all that 75% of the people who bought Revelation listened to.
If the new album stands alone and a regular record store and STILL goes gold, then that is extremely impressive. Not that the sales of Revelation weren't impressive, because they were, but it had some other factors going for it.

And at my Wal-Mart there was a large Revelation display at the front and back of the store on the June 3 release, and the Revelation DVD was playing on all the TVs. The album was being played in the store as well.

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

[Don]

Please don't tell me you are trying to say that AC/DC, Foreigner and REO are popular for their music they are releasing TODAY.

No band that was big in the 70's and 80's are popular for the music they release today.

No, I put them in the same category as Journey. The only difference being, that AC/DC has enough diehard fans to propel any new release they do to multi-platinum even if it isn't a quality product.

No, it's because AC/DC has always been promoted as a band far superior to what it really is. People think, 'Oh..AC/DC...they're popular, I had better buy this.'

How many AC/DC concerts did you go to in the 80s? How many of your classmates wore AC/DC t-shirts around school? They have tons of loyal fans who stuck with them when Bon died even when the critics were unsure about Brian Johnson and the band's unexpected foray onto the TOP 40 Charts which a lot of fans might have seen as selling out. Head bangers are pretty dedicated in their followings. Iron Maiden sells out the Forum whenever they come to L.A. not because they're are popular with the new generation but because their fans have stuck with them.
If anything, Journey should be the ones going multi-platinum based on the "popular to be cool" theory you are suggesting, especially with all the media exposure they have had with DSB.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

Please don't tell me you are trying to say that AC/DC, Foreigner and REO are popular for their music they are releasing TODAY.

No band that was big in the 70's and 80's are popular for the music they release today.

No, I put them in the same category as Journey. The only difference being, that AC/DC has enough diehard fans to propel any new release they do to multi-platinum even if it isn't a quality product.

No, it's because AC/DC has always been promoted as a band far superior to what it really is. People think, 'Oh..AC/DC...they're popular, I had better buy this.'

How many AC/DC concerts did you go to in the 80s? How many of your classmates wore AC/DC t-shirts around school? They have tons of loyal fans who stuck with them when Bon died even when the critics were unsure about Brian Johnson and the band's unexpected foray onto the TOP 40 Charts which a lot of fans might have seen as selling out. head bangers are pretty dedicated in their followings. IRON maiden sells out the Forum whenever they come to L.A. not because they're are popular with the new genreration but because their fans have stuck with them.
If anything, Journey should be the ones going multi-platinum because of the popular theory you are suggesting, especially with all the media exposure they have had with DSB.

It all goes back to the 'Journey is cheesy' factor. Let's not forget the ever so popular 'It's not cool to like Journey'.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

And if the 2010 album sells well, critics will say, 'It was because Wal-Mart did such a good job with Revelation, it kept people interested in Journey..blah blah blah.'

Face it, no matter what they do, there will be idiots who cannot accept it.

[Don]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

I will give them huge props if the duplicate Revelation's success or even get a big hit on the Top 40 (which would be even more impressive to me than album sales).

[fightingilliniJRNY]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

And if the 2010 album sells well, critics will say, 'It was because Wal-Mart did such a good job with Revelation, it kept people interested in Journey..blah blah blah.'

Face it, no matter what they do, there will be idiots who cannot accept it.

True, true.

But if the 2010 album sells well, then Revelation served its purpose. A band has to use previous efforts to build on future efforts. The Revelation Wal-Mart deal could still be working for Journey with the 2010 album even if it's not distributed through Wal-Mart. I'm very anxious to see what happens. That's why they're touring for Revelation right now, a year after its release. It's not so much so people buy Revelation. It's so they stay in the public's mind so they can buy the next album and see the next tour.

[Don]

To me, it's not so much about album sales anymore, it's about having that one big hit. Their are a lot of new artists who have singles that are actually outselling their albums because of the advent of Itunes.
Taylor Swift has two or three songs already that are close to or even beyond three million downloads. That's where you are going to find success now days. That one big single. Journey needs to have another DSB type hit to create separation from the Perry era and this new lineup if they want to stop reading his name in the first Paragraph of every review and start being recognized as the NEW Journey.

[Jana]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

And if the 2010 album sells well, critics will say, 'It was because Wal-Mart did such a good job with Revelation, it kept people interested in Journey..blah blah blah.'

Face it, no matter what they do, there will be idiots who cannot accept it.

Exactly. Some bash for bashing's sake regarding Journey, not objective criticisim, and have lost all credibility regarding objectivity when you look at the whole of their posts regarding Journey on here.

[isla]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

I wonder as I can't remember so those who are in the know, please remind me: Did they use the same term on SA and JSS? If not, why now on AP?

[Don]

God the "cover band" shit gets so old and just exposes you guys as 100% haters...

I wonder as I can't remember so those who are in the know, please remind me: Did they use the same term on SA and JSS? If not, why now on AP?

Yes. The only difference is the other two weren't cover band singers before they got hired. They went through the same initiation, though Augeri had it the hardest as he was the first one to try to carry the torch. JSS sounds so different though and is more of a Heavy metal singer than pop singer, so the title didn't stick to him as much. As many said, JSS brought a totally different sound to Journey which some fans didn't like as they wanted a clone of Perry. People who think that Arnel makes the band a hard rock band never saw Jeff with them. From his huge physique to his baritone voice, he is what people expect to see and hear when you are talking hard rock/heavy metal.

[Jana]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Thank you. Great common sense post.

[Don]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Thank you. Great common sense post.

