Perry's shadow looms over Journey

[tater1977]

Perry's shadow looms over Journey


Alan Sculley Journal correspondent


http://rapidcityjournal.com/blackhills2 ... 9e7e0.html



Ever since Journey reformed in 1998 without singer Steve Perry, the band has had to deal with the popularity Perry helped create, as his supple, note-stretching voice became one of the biggest signature elements in hits like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" and "Anyway You Want It."

Perry's shadow perhaps looms larger than ever now over Journey thanks to the renewed popularity the group has enjoyed over the past few years, thanks in a large part to having several of its hit songs used on hit television shows, commercials and in movies.

The leader of the pack has been "Don't Stop Believing," which introduced Journey to a whole new young audience when it was used in the final episode of "The Sopranos" and later performed on "Glee."

According to drummer Deen Castronovo, some concert-goers don't even know that Perry left Journey and the band is on its third singer since then in Arnel Pineda. And there are a significant number of fans who want Perry back and haven't fully accepted Journey in its current form.

"You still have haters out there, sure you do," Castronovo said, noting that he understands their feelings. "I mean, to me, I've said it in a million interviews. Steve Perry is a god to me. I mean, he was one of the first singers I ever tried to sing to when I was 11 or 12 years old. I mean, to me he's one of the greatest singers of my generation, and the fans feel the same way, some of them. Yeah, they can be kind of nasty. They can be rough, and you see the reviews. We have a lot of racial things sometimes (aimed at Pineda, who is from the Philippines), and that's kind of tough. We have a lot of 'Journey without Steve Perry is a karaoke band.' OK, if that's what you feel, but you know what, we still go out there and we deliver."

For those that feel Journey is not Journey without Perry, Castronovo had some other things to say about Pineda, 44, that should clear up any questions about the current singer's place in the band.

"Let's put it this way, if Arnel decides to leave this band, the band is done," Castronovo said. "We're not going to go find another singer. It's just silly to do that. He goes out there and he gives it his all, he really does," the drummer said. "And we respect him and love him like a brother, and I think he knows that. He feels that with us...The chemistry is right. And with other singers, the chemistry wasn't as good. When he came in and auditioned, dude, we knew. Not only is he singing great, but what a sweetheart."

Journey has indeed had its issues with singers since its first run of popularity with Perry.

After gaining major success in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a string of hit albums - "Evolution," "Departure," "Escape" (the band's biggest success), "Frontiers" and "Raised On Radio," the band broke up for nearly a decade before reuniting briefly in the mid-1990s, only to see Perry leave the band for good after one album, the 1996 release "Trial By Fire."

The group's remaining core members, Neal Schon (guitars), Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Ross Valory (bass), then brought in Castronovo on drums and singer Steve Augeri to complete the new Journey.

Augeri bowed out in 2006, and was briefly replaced by Jeff Scott Soto before Schon discovered Pineda on a You Tube video and brought him on board as Journey's current singer.

Journey without Perry, though, didn't return to arena-filling popularity right away.

"I remember saying Jonathan saying 'You know what, we have to re-educate the people. This is not going to be easy. We were playing to 1,500 people a night, and they were all arms-crossed, going there's no way that this band is going to sound good without Steve Perry. And it took us a good five years of constant touring and constant work and constant re-education for people to realize, you know what, no matter who's in that band, it's the songs that are timeless. It's the songs that people connect with. It doesn't matter who's playing them or singing them."

That certainly seems to be the case as Journey once again consistently sells out amphitheaters and arenas on tour. And this summer's U.S. tour is built to please fans of both the Perry and post-Perry eras of the band, Castronovo said. (The current group has released two studio CDs, "Revelation" in 2008 and "Eclipse" in 2011.)

"It's the same production that we brought out on last year's tour, same stuff, the confetti cannons and the big screens and everything and the great lighting," he said. "And of course we're doing all the hits, what we call the dirty dozen. We do all of those and then we get to throw in a few surprises here and there, like from 'Revelation' or 'Eclipse' or something like that. It's really fun."

