What really went down...

[Navarro]

With Augeri c. 2004-2006? Is there a way to distinguish facts from rumor? How long did he lip? Why did it go on so long? I even read somewhere Perry was interested in reuniting at some point in 05. What is the real dirt on all of this now the dust has settled? Why not just fire SA when couldn't cut it anymore?!

[scarab]

Or wait a year or so for his voice to heal.

[Navarro]

SA's voice still hasn't healed. I have heard his early singing c. 98-99 and he was pretty good. He never had the right range for Perry stuff. Health, young SP was a countertenor. I would say SA was barely a tenor range wise. Singing in your head voice/ falsetto without proper technique will total someone's voice. I think this might have been the case with SA.

[Don]

Augeri would have never came back. I think he has covertly acknowledged that the train had run its course when he finally hit the wall.

[slucero]

Augi has alluded to "not having to work again" post-Journey... so I'm sure the cost of his agreeing to the gag order when he left the band was pretty high... and rightfully so given what he lost (his voice), and the way it went down.

[Andrew]

With Augeri c. 2004-2006? Is there a way to distinguish facts from rumor? How long did he lip? Why did it go on so long? I even read somewhere Perry was interested in reuniting at some point in 05. What is the real dirt on all of this now the dust has settled? Why not just fire SA when couldn't cut it anymore?!

There are answers to all those questions....but the public will never know officially. There's only a handful that know the complete story.

[AR]

Some of the answers are right here if you use the search engine correctly.

[steveo777]

If you're looking for the official statement from the band, there will be no truth told....ever.

[ebake02]

Augi has alluded to "not having to work again" post-Journey... so I'm sure the cost of his agreeing to the gag order when he left the band was pretty high... and rightfully so given what he lost (his voice), and the way it went down.

I'm guessing it's in the 8 figure range somewhere. I would've liked to have been a fly on the wall during that negotiation .

[steveo777]

Augi has alluded to "not having to work again" post-Journey... so I'm sure the cost of his agreeing to the gag order when he left the band was pretty high... and rightfully so given what he lost (his voice), and the way it went down.

I'm guessing it's in the 8 figure range somewhere. I would've liked to have been a fly during that negotiation .

That's why Tareq won't be able to get his 50 mil from Neal.

[MCC620]

Augi has alluded to "not having to work again" post-Journey... so I'm sure the cost of his agreeing to the gag order when he left the band was pretty high... and rightfully so given what he lost (his voice), and the way it went down.

I'm guessing it's in the 8 figure range somewhere. I would've liked to have been a fly on the wall during that negotiation .

he probably saved his money during his 8 years with the band. he didn't back then, nor does he now, live an extravagant rock star lifestyle. nor does he have 4 ex wives and 5 kids to support.

[slucero]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

[G.I.Jim]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

I LOVE Augeri, but have to seriously disagree with this statement. He didn't leave with his integrity intact at all. He left in a hurry with his tail between his legs as soon as tapegate broke out, and although I think he's a great guy... you can't look at the facts and then call him a man with the upmost of integrity. He stood on that stage for many nights, struggled with the notes, then relied on Deen and the tapes to pull him through each show every night.

I know he probably didn't make the decision to go out and fake the funk every night, but he did KNOW about it, and to me that throws all integrity and honesty to the fans as well as the music out the window.

As I said... I do think highly of Steve, so don't get me wrong. I have him to thank for me being able to watch my very first live Journey concert. It was an awesome experience, and I have him to thank for that, as well as many other great concerts I attended with him at the mic. I saw him 6 times, and towards the end... I knew he shouldn't have been on that stage. Pretty sad. I do thank him for the awesome shows I saw though!

[FormerJrnyFan]

Some of the answers are right here if you use the search engine correctly.

Ahhhh, Tapegate..."It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair... "

[slucero]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

I LOVE Augeri, but have to seriously disagree with this statement. He didn't leave with his integrity intact at all. He left in a hurry with his tail between his legs as soon as tapegate broke out, and although I think he's a great guy... you can't look at the facts and then call him a man with the upmost of integrity. He stood on that stage for many nights, struggled with the notes, then relied on Deen and the tapes to pull him through each show every night.

I know he probably didn't make the decision to go out and fake the funk every night, but he did KNOW about it, and to me that throws all integrity and honesty to the fans as well as the music out the window.

