MR

Cain posted the setlist on social media.

Seems they opened with Faith in the Heartland followed by The Way We Used to Be. Other surprises included City of Hope, Suzanne, and FTW/Anytime.

Interesting.

Where, exactly, did he post the setlist?

His Instagram story.

How many songs did they do? And how long did they play?

Just got back from the concert. Besides some jumbling of the order for set 2, they did play all these tracks (https://ibb.co/KbWL4XL). Not happy that they didn’t play any other new, unreleased material like they did for eclipse. TWWUTB kinda fell flat I felt, wheel in the sky jam was the highlight of the night and open arms/faithfully/DSB had great audience participation. Arnel was solid and the crowd enjoyed him. Dean only led on mother father. Narada was visibly not familiar with all the parts, even on the big songs but he was very into the music and rocked; he also visibly enjoyed playing with Neal. Jason did I’ll be alright with you and lay it down justice.

It was not a big production for the filming just some small cameras on the microphones and in front of the stage.

Jason also did Suzanne.

That’s a fun set list:

Die-hard fans will always expect and want more surprises. At the same time, this is the band's first time playing together. For some, like Narada, it's totally new. So it's understandable that they stuck more to the dozen. Let's see how and if the set list evolves.

Was the show filmed or recorded?

Probably the best Journey show I’ve ever seen.
Arnel sang all but 3-4 songs which is impressive given the length of that set list and his age.
He sounded phenomenal. So did Deen and Jason.
A couple of gaffes: Jon had to remind Neal where his guitar solo was in Only the Young.
Neal tried to recover but it was noticeable. Afterwards he laughed and shouted FUCK.

7 minute Wheel in the Sky

https://youtu.be/TYmQk53pKm8

Any chance they release this show later in the year? New album in the Spring?

DK23 wrote: Narada was visibly not familiar with all the parts"

Sheesh...there is NO excuse for that - and I am a Narada fan, I love his playing - I think he's got that Steve Smith capability and rock chops too - so I'm defending him to those on the hater bus, but I have to wonder why the double drums came into the picture. Maybe this had something to do with it (not prepared)

That is probably the best set list they have done in about twenty years.

brandonx76 wrote:

DK23 wrote: Narada was visibly not familiar with all the parts"

Sheesh...there is NO excuse for that - and I am a Narada fan, I love his playing - I think he's got that Steve Smith capability and rock chops too - so I'm defending him to those on the hater bus, but I have to wonder why the double drums came into the picture. Maybe this had something to do with it (not prepared)

Right. I also question if Randy's even going to step up to tour. Think about it, the dude's been living large in LA as a record producer and TV personality for the longest time. He's also dealing with health issues. Do you think he really wants to go back out on the road? Maybe adding him into the fold was just a way to generate interest after the Valory/Smith debacle. The current logistics has me totally confused.

Really enjoyed the show! It was great to see the band play for over 2.5 hours, those guys really put out. Arnel's vocals were the strongest live performance from him that I've heard. Makes sense given the amount of rest and this being the first show, but it was great to hear him at his best. On the songs he didn't sing lead, he stood off to the side and sang harmonies. Very cool.

The overall/ensemble vocals were the strongest I've heard since the Evolution/Departure era concerts. Having Arnel, Deen, Jason, and Jon is a pretty strong vocal core, not to mention the contributions from the other guys. The harmonies on Anytime were sublime.

Deen did a stellar job on Mother, Father. I wish he would have sung another song or two. Very impressed with Jason, as well, although I thought Suzanne was the weakest song of the night (IMHO, of course). Jon did a very capable performance of Just the Same Way and Feeling That Way/Anytime.

Musically they were flawless, with the exception of Neal's gaff on Only the Young. By the time he realized it was time for his solo, it was too late, and he sort of improvised on what was left of it. Sounded nothing like the recording. The only other (very minor) mix up was when they were exchanging solos...I think it was during the Wheel in the Sky jam...Neal singled to Jon to take a keys solo, but instead he briefly walked off to the side of the stage while the other guys jammed, and then played his solo upon his return.

