Live Review: Journey

Journey, Manchester Apollo, 5th June 2006

I get the impression from online discussions that many American rock fans don't consider Journey a serious rock band. They're known largely for the somewhat cheesy 80s power ballads that got played to death on American FM radio. Worse still, they're the band your younger sister liked.

In the UK, where they never had a top ten hit, the have none of that baggage. People pay as much attention to their hard rockers as their ballads.

Journey hadn't played Britain since (I think) 1980, which is perhaps one reason for their relatively low profile over here. Since Steve Perry reportedly disliked playing outside the US, they never toured during their early 80s heyday. Which is why they're playing the 2700 seat Apollo theatre the night after Bon Jovi (who theoretically appeal to the same sort of audience) headlined the City of Manchester Stadium.

They did, however, have enough fans to sell out the venue in five days. The atmosphere before they hit the stage was electric with anticipation. Could the band still cut it so long after their commercial heyday? What would they be like with new singer Steve Augeri? He sounded impressive on the new "Generations" album, but how would he sound on Steve Perry's songs?

Journey hit the stage at 7:45pm, very early for a headline band, and dispelled any doubts within minutes. They launched into a storming version of "Separate Ways" leading into two hours of superb hard rock. The band were superbly tight right from the beginning, but also rocked hard, playing one great song after another.

While they played all the big hits, of which there were a great many, they also played a lot of harder-edged album cuts. The setlist included oldies like "Wheel in the Sky", some new songs from the excellent "Generations", and virtually the whole of the 1981 "Escape" album, but little from the more lightweight "Raised on Radio" or "Trial by Fire". I was especially pleased to heard "Mother, Father", and "Edge of the Blade".

Steve Augeri didn't disappoint as a frontman. He sounded more like Steve Perry than Steve Perry, hitting all the high notes perfectly. Drummer Deen Castronovo sang lead on several songs, which threw me for a while because I couldn't work out where the vocals were coming from when Augeri wasn't on stage! He's actually a pretty impressive vocalist in his own right; he was especially good with his powerful rendition of "Mother, Father". Naturally, Neil Schon played plenty of his amazing shredding jazz-metal guitar, ripping the place up on almost every song.

Overall a superb show, proving the band are still on the top of the game even twenty years after their commercial peak. Let's hope we don't have to wait another quarter century before we see them over here again.

Posted by TimHall at June 11, 2006 07:49 PM | TrackBack

Comments

Journey. Eh. Steve Perry is what killed that band, in my opinion. Neal Schon was amazing, though. Power chords and shrieking -- even nicely done -- just never did it for me. Chalk up REO in the same camp. Styx, too, although I have a soft spot for their Genesis-lite schtick, especially theatrically.

Posted by: Scott on June 13, 2006 03:39 PM

You're getting your own back for what I said about Clapton :)

I'm not familiar with Journey's early work before Steve Perry joined. Earliest Journey album I've got is "Infinity", the first with Perry.

REO I've mentioned on this blog before; I've never rated them and find Kevin Cronin's voice irritating - too much of a crooner for my tastes.

Styx are on tour with Deep Purple next year, which I'm tempted by. They started out a bit generic, then became a bit too lightweight later on, but they did hit a golden period in the middle, up to and including "Paradise Theater".

Posted by: Tim Hall on June 13, 2006 07:08 PM

As far as Yanks being turned off by Journey from radio overkill and Brits being more receptive goes, I wanted to say that I think that's a solid analysis. As to *why* I agree with it, I may be venturing onto thin ice... :)

I've thought for a long time that the reverse is true of Iron Maiden. IIRC you liked their first album but nothing since, and there were other English posters to the old Rocknet forum who gagged at the mention of Maiden. I've long hypothesized that maybe you'd at least dislike them less if U.K. radio hadn't been beating you over the head with the latest Iron Maiden single for the last 26 years. Maybe that's an exageration (I've never heard U.K. radio, but as an arrogant Yank I know everything of course :D ), but my understanding is that since "Running Free," every Iron Maiden album has produced Top 10 singles in the U.K.

Do you think that any of your Iron Maiden hatred can be chalked up to being sick to death of them, or would you hate the music regardless? I know there's some music that I'm just sick of, and other bands that I knew sucked from hearing the first note. :)

--T.J.

