April 26, 2001: Roadtrippin'

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?

April 2001: Arrival Released in the United States

As a contributing author to the JourneyDigest.com website, I was asked to write a couple of album reviews. When "Arrival" was released in Japan in the fall of 2000, I wrote up a review of that version of the album. "Arrival" wasn't due to be released in the US until April, so with the advances in modern technology, the Japanese version was widely available through Napster. This caused the band to go back into the studio to record two additional tracks and make some changes to the US release. When "Arrival" was released in the US in April, 2001, I revised the review for JourneyDigest.com.

"Escape 2000" – that's what it said on the Journey website. Fans were curious what the new album being recorded would sound like, and the band replied with "Escape 2000." My initial reaction – kiss of death. No way, no how could a new album live up to that level of expectation. Escape was the biggest album Journey ever recorded. This is a new album, nearly 20 years later, with a new singer and a new drummer – to expect another Escape was too much to ask.

So we waited to see what came out, and after several delays, Arrival was released worldwide in April 2001. The current release differs somewhat from the version that was released six months earlier in Japan. Gone is the ballad "I'm Not That Way" and added are two rock tracks, "World Gone Wild" and "Nothing Comes Close." Along with some minor rearranging in the sequence, this nearly 74-minute release is ready for the world. So, what is the verdict? Journey is back!

Is it "Escape 2000?" No. I still hold the belief that Escape is a target too high to reach. That said, however, Arrival comes pretty darned close, and in my opinion, is the album that should have been released after Frontiers. This CD is everything we have come to know and love about Journey. It rocks, it's positive, and the ballads are timeless.

What is particularly impressive, however, is how making a few changes from the more-mellow feeling Japanese release completely changes the feel of the album. By adding the two new tracks and rearranging the closing tracks, the energy of this album is hugely increased. Instead of having 7 of 8 songs in the middle being ballads or slower blues tracks, there is now more balance with 3 rock tracks and 5 slower tracks. Album sequencing is a lost art form, and this is a prime example of how the sequence of tracks change the whole perception of the album.

With all the hype surrounding Steve Augeri and his first Journey album, a little thing has been overlooked – there's a new drummer too! As someone who never notices the drums one of the first things that I did notice was that this version of Journey was most definitely following the beat of a different drummer! Deen Castronovo definitely adds a different flavor to this album. There are some very powerful and primal beats going on all over this album, and, personally, I can't get enough of them. There is just something in the power of Deen's drumming that has gotten under my skin and made this album extremely enjoyable.

Ultimately, though, what has kept this album spinning in every CD player I own almost non-stop since I bought it (even though I have had the Japanese version since November), is that it feels so familiar (and no, not because of Napster!) Whether it's the lift from "Who's Crying Now" that shows up in "Signs of Life" or that "Live and Breathe" has gone from an introduction to "Wheel in the Sky" to a complete song or if it's just the feel that runs through so many Journey songs over the years, this is a collection of songs that feel as though they've been around a very long time.

So, on to a track-by-track commentary:

"Higher Place" is the opening track, and belongs in this number one spot. It brings in an energy that you want from an opener. It is also the first rock single (so bug your local radio stations for airplay!) Here is the first chance for listeners to notice the beat going on in this album. Deen supplies the power to this track and really drives it home.

"All The Way" is the big single for the album. A traditional Journey power ballad that is very reminiscent of "When You Love a Woman" from Trial By Fire. This is the song that shocked me the most. After 12 shows in 2 years and countless replays of bootlegged shows, I was extremely confident that I could tell Augeri from Perry instantaneously. I was wrong. The first time I played this track I had to stop what I was doing, rewind, and play it again. I couldn't believe my ears. Now, after countless listens, I have a hard time identifying just what made my jaw hit the floor and think that somehow Steve Augeri was channeling Steve Perry (well okay it was the "woah-oh-oo-oh" towards the end that is just freakishly Perry-like), but this is something the casual fan will not pick up on unless they are told.

"Signs of Life" is one of my favorite tracks. Lyrically, it is thematically similar to "I'll Be Alright Without You" and the lift from "Who's Crying Now" adds a little twist of irony into the mix. Unlike "I'll Be Alright," however, there isn't that "woe-is-me" feel to the song as it is much more upbeat in presentation.