As I said... I do think highly of Steve, so don't get me wrong. I have him to thank for me being able to watch my very first live Journey concert. It was an awesome experience, and I have him to thank for that, as well as many other great concerts I attended with him at the mic. I saw him 6 times, and towards the end... I knew he shouldn't have been on that stage. Pretty sad. I do thank him for the awesome shows I saw though!

How do you "leave in a hurry" if you've stayed and destroyed your voice??? Make up your mind....

People who have contracts held to their head do stupid things... doesn't mean they have no integrity..

[G.I.Jim]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

I LOVE Augeri, but have to seriously disagree with this statement. He didn't leave with his integrity intact at all. He left in a hurry with his tail between his legs as soon as tapegate broke out, and although I think he's a great guy... you can't look at the facts and then call him a man with the upmost of integrity. He stood on that stage for many nights, struggled with the notes, then relied on Deen and the tapes to pull him through each show every night.

I know he probably didn't make the decision to go out and fake the funk every night, but he did KNOW about it, and to me that throws all integrity and honesty to the fans as well as the music out the window.

As I said... I do think highly of Steve, so don't get me wrong. I have him to thank for me being able to watch my very first live Journey concert. It was an awesome experience, and I have him to thank for that, as well as many other great concerts I attended with him at the mic. I saw him 6 times, and towards the end... I knew he shouldn't have been on that stage. Pretty sad. I do thank him for the awesome shows I saw though!

How do you "leave in a hurry" if you've stayed and destroyed your voice??? Make up your mind....

People who have contracts held to their head do stupid things... doesn't mean they have no integrity..

He did stay and destroy his voice... until Tapegate came out and he left IMMEDIATELY. I'd say that's leaving pretty quickly. And having a contract doesn't mean anything when you're dealing with vocals. Things happen, and some times those commitments can no longer be met. He would have lost some money for sure if he had walked away, but he would have retained his dignity. Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

[Abitaman]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

I LOVE Augeri, but have to seriously disagree with this statement. He didn't leave with his integrity intact at all. He left in a hurry with his tail between his legs as soon as tapegate broke out, and although I think he's a great guy... you can't look at the facts and then call him a man with the upmost of integrity. He stood on that stage for many nights, struggled with the notes, then relied on Deen and the tapes to pull him through each show every night.

I know he probably didn't make the decision to go out and fake the funk every night, but he did KNOW about it, and to me that throws all integrity and honesty to the fans as well as the music out the window.

As I said... I do think highly of Steve, so don't get me wrong. I have him to thank for me being able to watch my very first live Journey concert. It was an awesome experience, and I have him to thank for that, as well as many other great concerts I attended with him at the mic. I saw him 6 times, and towards the end... I knew he shouldn't have been on that stage. Pretty sad. I do thank him for the awesome shows I saw though!

How do you "leave in a hurry" if you've stayed and destroyed your voice??? Make up your mind....

People who have contracts held to their head do stupid things... doesn't mean they have no integrity..

He did stay and destroy his voice... until Tapegate came out and he left IMMEDIATELY. I'd say that's leaving pretty quickly. And having a contract doesn't mean anything when you're dealing with vocals. Things happen, and some times those commitments can no longer be met. He would have lost some money for sure if he had walked away, but he would have retained his dignity. Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

At the same you have to remember that many of today's performers use "tapes" while on stage. So in the eyes of some it may not have been a bad thing.

[G.I.Jim]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

I LOVE Augeri, but have to seriously disagree with this statement. He didn't leave with his integrity intact at all. He left in a hurry with his tail between his legs as soon as tapegate broke out, and although I think he's a great guy... you can't look at the facts and then call him a man with the upmost of integrity. He stood on that stage for many nights, struggled with the notes, then relied on Deen and the tapes to pull him through each show every night.

I know he probably didn't make the decision to go out and fake the funk every night, but he did KNOW about it, and to me that throws all integrity and honesty to the fans as well as the music out the window.

As I said... I do think highly of Steve, so don't get me wrong. I have him to thank for me being able to watch my very first live Journey concert. It was an awesome experience, and I have him to thank for that, as well as many other great concerts I attended with him at the mic. I saw him 6 times, and towards the end... I knew he shouldn't have been on that stage. Pretty sad. I do thank him for the awesome shows I saw though!

How do you "leave in a hurry" if you've stayed and destroyed your voice??? Make up your mind....

People who have contracts held to their head do stupid things... doesn't mean they have no integrity..

He did stay and destroy his voice... until Tapegate came out and he left IMMEDIATELY. I'd say that's leaving pretty quickly. And having a contract doesn't mean anything when you're dealing with vocals. Things happen, and some times those commitments can no longer be met. He would have lost some money for sure if he had walked away, but he would have retained his dignity. Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

At the same you have to remember that many of today's performers use "tapes" while on stage. So in the eyes of some it may not have been a bad thing.

