Journey - 2001
Performance
Production
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Journey - 2001
Performance
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I would refrain from starting this review with the obvious opening statements like "The Journey continues", or "A new Journey begins", but, darn it, it was just too easy, and way too appropriate. Many Journey fans, especially those that came onboard around the time of the ultra-successful Escape album, may not realize that band originally formed in 1972, when former Santana bandmates Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie joined forces with Ross Valory, George Tickner, and Prarie Prince to form a much more progressive-rock version of Journey, than we have heard since 1980. Steve Perry joined a few years later, following the departures of Tinker and Prince, and took the band in a less progressive, and more radio-friendly direction. Journey is one of the few legendary rock bands, that started out in the early 70's, that I have never seen live in concert. I missed the opportunity throughout the 80's, and then was just not much interested after Greg Rollie, and especially Steve Perry, left the band. Journey 2001 was finally my chance to see this band in action - what is left of it. This concert was recorded in December 2000, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, and captures Journey on tour in support of their new Arrival album. The concert kicked off with a ripping version of "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", and you are first introduced to new vocalist Steve Augeri. Many people wrote Journey's obituary when Steve Perry quit the band in the late 90's, but if Augeri's performance at this concert is any indication, "the Journey will continue!" - I know, that was weak. Augeri's vocals are freakishly similar to Perry's, and he projects a very likeable stage presence as well. His voice is a dead ringer for mid-80's era Perry, and he sings these old Journey songs probably better than Perry himself could now - as strange as that may sound. I doubt that Perry can still hit those high notes with the power he once had, now that he is pushing 50 years old. He hasn't exactly given us a chance to find out, with his dormant music career. The other new guy, Deen Castronovo, is simply a monster on the drums, who had me thinking Steve who? As great of a drummer as Steve Smith is, he never really shined with Journey. Castronovo's technique, speed, and power are phenomenal, and he accurately reproduced Smith's parts, while making them his own. Augeri and Castronovo most definitely hold their own up there. Neal Schon wasted no time letting the crowd know who's band this is, as he performed his extended guitar solo after only the second song of the set. That has to be a record. This particular solo was nothing special though, compared to some of the brilliant solos he has performed in many of his songs, such as the very next song, "Stone In Love". His guitar tone actually sounded a little bit muddy throughout the solo, but it improved by the second half of the set. "Higher Place" was the first new song that they played from the Arrival album. This was a decent enough song, but was rather ordinary and forgettable. The first highlight of the show was a stirring version of "Send Her My Love", which featured some fantastic, emotional vocals from Augeri, and some stunning guitar playing from Schon. Up until now, Schon has played his guitar solo's almost note for note with the album versions, with little improvisation. This was rather disappointing for me, as I would like to see him let loose a little bit more. I finally got my wish during Schon's solo on "Who's Crying Now". First of all, Schon's guitar solo on this song is one of my all time favorites - he absolutely sings with his guitar. On this live version he takes it to a whole new level, with tons of incredible improvisation, that just buries the original version. Things really get cooking now, as Schon and Castronovo really seem to be warmed up. "Fillmore Boogie" is a very un-Journey-like, heavy jam session that gets Cain out from behind the keys and playing some guitar. These guys proceeded to tear the house down with a smokin' boogie jam that had me reminiscing back to the good old days of cranking my Foghat Live album on the ol' Denon turntable. Castronovo, especially, sounded like a damn thunderstorm up there. They interrupted the party only briefly to play the yawn inducing ballad from Arrival, "All The Way", before launching into the absolute show highlight, "La Raza Del Sol". This Latin-flavored rock anthem would have fit perfectly on the Santana III album, the masterpiece that first showcased Schon's fiery guitar work, when he was still a teenager. This song provided an incredible change of pace for the concert and just smoked. Cain eagerly traded in his usually keyboard sound for that of a ballsy Hammond B3 organ. Castronovo nearly became unhinged with his ferocious drum assault, and Schon eventually stole with an awe inspiring solo. They could have ended the concert here and I would have been impressed, but they went on to perform six more of their classic songs. The encore performance of "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" was a smile inducing showstopper. This performance featured a bluesy, extended intro section that eventually led into the whole crowd chanting the NAAA NAAA NA NAAA NA NA and section, as Schon tore through some excellent blues rock licks in the background. The show ended on a slower note with a great version of their epic ballad "Faithfully", that once again proved that Augeri has some major league pipes. The overall production quality of this DVD is outstanding, especially the video. The picture quality was about as clear and sharp as I have seen, and the colors were brilliant. The camera work was superb, making you feel as though you were in the front row. I could have done with a few less shots of all of the fat, soccer-moms, passionately singing along with all of the songs, but that is my only complaint. The audio mix was also outstanding. The drums were definitely given a favorable mix, and sounded thunderous. The guitar mix recovered nicely after having a few muddy spots in the mix, but I thought it could have been even more up front. The center channel was only used to output a very weak echo of Augeri's vocal mix, which was spread out evenly amongst the two front speakers. The rear surrounds provided some dynamic concert ambience, which made it sound like you were sitting in the arena. This DVD certainly proves that Journey did not die when Steve Perry left the band. Augeri and Castronovo have infused new life into the band, and have made their concerts worth seeing again. The only question is whether they can match their exciting live shows with any memorable new material. The Arrival songs were not a very good indication of this, as I have only heard what this DVD has to offer. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - July 2004 |
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Set List |
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Running Time: 106 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - December 2001 |