In terms of optics, it was interesting to see two drum kits/drummers and seven musicians on stage. Largest Journey band ever (sans orchestra)? I was somewhat surprised to see that Deen and Narada played on all of the songs; I thought there may have been some trade-off while one of them sat out for a given tune. Narada definitely held his own, and did appear genuinely happy playing with the group, but the band largely took cues from Deen. He counted the songs off, kept the tempo going on his hi-hat during breaks in songs, and the band followed his cue for endings. This report was from a drummer friend I attended the concert with, who was intensely watching both of them. Having Deen for the live shows was a smart move, not only in terms of him knowing the Journey catalog, but also his vocal contribution. I didn't greatly miss Ross not being with the band, no drop-off with Marco whatsoever. The only other optic that caught my attention was Paula White sitting off stage by Jon for nearly the entire show. She actually brought out a guitar for him to play for a song, and he kissed her after she handed it to him...

After the show was over, one of the crew members tossed the set list out to the crowd, and I was standing close to the girl who caught it. She was kind enough to let me take a couple of pictures, but see it has already been posted. You guys rock!

I guess I’m different because I was only 12 when Journey ended originally… but Journey isn’t the same without Deen. I like the harder edge and energy he brings.

Gideon wrote:Probably the best Journey show I’ve ever seen.
Arnel sang all but 3-4 songs which is impressive given the length of that set list and his age.
He sounded phenomenal. So did Deen and Jason.
A couple of gaffes: Jon had to remind Neal where his guitar solo was in Only the Young.
Neal tried to recover but it was noticeable. Afterwards he laughed and shouted FUCK.

Brutal vocal gaff on WITS. He's good for at least one per show. I get the long layoff, Neal messing up on OTY, but it never seems to go away with Arnel. Flame me if you wish...

brandonx76 wrote:...but I have to wonder why the double drums came into the picture. Maybe this had something to do with it (not prepared)

I have my conspiracy theory and it revolves around money and what potentially gets paid out to retired members of the band...

Bring in DC to make the bottom end hit incredibly hard, have him scoop up some money that would go to others.

JourneyHard wrote:That is probably the best set list they have done in about twenty years.

Agreed!

Eric wrote:I guess I’m different because I was only 12 when Journey ended originally… but Journey isn’t the same without Deen. I like the harder edge and energy he brings.

Agreed!


From the videos I saw, Marco was very into it and involved. Should Randy NOT be able to tour, this is their guy! He can certainly play bass, adds another vocal to make the BGs even stronger, and, seems like he wants to be there, unlike, I personally feel, Ross, who seemed like he was going through the motions.

Last but not least, Narada's "solo" closing out WITS and Deen letting him have it is fantastic!

Seeing the footage from last night actually makes me want to go see them for the first time in over a decade!

When it was 1st announced that Ross and Smitty were out my immediate thought was Deen and Marco. Between JTT, Planet US and Dead Daisies there is just a lot of history. When Randy and Narada were announced I was Initially bummed but recognized that it could be really cool. Randy's history with the band, Narada's groove and production. So then I felt conflicted with this new setup. Watching the WITS video just reinforces questioning the need of 2 drummers. And now I'm all back on board with Deen and Marco. Randy with Narada could be cool but Deen and Marco would be a different beast altogether. And I think it's that beast I would prefer...

jrnyman28 wrote:When it was 1st announced that Ross and Smitty were out my immediate thought was Deen and Marco. Between JTT, Planet US and Dead Daisies there is just a lot of history. When Randy and Narada were announced I was Initially bummed but recognized that it could be really cool. Randy's history with the band, Narada's groove and production. So then I felt conflicted with this new setup. Watching the WITS video just reinforces questioning the need of 2 drummers. And now I'm all back on board with Deen and Marco. Randy with Narada could be cool but Deen and Marco would be a different beast altogether. And I think it's that beast I would prefer...

Randy Jackson and Michael Walden are phenomenal musicians! But I'd rather have Eclipse part II than to have Raised On Radio II.

It's pretty bad that Walden doesn't know the songs well enough yet and that Schon missed his solo on OTY.

I don't know why people are bashing Narada. I see him looking to Deen to stay in sync. But he doesn't seem out of his depth AT ALL.

After watching multiple YT videos, my biggest takeaway is ENERGY! Either it's the pandemic break or the new members, but the band is playing with a renewed vigor not seen since the JSS days.

Moonglow wrote:Really enjoyed the show! It was great to see the band play for over 2.5 hours, those guys really put out. Arnel's vocals were the strongest live performance from him that I've heard. Makes sense given the amount of rest and this being the first show, but it was great to hear him at his best. On the songs he didn't sing lead, he stood off to the side and sang harmonies. Very cool.