"All the Things" is a very guitar-heavy track that some listeners may find difficult to get in to. For better or for worse, Journey is associated with power ballads and mid-tempo songs, and this track is neither of those. Fans who enjoy the harder edged songs in Journey's history will enjoy this one, but those who prefer the likes of "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Lights" are going to find this track too far from what they expect from a "typical" Journey song.

"Loved By You" is a song I had the good fortune to hear in 1998 and have been waiting not-so-patiently for ever since. Jon performed this song at a couple of Bay Area appearances in the spring of 1998 (a few months before it was announced Steve Augeri would be joining the band) and I fell instantly in love with it. To have it finally show up on a Journey album three years later has me jumping for joy. It is an utterly romantic ballad that is classic Jonathan Cain – he can melt anyone's heart with complete ease.

"Livin' to Do" is another track that is going to be hard for some listeners to enjoy. It's a very moody song that starts off very slowly. Personally, I really enjoy it, but I am often partial to moody songs with sweeping panoramas such as this one. With Neal's late father Matt Schon getting a songwriting credit on this song (which is also about him) it doesn't surprise me that it's a track I enjoy. Matt Schon contributed to "Winds of March" and "Mother, Father" – two of my all-time favorite Journey songs that also have a very majestic feel about them. Lyrically, I think this song has a message that everyone can relate to though – life is short and should be lived to it's fullest.

"World Gone Wild" is the first of the added rock tracks, and is a response from the band to the opinions of the fans. This song was played early on in the 1999 tour with Foreigner and was loved by many who heard it (including me.) I had honestly forgotten how good this song was, but it was the first track I played when I opened Arrival. The transition out of "Livin' To Do" from the mournful organ to the eerie synthesizer is one of those little moments that highlights the talents and diversity in this band. Neal continues to amaze me with his solo at the end of this song. There is an urgency to this song that is fitting with the title, but the title is deceiving. On the surface one would think this song is about utter chaos and hopelessness. Closer inspection, however, finds that "I don't believe that it's all a world gone wild." Focus on the positive.

"I Got a Reason" is not a song to be listened to sitting down. In fact, I dare anyone to try. This song has "get up and dance" written all over it. It's very up tempo and just a real feel-good song. And Deen is pounding all over the place. (Why do I feel like using that tired American Bandstand line – "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it??") It's just got a feel-good summer time party feel to it that is impossible to resist.

"With Your Love" is another classic Jonathan Cain ballad. So much so, in fact, that an instrumental version of this song was released on his 1997 solo project Body Language. If this song isn't played at every Journey-fan's wedding in the coming years, then someone isn't paying attention. Adding a full band and vocal to this song changes it dramatically from the original instrumental, but at the heart it's the beloved Whale we find on this track.

"Lifetime of Dreams" is a runner-up for wedding-song-of-the-year (and actually, this album has a good three way tie in that department with the aforementioned "With Your Love" and "Loved By You") and is a dramatic ballad that is an examples of the happiness that seems to be flowing among the band right now. This song suffered in the sequencing on the Japanese release. By the time it arrived, the listener was ready for more up tempo tracks. Now, in the final release, a slowed down period works.

"Live and Breathe" is the song that many fans have been waiting for. It's been part of the Journey shows since 1998, and waiting to see if it would develop into something other than an introduction to "Wheel in the Sky" has been subject of speculation. Astute listeners will recognize the link to "Wheel," however the stand-out on this track is Ross's bass. Another instrument I really don't notice much (what can I say, I live in the melody, not the rhythm section!) the bass on this song is stellar and it makes all the difference in transitioning it from an introductory piece to a full song.

"Nothing Comes Close" is the second added track. My first thought on hearing this was that it could be something from Tall Stories (Steve Augeri's previous band.) After further listening, it's become a merger of Tall Stories and Bad English. This song completely rocks with a chorus that will instantly stick in your head. One can only imagine what this would sound like live – it's got an energy that requires it to be played live and loud. Listen carefully to the end for a little band banter between Jon and Deen – it had me laughing so hard that tears started flowing the first time I heard it.

