Paid Hoochies and Cheerleaders
Sept 28, 2005 21:52:59 GMT -5
Post by arden on Sept 28, 2005 21:52:59 GMT -5
Nice going, Neal. I hope they are including crackers with the new DVD. The cheese will be in abundance.
This is actually kind of sad that without Perry they have to resort to this. Maybe they are trying to compete with the DVD that Perry and JDK are working on???
Apparently, the Dallas show was recorded for a new DVD, and since Neal and Co. think so highly of their fans, they paid a row full of hoochies from one of the local "clubs" to come in and stand in front of the first row. They are catching major heat for this from fans who paid top dollar for their 5 star seats. At some point the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders joined Neal and the boys on stage.
Remember the good ole days when they didn't need gimmicks like this??
Oh, and here is a review. I'm wondering if the DVD will ever see the light of day.
www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/092905dnovejourney.122d8442.html
Review: Journey ventures waaaaay back at Nokia Theatre
06:39 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 28, 2005
By MIKE DANIEL / The Dallas Morning News
GRAND PRAIRIE - To most, Journey's history begins in 1978 with Infinity and its three well-known hits, "Lights," "Feeling That Way" and "Wheel in the Sky." That's when the piercing, vibrant tenor of Steve Perry began to define the group, which would become one of arena rock's biggest-selling acts.
But Journey's roots are actually as a jam band; it had released three albums of mostly instrumental jazz-rock before Infinity. Constant reversions to that form highlighted a host of problems with the 30-year-old outfit during an unaccompanied, three-hour retrospective performance Tuesday night at Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie.
Shows such as this are often ordered chronologically, and Journey followed that format during the first 75 minutes. It commenced with three pre-Perry, pre-hit musings that ended up being the show's technical high point. It also caused the vast majority of the handsome and respectful sellout crowd to scratch their heads; most had no inkling that these were Journey tunes.
Then the band laid into the 1980 hit "Walks Like a Lady," but not in the hushed be-bop meter of the original. The outfit jacked up the tune to near jump-blues intensity, and bassist Ross Valory belted out the lyrics, sounding like Jeff Healey with a head cold.
Such reconstitution marred many of the hits to come. Among the most heinous: an inspired performance of "Wheel in the Sky" blown up by an awkward second solo bridge for guitarist Neal Schon, and horrid trips through "Edge of the Blade" and "Chain Reaction" that sounded little like the takes on 1983's Frontiers.
To be fair, acts as successful as Journey deserve the freedom to reinvent their hits for longtime fans. But the band, especially Mr. Schon, took that right too far much of the time, inserting extended noodle sessions and bombastic ending bars into almost every song.
Then there's Steve Augeri, who replaced Mr. Perry well after Journey's heyday in 1997. Both are cut from similar molds, but Mr. Augeri's voice is cast in putty compared with Mr. Perry's platinum. His stage presence fell behind even the reluctant Mr. Valory's, and he routinely couldn't maintain high notes. Drummer Deen Castronovo actually upstaged him (and revealed a vocal timbre even closer to Perry's) during "Still They Ride" off of 1981's 9 million-selling breakthrough, Escape. Yikes.
With more than 75 million albums sold and its 13th studio effort, Generations, about to be released here on Oct. 4, Journey deserves to be revered. It still attracts waves of fans both here and in Europe. Tuesday's show was being taped for a future live DVD release; maybe the band tried too hard under that pressure. One's thing's certain: Confusing concerts such as this one will turn off more folks than it'll turn on.
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This is actually kind of sad that without Perry they have to resort to this. Maybe they are trying to compete with the DVD that Perry and JDK are working on???
Apparently, the Dallas show was recorded for a new DVD, and since Neal and Co. think so highly of their fans, they paid a row full of hoochies from one of the local "clubs" to come in and stand in front of the first row. They are catching major heat for this from fans who paid top dollar for their 5 star seats. At some point the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders joined Neal and the boys on stage.
Remember the good ole days when they didn't need gimmicks like this??
Oh, and here is a review. I'm wondering if the DVD will ever see the light of day.
www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/092905dnovejourney.122d8442.html
Review: Journey ventures waaaaay back at Nokia Theatre
06:39 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 28, 2005
By MIKE DANIEL / The Dallas Morning News
GRAND PRAIRIE - To most, Journey's history begins in 1978 with Infinity and its three well-known hits, "Lights," "Feeling That Way" and "Wheel in the Sky." That's when the piercing, vibrant tenor of Steve Perry began to define the group, which would become one of arena rock's biggest-selling acts.
But Journey's roots are actually as a jam band; it had released three albums of mostly instrumental jazz-rock before Infinity. Constant reversions to that form highlighted a host of problems with the 30-year-old outfit during an unaccompanied, three-hour retrospective performance Tuesday night at Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie.
Shows such as this are often ordered chronologically, and Journey followed that format during the first 75 minutes. It commenced with three pre-Perry, pre-hit musings that ended up being the show's technical high point. It also caused the vast majority of the handsome and respectful sellout crowd to scratch their heads; most had no inkling that these were Journey tunes.
Then the band laid into the 1980 hit "Walks Like a Lady," but not in the hushed be-bop meter of the original. The outfit jacked up the tune to near jump-blues intensity, and bassist Ross Valory belted out the lyrics, sounding like Jeff Healey with a head cold.
Such reconstitution marred many of the hits to come. Among the most heinous: an inspired performance of "Wheel in the Sky" blown up by an awkward second solo bridge for guitarist Neal Schon, and horrid trips through "Edge of the Blade" and "Chain Reaction" that sounded little like the takes on 1983's Frontiers.
To be fair, acts as successful as Journey deserve the freedom to reinvent their hits for longtime fans. But the band, especially Mr. Schon, took that right too far much of the time, inserting extended noodle sessions and bombastic ending bars into almost every song.
Then there's Steve Augeri, who replaced Mr. Perry well after Journey's heyday in 1997. Both are cut from similar molds, but Mr. Augeri's voice is cast in putty compared with Mr. Perry's platinum. His stage presence fell behind even the reluctant Mr. Valory's, and he routinely couldn't maintain high notes. Drummer Deen Castronovo actually upstaged him (and revealed a vocal timbre even closer to Perry's) during "Still They Ride" off of 1981's 9 million-selling breakthrough, Escape. Yikes.
With more than 75 million albums sold and its 13th studio effort, Generations, about to be released here on Oct. 4, Journey deserves to be revered. It still attracts waves of fans both here and in Europe. Tuesday's show was being taped for a future live DVD release; maybe the band tried too hard under that pressure. One's thing's certain: Confusing concerts such as this one will turn off more folks than it'll turn on.
------------------
OMG!!! I bet there are some pissed off people who paid to have seats up front! Sounds like Augeri's vocal coach isn't paying off after all. Maybe it's time for that "solo album", eh? Oh wait...he already sings so-lo you can't hear him!! ;D LOL (Sorry, I couldn't resist!!) When are they going to realize how ridiculous they have become and how they've taken the once superb name of Journey and flushed it down the toilet? 