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| Journey, 2011, the Today Show / Pam Spaulding |
This post is about a hope and dream that Journey will think about doing maybe 5 dates, in strategic locations in the U.S., that die-hard fans will be willing to travel to -- smaller, more intimate venues (I fantasize about them coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center; and how about going to The Apollo in NYC for the hell of it!?), where they can do a 2.5-3 hour single bill show. If it's just 5 dates, there's no dread about the endless, tiring road dates. They will have time to think about fresh arrangements/concepts for the concerts, and they will be well-rested and enthusiastic about traveling down memory lane to revisit songs that rarely or never saw play on the road, plus personal faves, etc.
Or, rather, MY personal faves. Since this essay is about a dream set list of deeper cuts from albums that I happen to love, I get to set the terms! There's plenty here to argue over, of course (such as leaving the pre-Perry albums off of my consideration list). I welcome comments, and it would be great to see others make their own fantasy setlists; it's all good.
Journey fans are opinionated die hards and there are definite differences as to which period in the band's history is "the best." The fact is that this band is much more than its "classic" period that most casual fans know about and love. (And for the haters? Why are you reading this? Move along.)
What isn't in question, as you sample some of the video clips, is that the band excels in the live environment. They come alive in concert when released from the constraints of the studio.
A couple of caveats about this fantasy --
1) It has to be grounded in reality. Steve Perry is not going to reunite with the band. Period. Done. If he ever turns up in a concert, it will be solo, one-night-only kind of deal, and it will be on his own terms. Or he'll remain happily retired and we'll possibly, one day hear new recorded music from him. Having lunch with The Voice is on my bucket list (I'd probably pass out if I ever did get to meet him), but there's no way a concert appearance going to happen in the context of a reunion tour -- I accept that; and
2) It is has to be plausible that a couple of the former lead vocalists could be convinced to show up at this handful of dates. I'm thinking Robert Fleischman (who's that, you might ask -- well, he wrote and performed in the band before Steve Perry, and is still going strong with his band The Sky these days), Gregg Rolie (the original Journey vocalist, now on the road with Ringo Starr's All Starr Band in 2014), and perhaps even Steve Augeri would say yes to an invitation to sing a couple of numbers from their chapters in the Journey catalog. While I'd love to see short-term frontman Jeff Scott Soto on board to handle a few of the hits that call for the considerable R&B swagger that he possesses I'm not sure things were left off in a place with the band (long story, for another day) where he'd say yes, given I set the "plausible" standard here. Oy.
So where to begin? I won't bother attempting a sequencing of the setlist. First I need to pick some cuts. My picks for the setlist will have 2 asterisks, runners-up, 1 asterisk.
Let's be counterintuitive and start from the most recent album and go backwards in the DeLorean ...
Eclipse (2011).
I saw the kickoff concert for this 2011 release, and they played 5 cuts from this CD, so I was quite fortunate. However, there are fantastic, very Journey-esque tunes on this guitar-heavy work that were never played in concert. Here are the ones I definitely want to hear live (two stars):
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| Current Journey frontman Arnel Pineda./ Pam Spaulding |
Edge of the Moment *
Chain of Love *
Tantra
Anything is Possible **
Resonate *
She's a Mystery *
Human Feel *
Ritual
To Whom It May Concern *
Someone **
For crying out loud, there was not a sane reason to leave Anything Is Possible off a 2011 set list. It was actually released and charted as a single! I heard it 3 times when I was randomly out in public, once in a grocery store, once in a Subway. I forgot the third venue. I also heard it on the radio a few times. But it was never played in concert by the band. Huh? It's pure, classic, Journey. Uplifting message, positive, it showcases Arnel's warm, rich tenor, great harmonies, and Neal's guitar just sings during the solo and outro.
Someone -- come on, boys, this is another sure-fire single that never was. It's has a great zingy, pop confection of a synth opening by Jon Cain, paired with ample classic piano keying. I would consider kicking the concert off with this one! Arnel's energy is infectious; so much fun energy!