Posted by: T.J. Swoboda on June 13, 2006 11:26 PM

Iron Maiden have never had that much radio airplay; during the 80s daytime radio was wall-to-wall Duran Duran and Culture Club; Iron Maiden built up their fanbase by touring, not radio play. You're probably partly right though, in that some people hated them just because they were popular. Even more people hated Def Leppard, because they considered that they'd sold out to America. At the end of the day, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard were the only real world-class bands to come out of the NWOBHM scene. Other bands (like Diamond Head and even Venom) were hugely influential, but never themselves achieved worldwide success. And Venom were still crap.

I've never particularly hated Iron Midden, I'm just not a big fan. I lost interested in them because I thought Bruce Dickenson was a bit too much of a jerk on stage (he was just as bad with his previous band, Samson). I find them a bit formulaic; they seemed to produce "Number of the Beast" over and over again.

Posted by: Tim Hall on June 14, 2006 10:32 PM

to scott,june 2006

you are an idiot and don,t know crap about bands,there wouldn,t even have been a journey if it hadn,t been for steve perry,you idiot,he carried that band and as a matter of fact,steve perry WAS journey.please don,t give any more of your stupid opinions

Posted by: joe on June 23, 2006 11:46 PM

Perry or Augeri.. to me that is like Beatles or Stones.. two entirely different things, every comparison is a nondiscussion, since it's all about taste.

I can only say that Journey ROCKED the house on June 9th at Arrow Rock Festival, and Augeri was AWESOME!!

I never saw the lads with Perry, which is sad, but the concerts I collected of Journey with Perry on vocals sound just as good to me.

As for me.. I am the die-hard fan.. I like their work with Rolie on vocals, with Perry and with Augeri. *grins* Maybe with a slight lean towards the Perry era. (oh and in case you wonder.. Stones!!!)

Posted by: Marcel on July 1, 2006 08:04 PM

I was at this gig and thought it was amazing. I had only recently got into Journey and three of us went and thought everything was just top class!! I just want people of a younger generation like myself to see what a rock show is and that was it! Steve Augeri was amazing, the two best band I have seen live have a new lead singer (Journey and Queen + Paul rodgers), which shows they still have an impact! I will be going again when journey come back. (soon according to their website!)

Posted by: Olly on July 5, 2006 11:47 AM

I think steve perry was the bad he was fantastic a real voice of rock .He was fantastic although yes steve augeri is a great singer with a fantastic voice and style.I do dissagree %110 when people say that steve perry killed it hes was the voice of journey and always will be