[Don]

Seeing as every concert review mentions Steve Perry usually followed by Steve Perry soud-a-like, it shouldn't be a surprise.
As good of musicians as Neal and Jon are, the Journey sound is usually identified by the vocals. Hell, you still got DJs out there who sometimes announced played band tracks as Steve Perry with Journey. Also, Perry being more accessible to the media the last few years has helped re-associating his face with Journey.
Arnel on the other hand, is just a guy who can't/won't/doesn't feel the need to connect to the U.S media. First, he's not here most of the time if the band isn't touring and secondly he just has nothing to add to the conversation when it comes to Journey's classic tracks, the main thing the media wants to talk about.
That is the music keeping Journey on the front page these days and it's only natural that the line up that created it maintains so much identity with it regardless if certain players have been gone from the group for so many years.

The perception really isn't anyone's fault, just the way the market/public dictates it to be.

[portland]

It's really kind of silly to say the comments that were made when the set list is made up of almost all Perry lead Journey....it is what it is and it's not changing now.

If AP leaves the band then I guess they will hang it up....many don't even know he is there anyway.

[Don]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

[YoungJRNY]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

I had my MP3 in at work today & Chain of Love came on followed by Resonate. It's a shame people on the outside won't be able to fully embrace the direction Journey has been going in. Those songs completely isolated and straight into your eardrums without any outside interference just rocks your brain. Eclipse was a GREAT album. Sucks people of the mass's didn't give it a shot.

As for embracing their history, I can live with that. Journey music is the reason why I am where I am right now. It's one story that the general public won't accept Journey post-Perry. I happen to love Arrival, Revelation and Eclipse just as much as the Greatest Hits. I've even played more than my fair share of Red 13 and Generations. In my mind, I WIN.

[JRNYMAN]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

And as much as I agree with everything you wrote, Don, there's one thing Neal's still apparently not flexing on: Deen's vox. He only sings lead on huge classics - not the new stuff.And, in that regard, the absence of his vox means the exclusion of those songs, period. But, who am I to second guess anything Neal or mgmt. decides? They obviously have their reasons - no matter the logic or their respective justifications..... "Neal isn't letting Deen sing because he feels it confuses the fans when someone else sings lead...." is just one ridiculous supposed reason why Deen abruptly stopped being given spotlight time at the end of the Revelation tour (I think that's when it was....?)
The other major benefit of allowing Deen 3 songs per show is the break AP's voice gets for roughly 15 mins. per show when Deen is singing. No matter which one is more important in the grand scheme of things, both are, IMHO important.
I didn't see the band when SP was in it - a mistake I'll never be able to correct or stop kicking myself in the ass for. However, I got to witness Journey, the band, perform Mother Father over 10 times now due solely to the fact that Deen's delivery of it is a complement to the song and to Perry. But, now he's not?? WTF? And Mother Father is just one of 9 songs Deen COULD do if time and "the powers that be" allowed. Every night Deen doesn't get the spotlight on him, is a show minus at least 2 gigantic Journey songs.

[RocknRoll]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

I had my MP3 in at work today & Chain of Love came on followed by Resonate. It's a shame people on the outside won't be able to fully embrace the direction Journey has been going in. Those songs completely isolated and straight into your eardrums without any outside interference just rocks your brain. Eclipse was a GREAT album. Sucks people of the mass's didn't give it a shot.

As for embracing their history, I can live with that. Journey music is the reason why I am where I am right now. It's one story that the general public won't accept Journey post-Perry. I happen to love Arrival, Revelation and Eclipse just as much as the Greatest Hits. I've even played more than my fair share of Red 13 and Generations. In my mind, I WIN.

I listen and love a lot of newer Journey, it's just sad the average concert goer is missing out.