Runner-up Human Feel was one of the songs played at the Las Vegas February 23, 2011 concert. It has a unique, fascinating syncopation, courtesy of skins master Deen Castronovo, and great pulsing bass on the part of Ross Valory. It threw a lot of concertgoers off beat as they tried to dance to it. It was hilarious. Interesting lyrics about the disconnect in this "digital ocean" of information make this one a winner live. I'd enjoy hearing this one again just to watch Deen go wild on the kit.
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| Deen Castronovo / Pam Spaulding |
Never Walk Away
Like a Sunshower **
Change for the Better **
Wildest Dream
Faith in the Heartland *
After All These Years
Where Did I Lose Your Love **
What I Needed
What It Takes to Win
Turn Down the World Tonight
Almost all of these got an airing in concert as it was Arnel Pineda's debut smash with Journey. The release also featured a CD with re-records of classic Journey hits. But what holds my interest are the original recordings -- Cain and Schon definitely wooed fans with a classic sound on this CD.
Like A Sunshower didn't see the light of day in concert, and it's a pity, so that's why it makes my cut here. Beautiful, slow ballad in an unusual time signature (Pandora says twelve-eight time signature; it's the same as the classic "Lights") and sonically pleasing chord progression that takes advantage of the J-Boys harmonizing. Win.
Change for the Better is a driving rocker, with a 80 synth + crunchy rhythm guitar style. My ears tend to tire of over-reliance on synthesizers that Jonathan Cain used to create the signature sound of the band in the 80s. Some songs simply don't age well (more on that later), or head directly into Cheez-Wiz land for me. However, this one perfectly matches up to the material and Arnel and Deen's energy. Neal's standard wailing solo fits as well. It's upbeat and has there's a nice pulsing bridge.
Also played in concert during this period is one of my favorites, Where Did I Lose Your Love, that clearly (to me) is a echo/tribute to Motown, written in a minor key, and it benefits from strong piano work by Jon, and great singing guitar work by Neal, and again, the harmonies make this song rise. Want to hear this one live again.
Let's step back into the Journey Wilderness Years after the jump....
Now we step back into the Journey Wilderness Years - casual fans have little awareness of new releases during this period, when Steve Augeri was the frontman; he was the first vocalist to try to fill the very significant shoes of Steve Perry. Augeri has a pleasant, emotional tenor that reminds you in passing of The Voice, but his pipes lack the power and energy of Perry. What did Steve Augeri a disservice was production on the three albums I'll discuss here. Even on the best produced of the three, Arrival (2001), the vox is too buried in the mix. Where he was served well was in some exemplary songwriting that meshed well with the considerable vocal goods that he did bring to the table.
In the case of Generations (2005), even some die-hards fans were not fond of this exercise - the CD saw the lead vocals shared among the band members, with varying degrees of success. The honest truth is that there are quite a few great compositions here. Many were played on the road during the release, but it obviously didn't find an audience. I found a lot to like and put onto my set list. The tracks:
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| Ross Valory, 2011/Pam Spaulding |
The Place in Your Heart * (this was redone with Arnel on the Japan release of Revelation)
A Better Life **
Every Generation **
Butterfly *
Believe **
Knowing that you Love Me
Out of Harms Way
In Self Defense
Better Together *
Gone Crazy
Beyond the Clouds
It's Never Too Late **
A Better Life and Never Too Late I pair together because they feature the considerable vocal gifts of drummer Deen Castronovo, and in both the vox is too far back in the mix. More than either Steve Augeri or Arnel Pineda, he recalls the sweet mid-higher-end of the Perry tenor range, with a touch of that mid-80s rasp, and his controlled vibrato is superb; he really has an angelic voice. The former song is a mid-tempo ballad that I'd love to hear in concert. I don't believe this one has ever seen the light of day live.
