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Journey : HOB - Los Angeles, CA - 01/21/05
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Sarah Hunt along with Digital Bits' editor, Bill Hunt, attended Journey's show at LA's House of Blues on January 21.
Earlier, the band's near complete alumni reunited (briefly) for a star placement in LA and left many breathless with the thought of a Steve Perry, who was also in attendance at the ceremony, join-in with the band at the HOB show.
Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Here's Sarah Hunt's writeup of the show and her exclusive shots from the show.
Last Friday in Hollywood was Journey's night to shine. After receiving a star on the Walk of Fame earlier in the day, Journey performed to a sold out crowd at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip that evening. The event brought together members of Journey past and present, including George Tickner, Aynsley Dunbar, Robert Fleischman, Steve Smith, and yes, Steve Perry, who made a surprise appearance at the Walk of Fame star unveiling. According to a report in Rolling Stone, it was the first time in seven years that Schon and Perry had spoken, but they appeared all smiles as they were honored
in front of the crowd of thousands.
The concert at the House of Blues itself was hot. I mean that literally. Two people in the front row, who had been waiting for hours, fainted before the performance even started. It was a sold out show - the place was packed to the gills. With the promise of spontaneous jam sessions and "surprise guests", people had paid up to $350 a ticket for the last-minute chance to see the show. Paul Stanley from Kiss was front and center in the balcony, drawing his share of attention before the lights went down. American Idol "dawg" Randy Jackson, who played bass on the Raised on Radio tour, sent a taped audio message to the crowd and gave his congrats to the guys.
The current Journey line up - Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Deen Castronovo and Steve Augeri - took the stage and performed to their usual high standard. Exciting the crowd, and handing out roses to the ladies in the front row, they didn't disappoint. The set list was taken from their Summer Detour 2004 tour. Augeri was in fine form and strong voice; his energy is transferable, the crowd feeds off of him. As we first learned this summer, drummer Deen Castronovo can blow the crowd away with his lead vocals on "Susanne", "Mother Father" and the other songs he lends his voice to. Neal showed off his chops on his traditional rendition of the Star Spangled banner, guitar style, while the lighted backdrop formed the US flag. Each of the guys took a turn at vocals - even Ross gave it a shot on "Walks Like a Lady". The band mixed things up in the middle of the set, bringing some of the former members on stage to let them have some fun. Former vocalist Robert Fleischman sang "Wheel in the Sky", and Steve Smith and Aynsley Dunbar each took over the drums for a few songs.
Photo by Sarah Hunt
There was a palpable sense of anticipation in the crowd, however. Fueled by his appearance on the Walk of Fame earlier that day, the audience was definitely waiting for Perry to appear. Some even shouted his name - with every song the anticipation grew. Sadly, it didn't happen. The crowd was still waiting and hoping until the very end of the show, when Neal finally (and briefly) said something about Perry's absense. I don't want to take anything away from new lead vocalist Steve Augeri - I'm one of his biggest fans. But if a Perry/Journey reunion was ever going to happen, this was the night. It would have crowned the evening as perfection for the fans, every hot and sweaty one of them, who'd been following this band... yes, faithfully... for years. Whatever the reason may have been for Perry not performing, this was a missed opportunity. It's a shame that the fans didn't get to celebrate Journey's complete legacy in concert one last time.
That aside, this was a great show, and it was really nice to see all the guys taking their turn in the spotlight. Hollywood Major Johnny Grant declared last Friday as "Journey Day" and that it was. A new album is in the works. If you haven't given Arrival a chance yet, order it now. You won't be disappointed. As for upcoming concert plans, Schon has been quoted as saying "We're going to be able to play so much more material from the beginning, pre-Steve Perry days, and move on. We're probably going to end up doing a three-and-a-half-hour show, so I've invited all the past members to come and sit in -- including Steve Perry. We'll just have to wait and see if he shows." Even if he doesn't, that will be a concert you won't want to miss.