"To Be Alive Again" is hands down, no doubt about it, my absolute guarantee of a winner favorite song on this album. If all the other songs on this album sucked, I would hang on to it just for this song – that's how strongly I feel about it. Originally slated to be the bonus track on the Japanese release, the voices of the fans were heard once again and it was kept (yay Journey fans and double yay Journey!) As I have adopted this song as my new personal theme song, I can't possibly be objective about it. The energy in this song is just amazing and is such an overt celebration of life that I can't help but smile from beginning to end. This is another track that just makes me want to get up and dance and have a great time living. This track closed out the Japanese version, and moving it up in the sequence on this release is perfect. The track was shortened by about 20 seconds, unfortunately, and now has a fade out ending rather than the cold ending. Slightly frustrating, but necessary to fit all 15 tracks on one CD.

"Kiss Me Softly" – having recovered from my problem with the grammar in this song, I am able to revel in Neal's amazing guitar work – acoustic no less! His solo on this song is a thing of sheer beauty. It's a different sounding mid-tempo ballad for Journey with a haunting vocal, and the growth in the style of playing by the long time members of the band is apparent. This is definitely something that has evolved over time and not something we would have heard from the band twenty years ago.

"We Will Meet Again" opens with such fantastic rhythm and it flows through the whole song. The drums are very heavy on this track and have a feel that just grabs you in the gut and doesn't let go. Lyrically, it is a constant reminder of "the one that got away." It is the perfect track to close the album.

I would definitely take this version of Arrival over the Japanese release, but for those of you who are completists or absolutely love the ballad-side of Journey, then picking up the import might be worth your while. The sequence on the Japanese release is different. Besides not having the 2 tracks that were added for the final release, the album closes with "Live and Breathe", "Kiss Me Softly", "I'm Not That Way" (a ballad), "We Will Meet Again", and "To Be Alive Again."

"I'm Not That Way" is probably the weakest track on the album. It's a sentimental ballad that would normally sucker me in, but for some reason it just didn't grab me the way I would expect. It has a bubblegum feel that would work well with one of the "boy bands." The general reaction to this track was much the same as mine and the voices of the fans were again heard – it was removed from the US version of the CD.

Now, to find out which of these songs get played LIVE!

January 2001: Twentieth Anniversary Review of Escape

As a contributing author to the JourneyDigest.com website, I was asked to write a couple of album reviews. After reviewing the Japanese version of "Arrival," I took on "Escape" in 2001 to coincide both with the 20th anniversary of the album's release and the US release of the first new album featuring Steve Augeri, "Arrival" which had been promoted as "Escape 2000."

It was 20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play…

… OOPS, wait… wrong band! But the right sentiment. As hard as it may be to believe, 2001 will bring the 20th anniversary of Journey's biggest album ever – Escape. Released in August, 1981, Escape went on to be Journey’s first (and only) number one album. Containing four top 20 hits, this album took the already successful band and turned them into the hottest act in the country.

1981 was ushered in with a new president – one who would survive an assassination attempt three months into office. The Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XV, Chariots of Fire was on it's way to winning the Oscar for Best Motion Picture (beating out Raiders of the Lost Ark in the process), the L.A. Dodgers took the World Series from the New York Yankees 4 games to 2, and Taxi and Hill Street Blues were standards on television. Oh, and a new cable television station called Music Television (or MTV for short) started popping up around the country.

Looking back 20 years, it's hard to have a totally objective perspective on this album, so I won't really try. For me, and for many other Journey fans, this is the album. That desert island disk that simply must be at hand. That magic elixir that stands the test of time. 20 years on, I still don't get tired of listening to this album.

So, what makes it so timeless, so magical? Escape was the first album recorded after the departure (yes, I know…) of founding member Gregg Rolie, the first album with former Babys keyboardist, Jonathan Cain. What did this new component add to the mix? For starters, Journey’s highest charting single – "Open Arms." Rejected by Babys singer John Waite as "too syrupy," "Open Arms," co-written by Cain and Steve Perry, spent 14 weeks in the top 40, 6 weeks at it's peak position of #2. It has become one of the band's signature power ballads (for better or for worse.)

