Journey - Revelation 6/3/08 (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

So have Def Leppard and Cyndi Lauper. I was just remarking how so many 80's names seem to have released new material all at once.

And I forgot to include Donna Summer on my list.

 

[Glamorous2008]

Hi Todd,

With due respect to JSS, he is a good singer too in his own right, but he is just not the perfect fit for Journey's music. You could visit YouTube and search for his live performance:JOURNEY - "Separate Ways" Jeff Scott Soto LIVE 2006 and hear for yourself that JSS was really struggling with the high notes.

 

[Todd H]

Hello there.

I've listened to a ton of boots from Jeff during the Journey tour. With the exception of the early shows where he was struggling a bit due to not being used to using an ear monitor (got this info from Jeff himself), he does an excellent job with the material. Are there some rough spots? Of course. Nobody can sing Perry stuff night in and night out flawlessly. Perry couldn't do it. Augeri couldn't do it. Odds are Arnel won't be able to do it. Couple that with the fact that Jeff is a mad man on stage and you're going to hear a few off notes.

I was in a cover band around 1989 (man I'm dating myself here) and had to sing Lights and Any Way You Want it. I had a pretty good range at the time and just these two songs alone were rough on my vocal chords. Not until I learned to use my head voice more did it get easier. I think the happiest day for me was when I joined another band that did originals and let me stay within my natural range.

I still contend that Jeff would have been a better choice for Journey. He's talented enough to do justice to the old material but has a different enough voice to take the band in a new direction instead of riding Perry's coattails like they did with Augeri and Pineda. Of course, that's the sticking point. The band doesn't want to move on to a new direction. They know fans are more familiar with the Perry years. So they find someone that sounds an awful lot like him and throw him onstage. Hopefully, Arnel doesn't destroy his vocal cords like Perry and Augeri did.

This is what Brian May had to say on the subject:

BLABBERMOUTH.NET - QUEEN Guitarist Weighs In On JOURNEY Singer Changes

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I went to the Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick concert in Atlanta last night.

Didn't quite make it there in time for Cheap Trick (heard just a little bit at the very end of their set), but Heart sounded pretty good, and Anne Wilson still has some amazing pipes, even now, 30 years from their early albums. They seemed very grateful to be touring on this 3-band tour, playing their music for appreciative fans, the women were eating up all their songs (probably about 10 songs for their set).

The main act, Journey, got on stage around 9:15 p.m. and played until 10:45 p.m., so they did a 90 minute show that comprised of about 5 of their new songs, and plenty of their hits (though not much from Raised on Radio, if at all).

Arnel Pineda was a very energetic front man, giving low-fives to the crowd near the stage, jumping off the drum platform - doing leg splits like a cheerleader at times. And in concert, he sounded pretty much like Steve Perry would, though he does his own thing with a few songs here and there, but nothing too objectionable. He's got a big voice, too. Neal Schon was in fine form, playing his axe like he was on borrowed time. Jonathan Cain's Piano was a little out of tune on "Faithfully", but overall consistent (even playing guitar on the new songs), as were Ross Valory (bass) and Dean Castronovo (drums/percussion).

I couldn't believe they played "Escape", and finished their encore with "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" Overall, the crowd was having a good time, though they mainly sat down during the newer songs (that's usually the case), but when the hits were being played, everyone was right back up and singing and dancing along with the band.

If you're a Journey fan, go check them out on their concert tour.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Finally uploaded my photos from their concert. These were taken with a small compact camera that I smuggled into the venue since there was a no-camera policy for the concert. The photos are all taken from far away, not all that memorable.

Journey - at Chastain Park Atlanta - 2008 - a set on Flickr

 

[Radioman970]

Nice pics.

 

[Yee-Ming]

I just got this, without having heard any samples or radio airplay of the new stuff. On putting in the second disc (first), I was absolutely stunned at how close Pineda sounds to Perry on the first track "Only The Young". On "Don't Stop Believin'" (second track), the illusion breaks a bit, because his enunciation of words is different, even if the voice still sounds very similar.


Can't say I disagree, though IMHO the same comment I made for Don't Stop Believin' applies here -- vocal quality wise is very similar, but when it comes to words, there is a distinct difference. Oddly, I think he's closer on "Who's Crying Now".

 

[barrydalive1]

Exactly, I like both of them. I prefer Perry, but it's pretty close in my book.