MR

After putting this in another thread I got to thinking...which would you prefer to hear in concert?

I, personally, am so tired of Open Arms. I never really liked the song, and I think it led to the downfall of Journey. Open Arms tipped the power towards Perry and that led Journey to become a ballad machine instead of a rock band.

I think Faithfully is a much stronger ballad for the band and I still prefer to hear it. It wasn't played to death, or I just don't get tired of hearing it. Faithfully has stood the test of time in my ears.

What do you think?

Eh, I'm not gonna lie. I want both. They're both Journey staples and people expect to hear them at every show. As Jon Cain once said about going to see Aerosmith, when they didn't play a song he wanted to hear (dude looks like a lady i think), he was dissapointed. Gotta play the requesite hits and those include both of those songs i think.

Remember Herbie saying that the best thing for Journey was the mid chat hits? He said the higher you chart, the more is expected of you and people will think that every song should be a top hit.

Faithfully is a better song, and you're right, it wasn't overplayed.

I think they should drop OA. Notice they dropped Who's Cryin' Now as well.

This one is easy for me...

Faithfully simply works better in concert. It seems to me that there is more of a connection between the band and the audiience...espcialy when they perform it as on the 2001 DVD and the Main Event tour whith the audience singing solo at the end....

I'm not 'tired' of "Open Arms", but if I had to choose between the two, "Faithfully" wins by a LONG ways.

I Like both songs, the song I am glad they dropped is Who's Crying Now, like the song, but it just slows the concert down way to much-ERIC

Faithfully

Faithfully, most definitely! I tolerate Open Arms, but I honestly could never stand the song. Way too fluffanutter for my taste. Go figure that it ended up being Journey's biggest hit song.

I agree that the audience responds very well to Faithfully, but Open Arms is one of the most famous ballads of all time -- definitely in the top 3. I am sick of both songs, to be honest, but I would choose Open Arms. Seeing Steve Perry sing the words to the chorus with his eyes closed at the Houston concert (ESC4P3 tour), seeing the girls in the audience melt, was a pretty incredible Journey performance. I know the song doesn't have the impact it did when it was new, and that Perry is no longer a part of Journey, but that song means a bit more to me than Faithfully.

Open Arms reminds me of Journey in their heyday. Faithfully reminds me of the beginning of the end for Journey.