Interestingly, Never Too Late, which was not on the original U.S. release, is one of the strongest songs the band put out in the post-Perry era, and I don't think it's ever been played in concert! Deen delivers an energetic, pulsing vocal, and at the end he turns in wonderful use of his vibrato. Turn it up, bring those vox up front! This could have been a hit.
If you've ever seen Journey in concert, Castronovo usually takes on a couple of tunes, giving Arnel a rest, and Deen's a no-pun-intended revelation -- he can pound the skins hard and sing effortlessly, passionately and with earnest emotion (one example of the live feat is this performance of Mother Father).
Another great bit of songwriting that was played on the tour supporting this album is Jon Cain's rhythmic mid-tempo rocker Every Generation, and I'd love to have it on my setlist. His vocals are fine for the material; I'm not sure I imagine Augeri singing this one, and not Arnel either -- actually, I wonder what it would sound like in Robert Fleischman's hands. It features interesting lyrics as well.
And I looove the organic sound of the piano here, along with the chorus of oooohs and aaahhhs.
My pick from Steve Augeri from this album is a good example of writing that works well with his voice -- and is a completely different sound for Journey -- Believe. I'm trying to put my finger on what kind of sound it is -- maybe Oasis crossed with Zeppelin. Hmmm. Maybe you can help me out on this one, in any case, the unusual time signature is what makes it a nice stretch for the band and would sound great live.
***
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| Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon / Pam Spaulding |
Listening to it with that in mind now, I really dig three of the four tracks and they make my setlist.
Red 13/State of Grace **
The Time **
Walking Away from the Edge
I Can Breathe **
The main reason I want to hear these live again (they were played back in 2003 on the road) is because of the atrocious production on the CD. Going for a raw sound is one thing, but this is just gawdawful -- vox and drums underwater, bass in a puddle of mud. Even Neal's guitars suffer. It would be great to have Augeri guest in for these live, but Arnel could take a crack at these.
If you lop off some of the unnecessary intro Red 13 into the fast and sexy State of Grace, you've got another great potential concert opener, though at over 7 minutes, this will probably fry folks not used to getting wailed on.
The Time continues the harder-edge trip, a mid-tempo sexy guitar-heavy rocker with a complementary harmony-filled bridge and great performance by Augeri. Deen Castronovo's piercing presence on drums is welcome energy that balances out.
And this is a must-have for the setlist -- how about some Journey + brass horn section -- I Can Breathe. Yum, yum, yummy traditional sound of vocal harmonies melded with some real muscle-stretching originality of the harder edge of this EP - here's where you could have Tower of Power step in to the arrangement and really juice this up live. Through the lousy production you can hear the pounding potential of this song, Augeri is really into it; Neal's guitar is sly and sexy. The song deserves so much more than it got in the mix. Take a listen:
***
Arrival (2001)
How on earth do I narrow my choices here? Good lord, there is a lot of great songwriting here (too many ballads for my taste, but that seems to be the consensus among long-time fans), but it's easily one of the most creatively diverse recordings in Journey's vocals-based catalog. It's hard not to fantasize what some of these would sound like if SP took them on.
But there's something for everyone; Cain/Schon collaborated with several songwriters on Arrival, including Night Ranger's Jack Blades. It's successful on just about every level -- wide range of approaches and styles, from jazzy/Quiet Storm, flat-out pop, traditional and synth rockers, bluesy rock.
But Arrival never got the promotion it deserved and never found an audience in the end. It was the first album with Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo, who acquit themselves well despite following the departure of Steve Perry and Steve Smith. Most of these tracks were played live during the tour supporting the CD, but rarely since. That means most of the fans brought on board when Arnel broke big haven't heard these at all. So for my set list I have to get picky and leave off the most well-known, but I love so many of these. Tracks:
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| Ross Valory on bass; Jon Cain, rhythm guitar / Pam Spaulding |
All the Way
Signs of Life *
All the Things **
Loved by You
Livin to Do
World Gone Wild *
I Got a Reason **
With Your Love
Lifetime of Dreams **
Live and Breathe * (an almost made-it, oh that sexy bassline)
Nothin' Comes Close **
To Be Alive Again
Kiss Me Softly **
We Will Meet Again **
All the Things. What a dirty, sexy guitar Neal wields in this one, complimented by Jon Cain's slinky keyboards. Steve Augeri's smooth delivery and the harmonies are the only thing keeping this out of the gutter. Ultra tasty.