I agree that most of todays pop icons do lip synch. I think people go into those concerts knowing that. The reason it's acceptable though is because those singers are doing stage performances on par with a circus act! They're forgiven I believe because of that fact. Seeing your favorite rock band do the same thing for no reason other than they CAN'T sing any longer is unacceptable. That's apples and oranges.

[Abitaman]

I agree that most of todays pop icons do lip synch. I think people go into those concerts knowing that. The reason it's acceptable though is because those singers are doing stage performances on par with a circus act! They're forgiven I believe because of that fact. Seeing your favorite rock band do the same thing for no reason other than they CAN'T sing any longer is unacceptable. That's apples and oranges.

I agree with you too, just saying. Saw were Sheryl Crow forgot the lyrics to one of her songs this week, and the article when on to state how most shows today are lip synch, just shows the sad state of music business. Between that and bad music today, no wonder the music business sucks, along with the high costs of tickets and Cd's.

[Ehwmatt]

Augi paid his dues.. did his job, got paid for it and exited gracefully, with his integrity intact...

He, Rolie and Smitty are the only ones IMO to do so...

I LOVE Augeri, but have to seriously disagree with this statement. He didn't leave with his integrity intact at all. He left in a hurry with his tail between his legs as soon as tapegate broke out, and although I think he's a great guy... you can't look at the facts and then call him a man with the upmost of integrity. He stood on that stage for many nights, struggled with the notes, then relied on Deen and the tapes to pull him through each show every night.

I know he probably didn't make the decision to go out and fake the funk every night, but he did KNOW about it, and to me that throws all integrity and honesty to the fans as well as the music out the window.

As I said... I do think highly of Steve, so don't get me wrong. I have him to thank for me being able to watch my very first live Journey concert. It was an awesome experience, and I have him to thank for that, as well as many other great concerts I attended with him at the mic. I saw him 6 times, and towards the end... I knew he shouldn't have been on that stage. Pretty sad. I do thank him for the awesome shows I saw though!

How do you "leave in a hurry" if you've stayed and destroyed your voice??? Make up your mind....

People who have contracts held to their head do stupid things... doesn't mean they have no integrity..

He did stay and destroy his voice... until Tapegate came out and he left IMMEDIATELY. I'd say that's leaving pretty quickly. And having a contract doesn't mean anything when you're dealing with vocals. Things happen, and some times those commitments can no longer be met. He would have lost some money for sure if he had walked away, but he would have retained his dignity. Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

At the same you have to remember that many of today's performers use "tapes" while on stage. So in the eyes of some it may not have been a bad thing.

I agree that most of todays pop icons do lip synch. I think people go into those concerts knowing that. The reason it's acceptable though is because those singers are doing stage performances on par with a circus act! They're forgiven I believe because of that fact. Seeing your favorite rock band do the same thing for no reason other than they CAN'T sing any longer is unacceptable. That's apples and oranges.

I think a decent (but not perfect) analogy here would be saying that going to see today's pop star is a lot like going to see the WWE, whereas going to see a bona fide rock band is more like going to see a boxing match. Everyone knows the fix is in on the former pair, but everyone would be pretty outraged to find out the fix is in on the latter pair.

It's really a matter of degree. Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus could get away with lipsynching an entire tour, but someone like Adele couldn't.

[slucero]

He did stay and destroy his voice... until Tapegate came out and he left IMMEDIATELY.

it could be he was forced out... which makes much more sense than staying and trashing his voice for the hell of it..

I'd say that's leaving pretty quickly. And having a contract doesn't mean anything when you're dealing with vocals.

that makes no sense... he could have been negotiating for some rest, or his departure... when his voice got worse, at least to the point that he could no longer do it live... and that changed the whole scenario... and leverage...

Things happen, and some times those commitments can no longer be met.

See my 1st comment.

He would have lost some money for sure if he had walked away, but he would have retained his dignity.

See my 2nd comment.

Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

You assume Journey management would LET him issue that message... we both know management always controls how events transpire and will always spin it. Remember Schon... "I had no idea.. I don't have his vocal in my monitors"....

[Ehwmatt]

Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

You assume Journey management would LET him issue that message... we both know management always controls how events transpire and will always spin it. Remember Schon... "I had no idea.. I don't have his vocal in my monitors"....

