Fans don't stop believin' as Journey makes its way to Mount

[tater1977]

Fans don't stop believin' as Journey makes its way to Mount Pleasant

By Sue White | For MLive.com
on August 31, 2014

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/sagi ... n_jou.html

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI – With a satisfying summer tour with Steve Miller and Tower of Power behind him, and a handful of intimate evenings with Journey fans ahead, including a stop Saturday, Sept. 6, at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, bassist Ross Valory feels pretty good.

"We still have a strong presence in broadcasting," he said, "and that says something about the distinct style of our music. It's been a real blessing."

With fellow founding member and guitarist Neal Schon still in the fold, along with longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain and drummer Deen Castronova, fans will hear Valory's unique bass line dancing under the orchestration of Schon, Cain and Steve Perry's infectious melodies.

Journey rose to the challenge of replacing Perry, whose signature vocals are the hallmark of hits like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms" and "Faithfully." After Perry and Journey parted ways in 1998, Steve Augeri stepped up to the mic, followed by Arnel Pineda in 2007.

"Bringing in someone else was difficult, trying to find the right person to fit in Steve's boots," Valory said. "Arlen is an artisan. He captures Steve's style and in time has made it his own."

Pineda planned for the moment when he made his debut at a festival in Chile, looking for the best way to approach the task at hand and pull it off.

Still, "when we were waiting to go onstage that night, he told us he had no idea of what he was going to do," Valory said. "We told him to just go out there and sing. Then we're out there playing and we can hear him but it was like a game of 'Where's Waldo?' We had no idea of where he was.

"Instead of standing in front of the mic, he was running laps around the stage and the crowd was loving it."

A video of that first performance shows Pineda wearing the biggest smile, fully immersed in the crowd's thunderous response. It's even better now, Valory said, with a few years under his belt.

"We re-recorded our hits with Arlen in a release for Walmart, along with two other discs, one of new material and another of a live performance," he said. "'Revelation' was a happy day for Journey, Walmart and fans, who got three discs for $11."

It led to another new album, "Eclipse," that includes "She's a Mystery."

"Arlen participated in writing that one," Valory said, "and we'll play it at Soaring Eagle. This is an evening with Journey, all Journey, so we have a little time to throw in a few new songs and some of the older songs that you don't hear so often.

"Most importantly, the body of the set includes the songs we know our fans come to hear. We go so far back with these songs that they really belong to another era."

And their distinct style means you don't find everyone and their brother recording covers, though "Open Arms" has shown up a few times, most notably performed by Mariah Carey, Valory said. And a remix of "Separate Ways" and a Lady Gaga tune is very well done, he said.

Then again, even in Journey's early days on the San Francisco scene, the bandmates had a gut feeling that this was music good for the long run.

"The timing was right," he said. "People were looking for different approaches and that's what we brought them. Of course, a gut feeling doesn't assure success, but 40 years later, I think we were on to something."

"An Evening with Journey" begins at 8 p.m. Sept. 6 at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort's outdoor arena in Mount Pleasant. Tickets, available at the box office and through etix.com, cost $98, $88 and $25.

[tater1977]

They got SP.
They got SA.
Hmmm, they missed JSS.
They got AP.
Now who is 'Arlen' ?

Guess I overslept again...

[Rick]

They got SP.
They got SA.
Hmmm, they missed JSS.
They got AP.
Now who is 'Arlen' ?

Guess I overslept again...

Arlen Pidena. Lead singer.

[steveo777]

They got SP.
They got SA.
Hmmm, they missed JSS.
They got AP.
Now who is 'Arlen' ?

Guess I overslept again...

Arlen Pidena. Lead singer.

Funny shit! Gotta love reviews from people who don't know what they fuck they are talking about.

[tater1977]

They got SP.
They got SA.
Hmmm, they missed JSS.
They got AP.
Now who is 'Arlen' ?

Guess I overslept again...

Arlen Pidena. Lead singer.