I Got a Reason is so enjoyable because of its earnest, urgent beat -- Deen and Ross carry this tune, and Jon's piano and synth flourishes are winning and upbeat, Steve Augeri is enjoying himself and owns it. The rhythm guitar work just makes this score big. It's the whole package. Again, this could have been a huge hit, and live this is real crowd pleasing set up. [I will say that it was one of the songs on Arrival that I would have loved to see Steve Perry take a crack at, particularly with what he would have done with the scat work at the end.]
Lifetime of Dreams. One of the few flat-out traditional, big "wedding songs" from Arrival on my setlist. And it's head-and-shoulders above the rest of those ballads, because it has just the right balance of schmaltz with exceptional musicianship, strings and vocals on every level that you've come to expect from Journey on this front. (It's every bit as good as the Grammy-nominated hit When You Love A Woman, for example, IMHO.) The chord progressions are so pleasing to the ear when paired with Steve Augeri's soft, sweet tenor. It's a longer gem (this rings in at 5:30), but it needs the room to breathe for Neal Schon's emotional guitar solos that "sing" melody along with Augeri that Neal did so well with Steve Perry back in the day. I didn't think I'd hear that tone again, but it's here in spades and it really did bring tears to my eyes.
Nothin' Comes Close. Can we have more fun like this! This song was added after the album leaked online and fan feedback for "more rock" netted this. And it's a winner; the J-Boys sound like they are having a good time recording it. "And those red leather pants..."
Kiss Me Softly - Who is this band? Not your daddy's DSB/Separate Ways band, people -- and that's A-OK with me. This Blades/Schon/Augeri-penned song is unlike anything you've heard from Journey, before or since. It is a sensual stretch into the Quiet Storm genre -- territory that the band has not ventured to before or since. It has gorgeous, sumptuous piano and guitar work and vocals. I imagine this wouldn't go over with the rocker crowd fan base, but I was smitten. It's original, and perfectly executed, with Jonathan Cain's amazing piano flourishes caress the sound, with unexpected (and pleasant) subtlety in Deen's percussion to match the soft sensuality of Ross's bassline. Steve Augeri owns this vocal, and again, Neal's Spanish-guitar is woven in to make this song complete.
And here's Steve Augeri doing it live in 2013:
We Will Meet Again. This is a perfect closer to a concert, second choice for me behind only People and Places (more on that later). Another earnest mid-tempo, harmony-and-rhythm driven song -- heavy rhythm guitar, pulsing drums, complementary piano and synth work, and delicate lead guitar that again weaves into a nice emotional wave that is meant to connect with the audience in a live setting, swaying together. It's a challenging vocal. Would love to see if Arnel could pull this one off.
***
Now we drift back to the era of The Voice. The challenge when creating my setlist is not only to pick some deeper cuts (and a few faves), but to imagine who gets assigned to handle the vocals -- Arnel, Deen, a guest former vocalist? It really depends.
Trial By Fire (1996)
Another album with too many ballads, but there are tasty gems on here that saw live play (without Mr. Perry) over the years.