[slucero]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

And as much as I agree with everything you wrote, Don, there's one thing Neal's still apparently not flexing on: Deen's vox. He only sings lead on huge classics - not the new stuff.And, in that regard, the absence of his vox means the exclusion of those songs, period. But, who am I to second guess anything Neal or mgmt. decides? They obviously have their reasons - no matter the logic or their respective justifications..... "Neal isn't letting Deen sing because he feels it confuses the fans when someone else sings lead...." is just one ridiculous supposed reason why Deen abruptly stopped being given spotlight time at the end of the Revelation tour (I think that's when it was....?)
The other major benefit of allowing Deen 3 songs per show is the break AP's voice gets for roughly 15 mins. per show when Deen is singing. No matter which one is more important in the grand scheme of things, both are, IMHO important.
I didn't see the band when SP was in it - a mistake I'll never be able to correct or stop kicking myself in the ass for. However, I got to witness Journey, the band, perform Mother Father over 10 times now due solely to the fact that Deen's delivery of it is a complement to the song and to Perry. But, now he's not?? WTF? And Mother Father is just one of 9 songs Deen COULD do if time and "the powers that be" allowed. Every night Deen doesn't get the spotlight on him, is a show minus at least 2 gigantic Journey songs.

possibly Deen doesn't want to sing lead....

[RocknRoll]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

And as much as I agree with everything you wrote, Don, there's one thing Neal's still apparently not flexing on: Deen's vox. He only sings lead on huge classics - not the new stuff.And, in that regard, the absence of his vox means the exclusion of those songs, period. But, who am I to second guess anything Neal or mgmt. decides? They obviously have their reasons - no matter the logic or their respective justifications..... "Neal isn't letting Deen sing because he feels it confuses the fans when someone else sings lead...." is just one ridiculous supposed reason why Deen abruptly stopped being given spotlight time at the end of the Revelation tour (I think that's when it was....?)
The other major benefit of allowing Deen 3 songs per show is the break AP's voice gets for roughly 15 mins. per show when Deen is singing. No matter which one is more important in the grand scheme of things, both are, IMHO important.
I didn't see the band when SP was in it - a mistake I'll never be able to correct or stop kicking myself in the ass for. However, I got to witness Journey, the band, perform Mother Father over 10 times now due solely to the fact that Deen's delivery of it is a complement to the song and to Perry. But, now he's not?? WTF? And Mother Father is just one of 9 songs Deen COULD do if time and "the powers that be" allowed. Every night Deen doesn't get the spotlight on him, is a show minus at least 2 gigantic Journey songs.

If you were keeping up on things, I do believe Deen will be singing on this tour!

[steveo777]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

And as much as I agree with everything you wrote, Don, there's one thing Neal's still apparently not flexing on: Deen's vox. He only sings lead on huge classics - not the new stuff.And, in that regard, the absence of his vox means the exclusion of those songs, period. But, who am I to second guess anything Neal or mgmt. decides? They obviously have their reasons - no matter the logic or their respective justifications..... "Neal isn't letting Deen sing because he feels it confuses the fans when someone else sings lead...." is just one ridiculous supposed reason why Deen abruptly stopped being given spotlight time at the end of the Revelation tour (I think that's when it was....?)
The other major benefit of allowing Deen 3 songs per show is the break AP's voice gets for roughly 15 mins. per show when Deen is singing. No matter which one is more important in the grand scheme of things, both are, IMHO important.
I didn't see the band when SP was in it - a mistake I'll never be able to correct or stop kicking myself in the ass for. However, I got to witness Journey, the band, perform Mother Father over 10 times now due solely to the fact that Deen's delivery of it is a complement to the song and to Perry. But, now he's not?? WTF? And Mother Father is just one of 9 songs Deen COULD do if time and "the powers that be" allowed. Every night Deen doesn't get the spotlight on him, is a show minus at least 2 gigantic Journey songs.

If you were keeping up on things, I do believe Deen will be singing on this tour!

He has. Still They Ride has been sung by Deen.

[Don]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

[RocknRoll]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

[steveo777]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

Maybe 25 songs then? I'd be all over that!

[RocknRoll]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

Maybe 25 songs then? I'd be all over that!

...and I'm sure we will be hearing Deen!!

[steveo777]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

Maybe 25 songs then? I'd be all over that!

...and I'm sure we will be hearing Deen!!

Got the date?

[RocknRoll]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

Maybe 25 songs then? I'd be all over that!

...and I'm sure we will be hearing Deen!!

Got the date?

8/11, debated on this one big time, but a friend convinced me!

[steveo777]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

Maybe 25 songs then? I'd be all over that!

...and I'm sure we will be hearing Deen!!

Got the date?

8/11, debated on this one big time, but a friend convinced me!