To add on to this, SA issuing such a statement would have been a tacit admission that the Tapegate rumors flying around the Internet were indeed true. And I'm willing to bet that from the minute shit started hitting the fan with the whole controversy, Journey management began engineering SA's exit and brought the lawyers in.

I can guarantee that there are not only serious non-disclosure/confidentiality terms underlying the SA settlement, but also that these terms were discussed with SA from the moment Tapegate started getting Internet traction and the band/management realized something would have to be done.

[ltbob]

Say what you want about D.L.R. at least he sings.

[G.I.Jim]

He did stay and destroy his voice... until Tapegate came out and he left IMMEDIATELY.

it could be he was forced out... which makes much more sense than staying and trashing his voice for the hell of it..

I'd say that's leaving pretty quickly. And having a contract doesn't mean anything when you're dealing with vocals.

that makes no sense... he could have been negotiating for some rest, or his departure... when his voice got worse, at least to the point that he could no longer do it live... and that changed the whole scenario... and leverage...

Things happen, and some times those commitments can no longer be met.

See my 1st comment.

He would have lost some money for sure if he had walked away, but he would have retained his dignity.

See my 2nd comment.

Any real fan would have accepted a message from S.A. saying his voice is no longer able to sing the catalog, and that he was stepping down. If Journey would had done that, they probably would have earned some SERIOUS respect from their fan base.

You assume Journey management would LET him issue that message... we both know management always controls how events transpire and will always spin it. Remember Schon... "I had no idea.. I don't have his vocal in my monitors"....

I am not even going to TRY to dissect all of these damn posts!!! All I'm saying here is that Steve had a choice. He knew he was toast vocally, and although he did sign a contract with Journey... he could have backed out of it due to his circumstances. People back out of contracts all the time. Sure he would have lost some money on the deal, but he could have done it.

Maybe Journey wouldn't have let him issue a statement... who knows??? He still could have stood up for himself and told the band (and management) that he wasn't going to go out there and lip. He didn't. He kept going out night after night and played the roll of "singer" while the tapes (and Deen) did his job, and he deceived the fans.

Not cool in my book. If you think he's a man of the upmost integrity after pulling that... ok. I still think he is a great guy and appreciate him for what he did for us fans who had never had the opportunity to see Perry. But I don't agree with the integrity part one bit.

[slucero]

I am not even going to TRY to dissect all of these damn posts!!! All I'm saying here is that Steve had a choice. He knew he was toast vocally, and although he did sign a contract with Journey... he could have backed out of it due to his circumstances. People back out of contracts all the time. Sure he would have lost some money on the deal, but he could have done it.

Maybe Journey wouldn't have let him issue a statement... who knows??? He still could have stood up for himself and told the band (and management) that he wasn't going to go out there and lip. He didn't. He kept going out night after night and played the roll of "singer" while the tapes (and Deen) did his job, and he deceived the fans.

Not cool in my book. If you think he's a man of the upmost integrity after pulling that... ok. I still think he is a great guy and appreciate him for what he did for us fans who had never had the opportunity to see Perry. But I don't agree with the integrity part one bit.

Everybody has a "choice"... but when faced with

1. the prospect of losing one's way of making a living.. AND
2. the job with which he uses to MAKE his living... and feed his family..

I think SA had much more to think about and act upon than what fans construe as "integrity".


Hell, Augi was more toast than Perry (who fucking quit!)... yet Perry, to this DAY still has integrity to spare with the majority of Journey fans, who don't give two shits about how or why he left.... because Perry has straddled the line regarding Journey pretty well.. avoiding anything that will hurt the cash-cow or his image...

I think Augi got fucked.. like I said above.. We all know Schon is a mutherfucker about touring.. he's old school that way.. so when Augi's started fading.. contractual obligations and Schon likely forced him to keep singing. His voice prolly went south pretty quick when it did, and Tapegate was the result, which made him Kryptonite for Journey, but also gave him the leverage he needed to make sure he got paid... and that was the cost of his silence.

Good for him.

[donnaplease]

Tapegate was the result, which made him Kryptonite for Journey, but also gave him the leverage he needed to make sure he got paid... and that was the cost of his silence.

Now this is a very interesting concept, and one I'm not sure I've ever seen put out there before. I think Augeri totally got screwed too... after the fact. He was a willing participant in the ruse though, although certainly not the only one involved. If there's something I admire about him in this situation, it's that he has kept his silence, unlike Neal who tried to make us believe he had no idea anything shady was going on. Yeah, riiiiiggggghhhhhht.