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| With the gracious and talented Arnel Pineda, Raleigh, NC, 2011 |
One More **
When You Love a Woman
If He Should Break Your Heart
Forever in Blue
Castles Burning **
Don't Be Down On Me Baby
Still She Cries
Colors of the Spirit *
When I Think of You
Easy to Fall **
Can't Tame the Lion
It's Just the Rain
Trial By Fire
I Can See It In Your Eyes
Baby I'm a Leavin' You
One More has seen action -- Arnel has done a fantastic job on it live, rocking it much harder and raw in concert than the studio recording. Castles Burning is a rocker that is exponentially sexier, with Neal's distorted wah-wah begging for a strutting frontman treatment on vocals -- I could easily see JSS handling this one effectively. SP had the attitude right, but his voice was really ragged on the CD, no manner of production wizardry in the mix could paper over the vocal issues he was dealing with at the time when singing in that register.
My other choice from this album is the emotionally haunting ballad Easy to Fall. When I first heard it years ago, with Jon Cain's brilliant mournful piano, my first thought was "this is really a country song." SP's earnest delivery just pours all over this. Just add slide guitar to those strings. Seeing Journey on stage years later on Crossroads with Rascal Flatts, this is a perfect song for dual lead vocals (Arnel and Gary LeVox) for my concert. Neal's outro solo is amazingly tender.
***
Raised on Radio (1986)
The R&B homage channeled through the 80s synth era lens of Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry has quite a few songs that have circulated live over the years, but again, not many during the Arnel Pineda era. My problem overall with this album is not the R&B flavor or influence; it's the painful dated sound of the synthesizers. Just painful -- Positive Touch is almost unlistenable, same for Suzanne. Those two songs would benefit greatly from a new, more organic arrangement. One big exception where the synth works - BGTY - and I actually prefer the tighter arrangement update on the Revelation remake.
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| Jonathan Cain, Las Vegas, 2011 / Pam Spaulding |
Positive Touch
Suzanne
Be Good To Yourself **
Once You Love Somebody
Happy To Give **
Raised On Radio
I'll Be Alright Without You
It Could Have Been You
In The Eyes of A Woman
Why Can't This Night Go On Forever
Girl Can't Help It (Live) **
I'll Be Alright Without You (Live) **
IMHO, the live versions on ROR of Girl Can't Help It and I'll Be Alright Without You are so far superior to the studio cuts in terms of energy and arrangements that they are hard to top live by anyone else, but there have been some close ones - Jeff Scott Soto's was one such performance in 2006, where he brought the R&B swagger and delivery to it that the song deserves, and sings along to Neal's guitar just fine:
And now Happy To Give. I am passionately in love with this song, with SP's plaintive trademark wails...and it needs a synthesizer extraction ASAP; the outro synth nearly kills it. Please Mr. Cain, replace it with pianos and strings, let Deen sing it and I will be one happy gal during my concert.
***
Frontiers (1983)
Lotsa hits, and most of the good ones have been played live recently. Leaving most of the obvious ones off this setlist except my favorites.
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| With the equally gracious Jonathan Cain, Raleigh, NC 2011 |
Send Her My Love
Chain Reaction *
After The Fall **
Faithfully *
Edge Of The Blade
Troubled Child
Back Talk
Frontiers
Rubicon **
Only The Young *
Ask The Lonely *
Liberty
Only Solutions
Arnel does a kick-ass Separate Ways. Owns it.
Playing in standard tuning, Journey kicked off its 2011-2012 World Tour in Las Vegas on February 23, 2010 at Planet Hollywood. This clip though, illustrates the power of Arnel Pineda's pipes. He turned in a stellar performance that night; Journey opened with Separate Ways. His take is unique from other Journey vocalists before him in that he performs a portamento (a gradual slide from one note to another) at the end, and boy is it a showstopper. I captured a portion of it:
One thing I would change for my dream set list is the arrangement of SW; my favorite happens to be the one on Greatest Hits Live. Neal and Jon change up the interplay with the guitar and synth. It has a much heavier sound.
After the Fall. Bring it on, Deeno. Does a great version live. Fun fact: for the studio version, Randy Jackson of later American Idol fame, stepped in to play bass on the track.