Might be there myself. It's only an airplane ride! I can either put a quarter a slot machine, or in the juke box and it will sound like Steve Perry.

[JRNYMAN]

I take the last few paragraphs to mean that Neal is back to accepting what they talked about doing in 2007, embracing their legacy with both arms. The little side jaunts into new musical arenas are over. The people have spoken and the back catalog is all they want and anyone that sounds like Steve Perry is good enough.

Journey 2.0 , J-Boyz or whatever they were trying to become just isn't feasible. Playing the old songs and letting the audience reminisce seems to be where they are at now, pretty much just like 99% of the other groups from their era. Living with that reality may be best for them at this time in their careers.
For those of us who actually liked Eclipse it's disappointing but the music is for the masses, not a few diehards like us so for Journey it's the right thing to do.

And as much as I agree with everything you wrote, Don, there's one thing Neal's still apparently not flexing on: Deen's vox. He only sings lead on huge classics - not the new stuff.And, in that regard, the absence of his vox means the exclusion of those songs, period. But, who am I to second guess anything Neal or mgmt. decides? They obviously have their reasons - no matter the logic or their respective justifications..... "Neal isn't letting Deen sing because he feels it confuses the fans when someone else sings lead...." is just one ridiculous supposed reason why Deen abruptly stopped being given spotlight time at the end of the Revelation tour (I think that's when it was....?)
The other major benefit of allowing Deen 3 songs per show is the break AP's voice gets for roughly 15 mins. per show when Deen is singing. No matter which one is more important in the grand scheme of things, both are, IMHO important.
I didn't see the band when SP was in it - a mistake I'll never be able to correct or stop kicking myself in the ass for. However, I got to witness Journey, the band, perform Mother Father over 10 times now due solely to the fact that Deen's delivery of it is a complement to the song and to Perry. But, now he's not?? WTF? And Mother Father is just one of 9 songs Deen COULD do if time and "the powers that be" allowed. Every night Deen doesn't get the spotlight on him, is a show minus at least 2 gigantic Journey songs.

possibly Deen doesn't want to sing lead....

Oh, he definitely doesn't want to be the lead singer - he's made that adamantly clear. However, he really likes being able to do 2 or 3 songs, which as it turns out, are his favs from the Perry era so, that works out nicely for him.

If you were keeping up on things, I do believe Deen will be singing on this tour!

Seriously,....? We're what... a week into the tour and I'm not a true fan because I haven't read every fucking review and pored over every set list? Sorry, I've been kinda busy what with the Chik Fil A event, all these Bath Salt Zombies getting nekkid and carjacking everything from cars of course to grocery carts! Add to that the fact that they still haven't added an ARIZONA date yet and my feelings are still a bit raw because Neal hasn't picked up the phone just to let me know he cares and that he and mgmt. are trying to secure a date or a venue or something.... anything...... which reminds me, that son-of-a-bitch still has my cordless drill!! "Dude, I'll get it right back to you...."

He has. Still They Ride has been sung by Deen.

Okay, that's a start. Too bad, that particular one is the one with the most over-dubbing and lipping of the songs he sings. Rotate in some of the stuff that would really surprise the fans like, After the Fall, Suzanne, Mother Father, Patiently, Where Were You,

The biggest problem that immediately comes to light whenever Deen is doing lead vox is the fact that the song he's singing just lost the high harmonies forcing their hand to "fill in" for him. It's a conundrum, I know.

[JRNYMAN]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They may not NEED him in that sense for the shorter shows, but the crowd really likes hearing him croon - especially when he's doing it while beating the Hell out of his kit which, let's face it, he is more animated at when he's also singing than when he's not. I personally just like his voice and there are certain songs Arnel can't pull off as well as Deen and I'll even go one further and say there are at least 2 songs that Arnel should not be allowed to sing out of respect for the longevity of the band and the 35+-year-fans who truly only want to hear Patiently sung by SP but, if it's the difference between hearing it at all ever again performed live and not, Deen does a very respectable job on the song and respects the song's legacy and where it fits into the hierarchy of their catalog. For that reason, he sings it exactly the way it was recorded without taking any liberties whatsoever. The other, of course, is Mother Father because he just freakin' sounds great and he plays the shit out of his drums on it. Win-Win.