But, track for track, this album is full of stellar performances. Steve Perry's voice is at it’s peak. Lyrically, it is a more sophisticated group of songs than earlier work. Filled with subtle brush strokes of imagery and metaphor, these songs can paint pictures in your mind, and with MTV in it's infancy at the time of release, those are the only pictures there are. While raucous tracks like "Lay It Down" still contain that sex-and-life-on-the-road theme so prevalent in earlier work, there is the stark image of "streetlight people" found in the opening track, "Don't Stop Believin'," and the portrait a family struggle seen in the majestic "Mother, Father" that are part of the prevailing theme of this album. Jonathan Cain has said, "What I changed about Journey is I started writing about the people that cared about the band." That change is evident in these tracks. The listener is pulled into the songs and understands exactly what the song is about – (s)he’s been there.

Musically, these songs have a different feel. Gone is Rolie's Hammond B3 (a loss still mourned by many) and it is replaced by the crisper piano of Cain. It is, in fact, that piano that we first hear when the album opens and again when it closes (not bad for a new guy.) To this day, the opening notes of "Don't Stop Believin'" sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. Whether it's the long-time attachment I have to the song, or whether it's the knowledge that this is the opening of something special is unclear. What is clear, however, is the ease with which the song moves from the low-key piano into the soaring guitar of Neal Schon – a trade-off that shows through out the album.

Schon's guitar work shines through out the album. His solo at the end of "Who's Crying Now" has been admired from the moment the single was released in early '81 to this day. (It is, in fact, so nice, they've used it twice… Journey's latest release, Arrival, contains a track that includes a bit of this solo.) A personal favorite of mine, however, is the soulful solo in "Still They Ride" – it is one that fits the image of lonely riders. The raw energy found in tracks like "Keep On Runnin'" and the title track provides an adrenaline rush that can get the blood boiling or, conversely, help blow off some steam. To this day, I'm shocked I've never gotten a speeding ticket while driving and listening to these two tracks.

The track that took me the longest time to learn to love, "Dead or Alive," has, through the years, worn me down to find a place in my heart. At age 13 (which I was when this album was released), the blazing fury of Schon's guitar and pounding of Steve Smith on drums was overwhelming. (And, to be honest, a song about an assassin was just not something that appealed to my young sensibilities.) This song is going a hundred miles an hour from the start and puts a full on assault on your senses.

This leaves us with the vocals. What can I say that hasn't been said before about Steve Perry's vocals? Perry's voice has that trademark sound that can be imitated, but never replicated. It's a good thing that John Waite turned his nose up at the early workings of "Open Arms" – hit song or not, it wouldn't have had the same effect.

Overall, however, it is the prevailing theme of hope that makes this album so magical "don’t stop believin'/hold on to that feelin'", "love will survive somehow, some way", "the strong will survive", "oh I'm okay, I'm alright…I've got dreams I'm livin' for", "have faith, believe." I think that this, of all the factors in the album, is what makes it such a fan-favorite.

December 30, 2000: Journey in Concert

Las Vegas, NV
Mandalay Bay Events Center 

While combing through my archived files, I found this alternate review of the December 30, 2000 show in Las Vegas. It looks like I wrote it as a separate piece for the Journey Digest website. Since this pre-dates the first of the "official" Rockin' Road Reports, I suspect I had told Dan Stacy, the list/website owner, that I would work up an article for the site. In reviewing this article, it seems it is a slightly reworked version of what I initially posted to the various mailing lists.

Another Journey show in Nevada – another trek to catch the show. At least the wait between this show and the previous one wasn’t as long as it had been prior to the Reno show in November. Traveling to this show, however, was almost as tricky as getting stuck in the snow while driving to Reno. For those of you who have never been to Las Vegas, trying to find a place to stay over New Year’s Eve weekend less than 6 weeks prior to said weekend is a task suited to souls braver than I. Thus, I flew in the day of the show to once again meet with my fellow fans, catch the show, and then flew out the next morning as I had no intention of spending upwards of seven hundred dollars for the three-night required hotel stays.

This show, unlike the show in November, was a double bill with REO Speedwagon. I had been a casual fan of REO back in the 80s, but it had been years since I had heard them, and I was hard pressed to remember song titles prior to the show. Also unlike the November show, this show was being filmed for DirectTV and a DVD. Hopes were high that there would be some surprises in store.