The overall/ensemble vocals were the strongest I've heard since the Evolution/Departure era concerts. Having Arnel, Deen, Jason, and Jon is a pretty strong vocal core, not to mention the contributions from the other guys. The harmonies on Anytime were sublime.

Deen did a stellar job on Mother, Father. I wish he would have sung another song or two. Very impressed with Jason, as well, although I thought Suzanne was the weakest song of the night (IMHO, of course). Jon did a very capable performance of Just the Same Way and Feeling That Way/Anytime.

Musically they were flawless, with the exception of Neal's gaff on Only the Young. By the time he realized it was time for his solo, it was too late, and he sort of improvised on what was left of it. Sounded nothing like the recording. The only other (very minor) mix up was when they were exchanging solos...I think it was during the Wheel in the Sky jam...Neal singled to Jon to take a keys solo, but instead he briefly walked off to the side of the stage while the other guys jammed, and then played his solo upon his return.

In terms of optics, it was interesting to see two drum kits/drummers and seven musicians on stage. Largest Journey band ever (sans orchestra)? I was somewhat surprised to see that Deen and Narada played on all of the songs; I thought there may have been some trade-off while one of them sat out for a given tune. Narada definitely held his own, and did appear genuinely happy playing with the group, but the band largely took cues from Deen. He counted the songs off, kept the tempo going on his hi-hat during breaks in songs, and the band followed his cue for endings. This report was from a drummer friend I attended the concert with, who was intensely watching both of them. Having Deen for the live shows was a smart move, not only in terms of him knowing the Journey catalog, but also his vocal contribution. I didn't greatly miss Ross not being with the band, no drop-off with Marco whatsoever. The only other optic that caught my attention was Paula White sitting off stage by Jon for nearly the entire show. She actually brought out a guitar for him to play for a song, and he kissed her after she handed it to him...

After the show was over, one of the crew members tossed the set list out to the crowd, and I was standing close to the girl who caught it. She was kind enough to let me take a couple of pictures, but see it has already been posted. You guys rock!

Really appreciate the detailed write-up.

Asking again to those that attended was the show filmed?

The_Noble_Cause wrote:I don't know why people are bashing Narada. I see him looking to Deen to stay in sync. But he doesn't seem out of his depth AT ALL.

After watching multiple YT videos, my biggest takeaway is ENERGY! Either it's the pandemic break or the new members, but the band is playing with a renewed vigor not seen since the JSS days.

In my case I'm not placing the blame on Walden alone. The band themselves should have been rehearsing enough that he would know all of the drum parts by heart by now.

artinis1 wrote:Asking again to those that attended was the show filmed?

I noticed perhaps 2-3 camera operators filming the concert. Each microphone stand, at least what I could see for the musicians up front, had a small camera attached to it (I think a GoPro) as well. Would love to get my hands on a copy of the concert, as well.

https://gopro.com/en/us/

Been watching a doc show on AXS tv called 'If These Walls Could Rock'. #6 is about the history of the Aragon Ballroom. Interesting stuff, big bands under the domed ceiling, dancing on the spring wooden floor. Said that due to artsy period design, today's rock concerts often sound bad.
https://www.axs.tv/channel/if-these-walls-could-rock/


later~

Moonglow wrote:

artinis1 wrote:Asking again to those that attended was the show filmed?

I noticed perhaps 2-3 camera operators filming the concert. Each microphone stand, at least what I could see for the musicians up front, had a small camera attached to it (I think a GoPro) as well. Would love to get my hands on a copy of the concert, as well.

https://gopro.com/en/us/

Neal said they were going to use the footage for a documentary. But without Randy, I doubt it will be used in any significant way.

artinis1 wrote:Asking again to those that attended was the show filmed?

Nightmare used to handle recording these shows. If they are not doing the production of the shows then I would think they have not had the time to get another company involved and set up to film these in a professional way...at least no where near what Nightmare would do.

Monker wrote:Nightmare used to handle recording these shows. If they are not doing the production of the shows then I would think they have not had the time to get another company involved and set up to film these in a professional way...at least no where near what Nightmare would do.

I think you mean Nocturne. And they haven't been involved with any Journey concert DVDs, (that I'm aware of), since Vegas 2001.