After I complained repeatedly above about dated synths, I have to confess, I just love the heck out of Rubicon. It's done to perfection on this track, Jon, rock on! I have to have this one on the setlist. Arnel, incidentally, knocks this out of the park:
***
Escape (1981)
Gee are there any deep cuts on this album? Well, there's one I need on the setlist because I can't think of when it was on a setlist, and a mainstay. And NO DSB, people...
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| Neal Schon, Las Vegas, 2011 / Pam Spaulding |
Stone In Love **
Who's Cryin Now
Keep On Runnin *
Still They Ride *
Escape *
Lay It Down **
Dead Or Alive
Mother Father *
Open Arms
Only need two here. Stone in Love makes it because this is a perfect Journey. The tasty morsels are the two tracks of melody you can listen to -- Ross Valory's incredible bassline and Neal's landmark solo play equal roles in this song's success. Since this song has been on setlists forever, the one thing I've noticed is that Neal's guitar has been way overweighted live recently, and the song suffers for it (as it does on the Revelation remake). If you're a fan that purchased the Journey's Greatest Hits, Vol 2, it's gloriously remastered (Steve Perry oversaw it) and Ross's bassline is prominent again.
Arnel kicking it in 2009:
All right, who is going to take on the heady, dirty Lay It Down? The challenge here as we go back in time is that we are entering the land of Steve Perry's stratospheric upper range in its prime. None of his successors is a countertenor/tenor altino, so reaching up for the high notes of Perryacrobatics is, well, dangerous live. The other issue is we're also getting into the blues, and Arnel has yet to be tested in this arena of the Journey catalog. But I'd really like to hear this live.
***
Captured (1981)
Jeez, what a great live album. It literally captures the peak of the band in the Schon-Rolie-Perry-Smith-Valory lineup. Fans of the Escape era won't see the hits they are looking for, but this is a snapshot of a band coming into its own as a melodic rock band enjoying its connection with its fans. On this album, I pick the one studio cut that was long not available elsewhere.
Majestic
Where Were You
Just the Same Way
Line of Fire
Lights
Stay Awhile
Too Late
Dixie Highway
Feeling That Way
Anytime
Do You Recall
Walks Like a Lady
La Do Da
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Wheel in the Sky
Any Way You Want It
The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love) (studio recording) **
How can you not love The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)? Perry's vocal is fun and energetic and Neal gets to groove with the band in a joyous romp. It's even better live. See it live below, during a performance at the Bammies in 1981. The soundboard recording is notable for its naked reveal of Steve Perry's vocal and he's amazing. Neal's unfettered jam at the end is wonderous. If I'm not mistaken, this may be one of the first or the first appearance of Jonathan Cain with the band after Gregg Rolie departed for a life off of the road.
Arnel could have a fun romp with this one, though no one should expect him to do it at the stratospheric range above.
***
Dream, After Dream (1980). No picks from this one, though the classic "Little Girl" is on this soundtrack album.
***
Departure (1980)
Hard to narrow this one down, so I picked two rare ones and one fave.
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| Neal Schon, Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, 2011/Pam Spaulding |
Walks Like A Lady
Someday Soon *
People And Places **
Precious Time *
Where Were You
I'm Cryin
Line Of Fire
Departure *
Good Morning Girl *
Stay Awhile *
Homemade Love
Natural Thing **
Little Girl
Any Way You Want It is just a perfect song. And the video is a classic.
It's a reminder that this wasn't always a concert anthem song (the way it's played these days, faster, rushed, with audience shout outs), but a really sexy rocker. I miss that delivery (if you want to remember just how HOT, look at this "making of" vid). Maybe the arrangement needs to be changed up a bit live now.
People And Places. A perfect way to end a concert -- a love note/ode to fans they see while on the road. It's a product of its time. It has a wonderful 70s feel; and I don't know if has been performed outside of the original tour, but it needs to make a comback big time. And it's a rare shared lead vocal with Neal at the mic first (fine vox!) with SP and a complex vocal arrangement that is amazing live, plus there's Gregg Rolie on keys as well:
I don't know if anyone can take on the slow, soul-drenched Natural Thing. It's all about SP's delivery and Gregg Rolie on the piano. But it's gorgeous. I want it live.