After the requisite fan-dinner gathering, we headed over to the Events Center for the show. This is where we encountered the first surprise – new swag for sale! Some very nice new t-shirts with the Arrival scarab as well as one with the infinity symbol. Some hats, stickers, and a variant on a previous tour shirt. The table was pretty crowded when we arrived and it looked like items were selling well.

For this show, I was sitting by myself one row up from the floor, two sections from the stage. This afforded me a good view of the stage and the crowd. Before REO hit the stage, one of my fellow Northern California travelers and her son came over to chat and sat in the still-empty seats in front of me. As luck would have it, they wound up sitting there all night as the owners of the seats never materialized.

REO hit the stage shortly after 8, and played for about an hour and a half. As I had thought, I could only remember the big hits, though there were a few songs that sounded vaguely familiar. Having never seen REO before, I enjoyed their set very much.

During the intermission, the stage was changed for Journey and the cameras went in motion. From my seat, I could see about four cameras, and from the angles I saw during the show, I would say there were at least two others.

The house lights dimmed about 10, though not as much as one would expect for a show, and the screen behind the stage came to life. The best way I can describe the image is that it was an exploding ball. Sounds dull I realize, but it was an interesting effect. The guys came out and launched into that tried and true opener, "Separate Ways."

The crowd reaction was mixed. The folks on the floor – particularly those in front of the stage – were on their feet and cheering. Meanwhile, over where I was sitting, it was about fifty-fifty for standing vs. sitting. This kind of crowd response would continue throughout the show.

Having the video screen showing footage from the cameras that were recording the show was a brilliant move. There were some amazing shots of all the guys, but I would have to say my favorites were the shots of Deen wailing away on his drums. He’s so hard to see behind his kit, that it was a treat to actually have a clear view of him playing. In addition to these great shots of the guys playing, there were different images flashed on the screen from time to time. I am hoping they can keep this for the tour, at least in some form as I would imagine having six cameras at all times would be prohibitively expensive.

The only noticeable change in the set list was the inclusion of "Message of Love," which, I will admit, took me a few seconds to recognize as I’ve never heard it live (I’m not even sure it’s been played live before) and it’s been a while since I’ve listened to it on CD. This came about half-way through the set, and was followed by "All the Way," which Steve introduced as “our new single.”  The energy of the crowd definitely sagged at this point in the show, and, as has been commented elsewhere, having five plus lesser known songs between two big hits was quite possibly a factor in this. My most vivid recollection, however, was looking around during "Higher Place" and again during "All the Way" and seeing who was standing up.* Most of those faces were very familiar! The best look, however, was from a fellow seated on the floor not far from me. I could tell he was watching me and the look on his face said it all – “How does she know these songs??!” Because there I was, standing for every single one and singing along.

*That I was standing up during "All the Way" paid off in the long run. I can been seen in a crowd shot during that song on the Arrival 2001 DVD. Even better, the first time I saw this clip was before the DVD was released as it was used in the VH1 show "Behind the Music." The Journey episode premeired over a weekend, so I and a couple of other NorCal Journey fans gathered at Darla's house that morning to watch together. We all let out a yelp when I appeared on the TV! 

My biggest disappointment in the show came when I noticed the crowd was thinning out, and, most notably, when a long line of people started heading up the stairs next to me before "Wheel in the Sky" started. The electric feeling I had had in Reno a month prior just wasn’t happening. The guys played well, the die-hards enjoyed themselves, but there was something missing that I can’t define. Maybe it was the cameras, maybe it was the holiday crowd, maybe it was all the prep work the guys had to have put into the show, but the magic that was so apparent in Reno just didn’t show up in Las Vegas.

In the end, however, I think we’re all in for a treat when this show airs on DirectTV, and if you don’t already have a DVD player, start saving for one because you’ll want to buy the disk when it’s released. 

The set list:

Separate Ways, Ask the Lonely, Stone in Love, Only the Young, Higher Place, Send Her My Love, Lights, Who’s Crying Now, Open Arms, Fillmore Boogie, Message of Love, All the Way, Escape, La Raza del Sol, Live and Breathe – intro version, Wheel in the Sky, Be Good to Yourself, Anyway You Want It

Encore: Don’t Stop Believin’, Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’, Faithfully