Back in 2001, I would write articles for the now defunct website JourneyDigest.com -- an off shoot of the long standing Journey mailing list of the same name. Below is an article I wrote as I prepared for the start of the Arrival Tour.
"Are they really that good?" my father asked as he passed me the bread over dinner. It was St. Patrick's day, and I was having dinner with my parents. The tour dates for Journey's summer tour had just been announced, and I told them that I was planning on hitting the first week of the tour, thus requiring a week of driving around Texas. Dad was puzzled – why on earth would I spend a week in Texas to see the same show 4 times – not to mention a show in Vegas and another in Albuquerque. Six shows in 10 days. And that didn't take into account the three dates where I could actually stay home and drive to nearby shows. My answer to Dad was, "Well, yeah." We left it at that, but we both knew there was more to it than just a good show. He knew it, and I knew I could never explain it to him.
If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would spend my early thirties hopping planes and renting cars to see Journey perform all over the country I would have just laughed in his face. Never mind that 10 years ago the odds of a Journey tour were about as good as the earth being hit by a comet, I just wasn't one of "those" people. Follow a band around? Why on earth would anyone do that? I have a job and responsibilities, I can't be traipsing off around the country after some band. Do I look like a Deadhead?
Tickets for Journey's 2001 tour have been going on sale the last couple of weeks, and as I sat down to plan a couple of road trips to see a band I've seen 14 times in between October 1998 and December 2000, I've reflected on Dad's question some more. On the face of it, the whole thing is rather ridiculous. Even splitting costs in some cities with friends, I am still spending enough money this summer to send me on a very nice three-week tour of Europe. It's insane. Most people will see one or two shows near their hometown, yet here I am checking hotel prices for El Paso, Texas. It's not like I live in some remote town in Iowa either. I live in one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the United States. Everyone comes through the San Francisco Bay Area eventually. And Journey? Well, that's a no brainer – of course they are going to play to the hometown fans. Yet here I am, checking multi-city airfares and telling my boss I am taking the first week of June off for vacation. What on earth is motivating me to do this?
The music, of course, is a big part of the picture. No one spends hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to go listen to music they don't adore. I have always loved live music and the feeling you get at a good concert, but no other band has motivated me to travel further than fifty miles from my home to see them. I've had a connection to this music for a very long time, and I rejoice every time I get to hear it performed live. So if I have the time and opportunity to hear it, I am going to take it.
I know part of the motivation is found in making up for missed opportunities. For a variety of reasons I missed Journey on tour back in their hey day, so some of my travels are to catch a bit of what I missed then. But that's only a small factor. It's what got me on the plane for the first time, but it's definitely not what's keeping me traveling across the country. Not after previous tours.
Once you've hopped your first flight or driven hours upon hours to another state to see a band perform, something changes. You've become one of "those" people. There isn't even a good name for it. Groupie comes close, but the negative connotations with that term don't quite apply. It's not all about meeting the band; that was something that never entered into my mind when I started on my travels. Adventurer is maybe a better term. You need a sense of adventure to do something like this, and you have to like to travel. Luckily, I love to travel. You also need to be one with your car (be it owned or rented) because it's required when searching for venues out in the middle of nowhere. Road tripping through the country.
Another factor is the common bond I've found with fellow fans from around the world. The friendships I have made over this music have made a world of difference. I love the fact that after years and years of being the only Journey fan among my group of close friends, that I have met so many people who feel the same way about the music that I do. As a bonus, some of these fellow fans have become good friends with whom I socialize with out having a Journey-related reason. And since I've started traipsing around after Journey, I've noticed something when I am at other concerts. It's the same thing I see at the Journey shows I go to. People waving at each other from across the arena with that "Hey, I didn't know YOU were going to be here too" look on their faces. It is not an isolated phenomenon.
Throw all of that together with the fact that I realize this time of my life is finite. I am fortunate enough to have the means and the ability to take these trips. Being single, I am not tied to the demands of a family. I work for a company that has an excellent vacation benefit and is small enough that I don't need to put in a formal request for vacation time months in advance. I also realize that, even though I hate to admit it, Journey isn't going to be around forever. Somewhere down the line they will hang it up, and all that will be left are the memories. So I'm kicking it up while I can and creating some fabulous memories in the process.
Life is too short to not make a little adventure for yourself every now and then. I'm glad I realized this sooner rather than later.
So, does anyone know of a cheap flight from San Francisco to Pittsburgh?
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