***
Evolution (1979)
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| Ross Valory, Las Vegas, 2011 / Pam Spaulding |
Majestic *
Too Late *
Lovin Touchin Squeezin
City Of The Angels *
When You're Alone It Ain't Easy *
Sweet And Simple * (Never done in concert. Don't know if anyone will risk it)
Lovin You Is Easy **
Just The Same Way **
Do You Recall *
Daydream *
Lady Luck **
The note above re: Sweet and Simple - if Perry didn't do it live, there's likely a good reason why -- it's an exercise in listening to him at his peak of control of his instrument. Out of nowhere after 2:47 you're left with your mouth open and chills run down your spine.
But back down on earth and the setlist, Lovin You Is Easy is another great example of the blues/R&B influence near and dear to SP that isn't in today's setlists, and I hunger to hear this classic Journey sound. You can't sit still while this one is on. Neal's solo is tight, and Rolie on the keyboards is stellar and the harmonies are pure Journey. Perry sings to Schon's superb guitar tone in classic fashion at the end.
Who is going to sing this one for me?
Just The Same Way: Another of the shared vocals that disappeared from Journey's body of work later on. The Perry/Rolie era is magical for that reason -- and lots of piano (and that classic Hammond B3). Another example of SP singing to Neal's guitar -- that is all sorts of awesome (@3:02).
Gregg Rolie actually guested at an Austin concert in 2009 and did this number with Deen doing the SP vox.
Lady Luck. Another down and dirty bluesy song (Rolie is all over that Hammond B3 organ!) that never manages to make it onto the set list. Sign me up for this one to get another whirl. Again, who's going to throw down this one. From a live version Aug 9 1979 Comiskey Park. This is one tight band live. Neal cuts one helluva solo here, Ross and Smitty are on it:
***
Infinity (1978)
SP's first album with Journey. And it's an auspicious debut for him, and my last full stop on the station line. I am not as big a fan of the prog rock era prior to this (Journey, Look Into The Future, and Next), but there are die hards out there that believe that is the real Journey, and that SP was the beginning of the downhill spiral, lol. To each their own. The track listing for Infinity:
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| Greensboro, NC 2012 |
Feeling That Way **
Anytime **
La Do Da
Patiently *
Wheel In The Sky *
Something To Hide *
Winds Of March *
Can Do *
Opened The Door **
Can't go without Feeling That Way/Anytime as a unit. They've been played together and separately live (most recently I was at a concert where just Anytime was played). When they were done together in the Arnel era, Jonathan Cain handled the "Rolie" vocals. He also did it with Deen handling the SP vocals. It was great to hear the songs together again, and they did a great job, but Gregg's smoky vocals are sorely missed.
Just sit back and watch this magical 1978 Midnight Special live performance.
And a less well-known, but an essential listen, is the 1978 live-in-studio performance for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, Superjam II. The intimate, stripped-down nature of the performance shows the band at its talented best. You really get to hear Rolie's work on the piano in its full glory. Kiddos out there - no Autotune, no synth, no BS. Pure aural pleasure. (This YouTube has some great pix accompanying the audio).
Opened The Door is one song from Infinity that became a completely different animal when performed live. The studio version is an interesting listen once, then it's almost a throwaway. However, the 6:30 live version (August 1979 Comiskey Park) turns into a long psychedelic jam with huge interplay between Ross, Neal and Gregg, and it's a virtuoso performance by SP. It's mesmerizing -- that's what I want to see on my setlist.
And that leaves one odd song out for me. It's "For You" (1977) with lead singer Robert Fleischman and it can be found on the Time3 box set. He has a very different sound than Steve Perry, more of a power shouter/singer, but it's a great rock sound. This is a fine melodic song that requires range, and Fleischman has it.