Posted by: Dan on July 6, 2006 03:14 PM


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People pay as much attention to their hard rockers as their ballads. Journey hadn't played Britain since (I think) 1980, which is perhaps one reason for their relatively low profile over here. Since Steve Perry reportedly disliked playing outside the US, they never toured during their early 80s heyday. Which is why they're playing the 2700 seat Apollo theatre the night after Bon Jovi (who theoretically appeal to the same sort of audience) headlined the City of Manchester Stadium. They did, however, have enough fans to sell out the venue in five days. The atmosphere before they hit the stage was electric with anticipation. Could the band still cut it so long after their commercial heyday? What would they be like with new singer Steve Augeri? He sounded impressive on the new "Generations" album, but how would he sound on Steve Perry's songs? Journey hit the stage at 7:45pm, very early for a headline band, and dispelled any doubts within minutes. They launched into a storming version of "Separate Ways" leading into two hours of superb hard rock. The band were superbly tight right from the beginning, but also rocked hard, playing one great song after another. While they played all the big hits, of which there were a great many, they also played a lot of harder-edged album cuts. The setlist included oldies like "Wheel in the Sky", some new songs from the excellent "Generations", and virtually the whole of the 1981 "Escape" album, but little from the more lightweight "Raised on Radio" or "Trial by Fire". I was especially pleased to heard "Mother, Father", and "Edge of the Blade". Steve Augeri didn't disappoint as a frontman. He sounded more like Steve Perry than Steve Perry, hitting all the high notes perfectly. Drummer Deen Castronovo sang lead on several songs, which threw me for a while because I couldn't work out where the vocals were coming from when Augeri wasn't on stage! He's actually a pretty impressive vocalist in his own right; he was especially good with his powerful rendition of "Mother, Father". Naturally, Neil Schon played plenty of his amazing shredding jazz-metal guitar, ripping the place up on almost every song. Overall a superb show, proving the band are still on the top of the game even twenty years after their commercial peak. Let's hope we don't have to wait another quarter century before we see them over here again. Posted by TimHall at June 11, 2006 07:49 PM \| TrackBack Comments Journey. Eh. Steve Perry is what killed that band, in my opinion. Neal Schon was amazing, though. Power chords and shrieking -- even nicely done -- just never did it for me. Chalk up REO in the same camp. Styx, too, although I have a soft spot for their Genesis-lite schtick, especially theatrically. Posted by: Scott on June 13, 2006 03:39 PM You're getting your own back for what I said about Clapton :) I'm not familiar with Journey's early work before Steve Perry joined. Earliest Journey album I've got is "Infinity", the first with Perry. REO I've mentioned on this blog before; I've never rated them and find Kevin Cronin's voice irritating - too much of a crooner for my tastes. Styx are on tour with Deep Purple next year, which I'm tempted by. They started out a bit generic, then became a bit too lightweight later on, but they did hit a golden period in the middle, up to and including "Paradise Theater". Posted by: Tim Hall on June 13, 2006 07:08 PM As far as Yanks being turned off by Journey from radio overkill and Brits being more receptive goes, I wanted to say that I think that's a solid analysis. As to why I agree with it, I may be venturing onto thin ice... :) I've thought for a long time that the reverse is true of Iron Maiden. IIRC you liked their first album but nothing since, and there were other English posters to the old Rocknet forum who gagged at the mention of Maiden. I've long hypothesized that maybe you'd at least dislike them less if U.K. radio hadn't been beating you over the head with the latest Iron Maiden single for the last 26 years. Maybe that's an exageration (I've never heard U.K. radio, but as an arrogant Yank I know everything of course :D ), but my understanding is that since "Running Free," every Iron Maiden album has produced Top 10 singles in the U.K. Do you think that any of your Iron Maiden hatred can be chalked up to being sick to death of them, or would you hate the music regardless? I know there's some music that I'm just sick of, and other bands that I knew sucked from hearing the first note. :) --T.J. Posted by: T.J. Swoboda on June 13, 2006 11:26 PM Iron Maiden have never had that much radio airplay; during the 80s daytime radio was wall-to-wall Duran Duran and Culture Club; Iron Maiden built up their fanbase by touring, not radio play. You're probably partly right though, in that some people hated them just because they were popular. Even more people hated Def Leppard, because they considered that they'd sold out to America. At the end of the day, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard were the only real world-class bands to come out of the NWOBHM scene. Other bands (like Diamond Head and even Venom) were hugely influential, but never themselves achieved worldwide success. And Venom were still crap. I've never particularly hated Iron Midden, I'm just not a big fan. I lost interested in them because I thought Bruce Dickenson was a bit too much of a jerk on stage (he was just as bad with his previous band, Samson). I find them a bit formulaic; they seemed to produce "Number of the Beast" over and over again. Posted by: Tim Hall on June 14, 2006 10:32 PM to scott,june 2006 you are an idiot and don,t know crap about bands,there wouldn,t even have been a journey if it hadn,t been for steve perry,you idiot,he carried that band and as a matter of fact,steve perry WAS journey.please don,t give any more of your stupid opinions Posted by: joe on June 23, 2006 11:46 PM Perry or Augeri.. to me that is like Beatles or Stones.. two entirely different things, every comparison is a nondiscussion, since it's all about taste. I can only say that Journey ROCKED the house on June 9th at Arrow Rock Festival, and Augeri was AWESOME!! I never saw the lads with Perry, which is sad, but the concerts I collected of Journey with Perry on vocals sound just as good to me. As for me.. I am the die-hard fan.. I like their work with Rolie on vocals, with Perry and with Augeri. grins Maybe with a slight lean towards the Perry era. (oh and in case you wonder.. Stones!!!) Posted by: Marcel on July 1, 2006 08:04 PM I was at this gig and thought it was amazing. I had only recently got into Journey and three of us went and thought everything was just top class!! I just want people of a younger generation like myself to see what a rock show is and that was it! Steve Augeri was amazing, the two best band I have seen live have a new lead singer (Journey and Queen + Paul rodgers), which shows they still have an impact! I will be going again when journey come back. (soon according to their website!) Posted by: Olly on July 5, 2006 11:47 AM I think steve perry was the bad he was fantastic a real voice of rock .He was fantastic although yes steve augeri is a great singer with a fantastic voice and style.I do dissagree %110 when people say that steve perry killed it hes was the voice of journey and always will be Posted by: Dan on July 6, 2006 03:14 PM Post a comment Name: Email Address: URL: Comments: Remember info?	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