[The_Noble_Cause]

He feels that with us...The chemistry is right. And with other singers, the chemistry wasn't as good. When he came in and auditioned, dude, we knew. Not only is he singing great, but what a sweetheart."

Out of all the post-Perry concerts, the Arnel lineup feels the least cohesive. Arnel has more range than Augeri or JSS, but I see no chemistry on that stage. Just alot og goin thru the motions...

[JRNYMAN]

He feels that with us...The chemistry is right. And with other singers, the chemistry wasn't as good. When he came in and auditioned, dude, we knew. Not only is he singing great, but what a sweetheart."

Out of all the post-Perry concerts, the Arnel lineup feels the least cohesive. Arnel has more range than Augeri or JSS, but I see no chemistry on that stage. Just alot og goin thru the motions...

...despite what they have collectively stated about how AP has made them better people and how he has brought back the camaraderie that was absent on stage for so long....

I saw them 5 times on the Revelation tour and something I took away from each show was how much happier the guys genuinely looked on stage. Neal was smiling - a lot! You could tell he was proud of his band again and wanted to share the new-found excitement with the world. Ross was even more animated than he had been in years. Jon was still Jon, but he looked happy to play the songs again. In the past 3 years, that excitement and glow has seemingly vanished from their stage presence and it just seems like they're at work and getting through one more day towards retirement.
I have to believe the overall "mood" of the band is determined by Neal's attitude and personal mood. And now with the slut he's "devoted" his existence to being his primary focus and thereby being thrust into the fray of everything else that exists both on and off stage, I'm sure there is a lot of resentment and frustration in the air as yet one more of Neal's conquests is being given "Full Access" to the areas which should be reserved for the band members only.

That's just my opinion.... I could be wrong....

[steveo777]

They don't have to worry about confusing the audience anymore. Trying to make Arnel the new face of Journey with Eclipse just didn't pan out. Just have someone, anyone sing those old songs every night, that is what's important.
That said, I don't believe they really need Deen on vocals unless Journey is doing a 19 or 20 song setlist though it looks like they have already dropped down to 16 songs barely one week into the tour.

They have a couple Journey only shows coming up, one of which I'm doing. Revel in AC sounds like it will be fantastic...Journey only!!!

Maybe 25 songs then? I'd be all over that!

...and I'm sure we will be hearing Deen!!

Got the date?

8/11, debated on this one big time, but a friend convinced me!

Hey, Val, I'm not seeing this as a Journey only event, unless something has changed. If it is, it should be a real treat and maybe some songs we haven't heard in awhile live will be dusted off.

[FamilyMan]

Perry's shadow looms over Journey


Alan Sculley Journal correspondent


http://rapidcityjournal.com/blackhills2 ... 9e7e0.html



Ever since Journey reformed in 1998 without singer Steve Perry, the band has had to deal with the popularity Perry helped create, as his supple, note-stretching voice became one of the biggest signature elements in hits like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" and "Anyway You Want It."

Perry's shadow perhaps looms larger than ever now over Journey thanks to the renewed popularity the group has enjoyed over the past few years, thanks in a large part to having several of its hit songs used on hit television shows, commercials and in movies.

The leader of the pack has been "Don't Stop Believing," which introduced Journey to a whole new young audience when it was used in the final episode of "The Sopranos" and later performed on "Glee."

According to drummer Deen Castronovo, some concert-goers don't even know that Perry left Journey and the band is on its third singer since then in Arnel Pineda. And there are a significant number of fans who want Perry back and haven't fully accepted Journey in its current form.

"You still have haters out there, sure you do," Castronovo said, noting that he understands their feelings. "I mean, to me, I've said it in a million interviews. Steve Perry is a god to me. I mean, he was one of the first singers I ever tried to sing to when I was 11 or 12 years old. I mean, to me he's one of the greatest singers of my generation, and the fans feel the same way, some of them. Yeah, they can be kind of nasty. They can be rough, and you see the reviews. We have a lot of racial things sometimes (aimed at Pineda, who is from the Philippines), and that's kind of tough. We have a lot of 'Journey without Steve Perry is a karaoke band.' OK, if that's what you feel, but you know what, we still go out there and we deliver."