Well, that was hard. Now I have to put all the songs together to make the setlist. Priorities! Here we go, the final list, not in order of preference:
Anything is Possible **
Someone **
Like a Sunshower **
Change for the Better **
Where Did I Lose Your Love **
A Better Life **
Every Generation **
Believe **
It's Never Too Late **
Red 13/State of Grace **
The Time **
I Can Breathe **
All the Things **
I Got a Reason **
Lifetime of Dreams **
Nothin' Comes Close **
Kiss Me Softly **
We Will Meet Again **
One More **
Castles Burning **
Easy to Fall **
Be Good To Yourself **
Happy To Give **
Girl Can't Help It (Live) **
I'll Be Alright Without You (Live) **
Separate Ways **
After The Fall **
Rubicon **
Stone In Love **
Lay It Down **
The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love) **
Any Way You Want It **
People And Places **
Natural Thing **
Lovin You Is Easy **
Just The Same Way **
Lady Luck **
Feeling That Way **
Anytime **
Opened The Door **
For You **
Oops - that's 41 songs! Even on the 30th Anniversary tour, Journey only performed an average of 33 songs, so I'm clearly asking for a concert that runs 4 hours! Even with multiple vocalists that's a tough slog. Hmmm. The best way to solve this is to condense a few into a medley and cut a few songs. How about this (still not in performance order yet):
Anything is Possible **
Someone **
Like a Sunshower **
Where Did I Lose Your Love **
Every Generation **
It's Never Too Late **
Medley: Red 13/State of Grace/The Time **
I Can Breathe **
Medley: Believe/All the Things/I Got a Reason **
Lifetime of Dreams **
Nothin' Comes Close **
Medley: Kiss Me Softly/We Will Meet Again **
Medley: One More/Castles Burning **
Easy to Fall **
Medley: After The Fall/Change for the Better/Be Good To Yourself **
Happy To Give **
Girl Can't Help It (Live) **
I'll Be Alright Without You (Live) **
Separate Ways **
Rubicon **
Stone In Love **
Medley: Lay It Down/Lady Luck/Natural Thing
Any Way You Want It **
People And Places **
Lovin You Is Easy **
Just The Same Way **
Feeling That Way **
Anytime **
Opened The Door **
For You **
OK. Now performance order. I reserve the right to change this several times, lol. It's tough.
Someone **
Separate Ways **
Medley: One More/Castles Burning **
Like a Sunshower **
Where Did I Lose Your Love **
Every Generation **
It's Never Too Late **
Medley: Believe/All the Things/I Got a Reason **
I Can Breathe **
Lifetime of Dreams **
Medley: After The Fall/Change for the Better/Be Good To Yourself **
Nothin' Comes Close **
Anything is Possible **
Happy To Give **
Easy to Fall **
Medley: Red 13/State of Grace/The Time **
Stone In Love **
Rubicon **
For You **
Medley: Lay It Down/Lady Luck/Natural Thing
Lovin You Is Easy **
Just The Same Way **
Feeling That Way **Anytime **
Opened The Door **
Medley: Kiss Me Softly/We Will Meet Again **
Any Way You Want It **
Encore
Girl Can't Help It (Live) **
I'll Be Alright Without You (Live) **
People And Places **
I know I'll tweak the above a thousand times, but hey, it's all good. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope at least some of these deep cuts make it onto the 2014 set list. Help me out, J-Boys!
Love, Pam
Related:
* How much do I love Journey?
* I made it! My journey to see Journey - pics, vids, review (see my full photo album here: http://photobucket.com/journeygboro)
* Blogmistress heaven: five new songs from ‘Eclipse’ debut in throw-down set by Journey in Vegas
* Music overload: my Journey immersion weekend
* The blogmistress trip to NY to see Journey on The Today Show
* Your blogmistress meets some of her Journey rock stars!
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