Thanks.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

Journey is not the only one I consider as a nostalgia act. It has nothing to do with Perry. It's the music they're playing. if I go their show, 80% of the setlist is songs I heard in the 80's. They're playing 4 or 5 songs tops that are newer than 1986. It that not nostalgia?
Yes, AC/DC, U-2 are all Nostalgia acts as far as I'm concerned. Look, every year from 79 -86, the band would play five new songs. the Next year they would keep those songs and add 4 or 5 more news ones, so on and so on. Where are they even playing two songs from TBF, Arrival, Generations? Are they not skipping over these albums to go back 20 years to get 80% of their setlist? if you want to talk about their new music, other than Revelation where is it? Did the Augeri years not even happen? Higher Place. Wow one song in Eight+ concerts.
They're nostalgia. Why is that an insult?

I understand where you're coming from, but I still question a few things.

I'm wondering what your distinction is between a "nostalgia" act and a band that has been around for a long time. I'm pretty amazed that you feel U2 are a nostalgia act. These guys support a new album more than any band I know, and their new albums consistently sell well (unlike Journey's poor success with Arrival and Generations).

Why is it a bad thing that the band plays songs that are huge hits, and just so happen to be from the 1980s? If Higher Place had charted in the top 10 and was still played on the radio, would they be nostalgia if they played it in concert since it was released eight years ago?

I'm not sure what the setlist would have to look like for you to approve of what Journey is doing. The setlist from Grand Rapids is just about perfect for a 105-minute set. If they played for four hours, then yes, I would expect them to represent the Augeri years better and play more deep cuts. Why would a band deliberately avoid playing songs that are such staples of everyday life from the 1980s through today?

Thank you. Great common sense post.

Thanks.

Nice.

[RaisedOnRadio92]

To me, it's not so much about album sales anymore, it's about having that one big hit. Their are a lot of new artists who have singles that are actually outselling their albums because of the advent of Itunes.
Taylor Swift has two or three songs already that are close to or even beyond three million downloads. That's where you are going to find success now days. That one big single. Journey needs to have another DSB type hit to create separation from the Perry era and this new lineup if they want to stop reading his name in the first Paragraph of every review and start being recognized as the NEW Journey.

I don't think it's possible to come out with another song like 'Don't Stop Believin', they really just got lucky with that one, honestly, I don't see what is so great about that song. :-/

You don't see any bands from the 80's having a HUGE smash hit in the 1990's or 2000's, I don't know why Journey would be any different.

[steveo777]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

That's what they said last year. (sorry, couldn't resist)

[fightingilliniJRNY]

To me, it's not so much about album sales anymore, it's about having that one big hit. Their are a lot of new artists who have singles that are actually outselling their albums because of the advent of Itunes.
Taylor Swift has two or three songs already that are close to or even beyond three million downloads. That's where you are going to find success now days. That one big single. Journey needs to have another DSB type hit to create separation from the Perry era and this new lineup if they want to stop reading his name in the first Paragraph of every review and start being recognized as the NEW Journey.

I don't think it's possible to come out with another song like 'Don't Stop Believin', they really just got lucky with that one, honestly, I don't see what is so great about that song. :-/

You don't see any bands from the 80's having a HUGE smash hit in the 1990's or 2000's, I don't know why Journey would be any different.

It's not my favorite song, but it's insanely recognizable and pays the bills. Gunbot is spot on when he says it would be great if Journey in 2010 could separate themselves from the Perry era. All of us here on the board know that they've put out some good material post-Trial By Fire. But for the general public to know that would require them to put out something outstanding.

Maybe get a new song in a movie. As the lead song in the movie. Remember Me was in position to do so and is a great, great song. But when Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing was given the prime spot in Armageddon, Remember Me fell through the tracks. Being the lead song on a movie soundtrack would be huge.

And there's one answer to your question of a band from the '80s having a HUGE smash hit in the 1990s or 2000s. Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 100, the first time that happened for the band after 28 years together. That's just off the top of my head. It can happen. It'd be huge for Journey.

[fightingilliniJRNY]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

That's what they said last year. (sorry, couldn't resist)

I might be missing a joke, but 2009 is not an album year so it wouldn't have made sense for them to say in 2008 that 2009 is the real test.

[steveo777]

I highly doubt that 75% of the people who bought Revelation were only intrigued by the re-recorded greatest hits. If they wanted that, they would splurged and paid the $3 extra for the 3 disc Essential Journey set.

I can say that ANY song on Revelation is good enough to be on a greatest hits package 5 years down the road.

Yes, the material is good on Revelation. But people don't know that until they get it home. There has to be a good reason for them to buy it, and it was because of what Wal-Mart offered and not because it was Journey. If the name Journey carried it, then Arrival and Generations would have sold as well as Revelation did. Buying something for $12 at a superstore like Wal-Mart and getting three discs is a compelling reason to check out the package.

Like I have said 3 times already, if the new album is not a Wal-Mart release and still sells as well as Revelation did, then Journey is back in the mainstream conscious of the music-buying public and their efforts the last few tours and albums has paid off. Let's wait until that happens before crowning them.

But they are taking every step to set themselves up to be successful. Revelation, the Revelation Tour and the promotion they have been doing on TV is great. The real test is next year.

That's what they said last year. (sorry, couldn't resist)

I might be missing a joke, but 2009 is not an album year so it wouldn't have made sense for them to say in 2008 that 2009 is the real test.

It was not revelent....just a little laugh I had to myself that somehow transcended my keyboard.

I do wonder what would have been if Journey had not totally disappeared after ROR. I think the reason people haven't followed along is because Journey was just suddenly fucking gone for so long. People waited and waited, then just snoozed right thru TBF being released, me included.