For those that feel Journey is not Journey without Perry, Castronovo had some other things to say about Pineda, 44, that should clear up any questions about the current singer's place in the band.

"Let's put it this way, if Arnel decides to leave this band, the band is done," Castronovo said. "We're not going to go find another singer. It's just silly to do that. He goes out there and he gives it his all, he really does," the drummer said. "And we respect him and love him like a brother, and I think he knows that. He feels that with us...The chemistry is right. And with other singers, the chemistry wasn't as good. When he came in and auditioned, dude, we knew. Not only is he singing great, but what a sweetheart."

Journey has indeed had its issues with singers since its first run of popularity with Perry.

After gaining major success in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a string of hit albums - "Evolution," "Departure," "Escape" (the band's biggest success), "Frontiers" and "Raised On Radio," the band broke up for nearly a decade before reuniting briefly in the mid-1990s, only to see Perry leave the band for good after one album, the 1996 release "Trial By Fire."

The group's remaining core members, Neal Schon (guitars), Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Ross Valory (bass), then brought in Castronovo on drums and singer Steve Augeri to complete the new Journey.

Augeri bowed out in 2006, and was briefly replaced by Jeff Scott Soto before Schon discovered Pineda on a You Tube video and brought him on board as Journey's current singer.

Journey without Perry, though, didn't return to arena-filling popularity right away.

"I remember saying Jonathan saying 'You know what, we have to re-educate the people. This is not going to be easy. We were playing to 1,500 people a night, and they were all arms-crossed, going there's no way that this band is going to sound good without Steve Perry. And it took us a good five years of constant touring and constant work and constant re-education for people to realize, you know what, no matter who's in that band, it's the songs that are timeless. It's the songs that people connect with. It doesn't matter who's playing them or singing them."

That certainly seems to be the case as Journey once again consistently sells out amphitheaters and arenas on tour. And this summer's U.S. tour is built to please fans of both the Perry and post-Perry eras of the band, Castronovo said. (The current group has released two studio CDs, "Revelation" in 2008 and "Eclipse" in 2011.)

"It's the same production that we brought out on last year's tour, same stuff, the confetti cannons and the big screens and everything and the great lighting," he said. "And of course we're doing all the hits, what we call the dirty dozen. We do all of those and then we get to throw in a few surprises here and there, like from 'Revelation' or 'Eclipse' or something like that. It's really fun."

Never heard a band member say they're done if Arnel quits. Have any of you? Bold Statement.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Never heard a band member say they're done if Arnel quits. Have any of you? Bold Statement.

Ross makes a similar statement in the new Journey/Arnel documentary. Deen has also said this before. I don't believe either of them.

[Rick]

Never heard a band member say they're done if Arnel quits. Have any of you? Bold Statement.

Ross makes a similar statement in the new Journey/Arnel documentary. Deen has also said this before. I don't believe either of them.

I don't either.

[yulog]

Never heard a band member say they're done if Arnel quits. Have any of you? Bold Statement.

Ross makes a similar statement in the new Journey/Arnel documentary. Deen has also said this before. I don't believe either of them.

I don't either.

I seem to remember them saying that about almost all their singers.

[annie89509]

Never heard a band member say they're done if Arnel quits. Have any of you? Bold Statement.

Ross makes a similar statement in the new Journey/Arnel documentary. Deen has also said this before. I don't believe either of them.

I don't either.

I seem to remember them saying that about almost all their singers.

Neal said in an interview during the Generations Tour that SA was to be Journey's last lead singer. We all know how that went.

[Yoda]

As long as there is someone out there who can cover the old material well enough, the Journey will keep going in my opinion.

[No Surprize]

As long as there is someone out there who can cover the old material well enough, the Journey will keep going in my opinion.

And having a 4'2" Filipino singing lead for an american band is fucked up!

[Yoda]

As long as there is someone out there who can cover the old material well enough, the Journey will keep going in my opinion.

And having a 4'2" Filipino singing lead for an american band is fucked up!

He's not 4'2", he's 4'2 1/2"! Dang it, give Arnel some credit!