No city in the U.S.A. has undergone more radical cultural makeovers than San Francisco. For many, it still symbolizes the birthplace of the 1960s hippie movement; to others it’s more famous for tech bros and preposterous real-estate values, and/or its ever-worsening crisis of unhoused people. Somewhere in between these two reputations: the band Journey.
Formed by two ex-members of Santana in 1973, the group went through an initial prog/fusion phase, skewing ever more commercial through the years due to, duh, lack of record sales, until hiring its third lead vocalist Steve Perry in ’77. Thanks significantly to his iconic voice, the group would go on to become one of the defining bands of the ‘80s; only Billy Joel and the Eagles have sold more copies of their greatest-hits albums than Journey. One guy from the band’s formative days, 72-year-old lead guitarist Neal Schon, remains; he and Jonathan Cain, who took over keyboard duties in ’80 and also plays rhythm guitar, helm the ostensible final Journey tour, which descended upon the Fiserv Forum Thursday night for a nearly sold-out performance.
If you didn’t recognize any of those names besides Perry’s, don’t feel bad; if you’d asked Journey fans in the ‘80s who was the irreplaceable member, 99 out of 100 would’ve named the singer. As the years have passed, though, it’s clear that the songs themselves have far outshined their singer, who left the group of his own volition in ’98 and has only taunted fans ever since with the possibility of a reunion. Anyone who watched the Journey episode of VH1’s Behind The Music (does VH1 still exist? Video Hits 1?) will recall the baffling moment when Perry declared that he never felt like he was “part of the group.” How was that possible? In his place nowadays is Arnel Pineda, who took over in 2007 after previous tribute-band replacement singer Steve Augeri was essentially busted for lip-synching. If anything, after nearly 20 years fronting the band, Pineda strengthened Perry’s case at this show. Perhaps all Journey lead singers have essentially been hired help.
Despite over 50 years of existence, Journey isn’t much of a live ensemble and probably never was; it’s a product of shrewd songwriters and the best augmentation money can buy. But there’s no substitute for good songwriting, and that’s what carried the two-and-a-half-hour performance. They had a typical giant video screen behind them, some pyrotechnics, oodles of confetti at the end of the show, nothing beyond what U2 pioneered 30 years ago. Fans came out to sing along, one last time, and even though those high notes are way out of reach now for most of their boomer audience, it was every bit the joyous celebration of pop-rock craftsmanship everyone was hoping for.
Could Steve Perry himself still hit these notes? Most bands of Journey’s vintage end up tuning their songs down a few steps to accommodate their singers’ diminished range, but in Journey’s case it wasn’t just Pineda who nailed everything in the original key. First it was Cain who took the lead on “Just The Same Way,” trading off with drummer Deen Castronovo who may have taken the room by surprise with his powerful pipes. While Pineda best captured the Perry timbre and was easily the most creative singer onstage, Castronovo probably could’ve taken center stage by himself had he not also been required to pound the skins all night. Keyboardist Jason Derlatka, who joined the band in 2020, took the reins next for “Suzanne,” a deep cut off the 1986 classic-era swan-song Raised On Radio; he seemed a little shaky at first, but offered a much more impressive rendering of “I’ll Be Alright Without You” later in the show. Multiple times, Cain (the de facto MC of the evening) acknowledged Perry; he wasn’t by any means forgotten, but thanks to the multiple vocal talents onstage, he also wasn’t really missed.
It was Castronovo again who led the crowd singalong on the Frisco anthem “Lights,” the Golden Gate Bridge depicted gloriously behind the stage. Then Pineda (who’d duck backstage while others were singing lead) returned for the 1996 comeback hit “When You Love A Woman,” the newest song played, and he remained center stage for a handful of lesser-known tunes that saw some fans finally sitting down for a bit. This was the “pretend heavy metal” interlude, including the shameless 1983 Randy Rhoads ripoff “Chain Reaction” on what happened to be the anniversary of Rhoads’ passing. Then following “Dead Or Alive,” Cain took a brief piano solo leading into “Who’s Crying Now,” heralding the most crucial stretch of the show. The crowd vocalized along with Schon’s iconic mournful outro solo, a truly transcendent experience; he then took an extended moment alone in the spotlight, having shed his black leather jacket by this point, and Milwaukee basked in what was likely its last opportunity for such an indulgence.
Next was “Wheel In The Sky,” which took a surprising turn prior to its final chorus when the band switched into another faux-metal breakdown while Pineda sprinted from the stage around the circumference of the floor before finishing the song. Following this, Cain took his first opportunity to twist one of his own treasured love songs into something entirely different, turning “Faithfully” into a military tribute. Later on when the band played “Open Arms,” the video screen displayed Christian imagery, because nothing says “Jesus” like “Lying beside you / Here in the dark / Feeling your heartbeat with mine.”
By that point, Cain was pretty clearly exhausted; he’d taken off his cardigan to reveal a #26 Bucks jersey (Kyle Korver…???) for the closing few songs, all hits except for the inexplicable “La Do Da” portion, which included a laughable approximation of Led Zeppelin’s take on “How Many More Times.” As spot-on as Schon was throughout the entire show, he is not and never has been a guitar hero, but no one could fault him for wanting to play one on TV now that the project he’ll always be remembered for is taking its final victory lap. Only his band couldn’t summon the intrigue or potency required to bolster such a display; it was the remnants of a once-great pop-rock act on its last legs, and they could’ve easily substituted a couple of neglected hit singles (“Girl Can’t Help It,” anyone?) for this exercise.
They powered through, though, and once they busted into “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” the crowd’s energy carried them. “Any Way You Want It” still got everyone riled; this weeknight audience pushed out undeniable we-don’t-have-to-work-tomorrow energy. No point in leaving and returning for an encore; everyone knew what the last song would be, the best-selling 20th-century digital track of all time, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The empire will fall but this song will live forever as the quintessential mirage of the American dream; it beats the hell out of “The Star Spangled Banner,” anyhow.
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