Show Review: Journey Celebrate 50 Years As A Band During Stockton Performance
Journey
50th Anniversary Tour
w/ Toto
Stockton Arena
Stockton, CA
Review by Jared Stossel
Main Photo: Taken with iPhone
Last year, Journey was in the headlines. Sure, they were on the road touring in support of a new album, 2022’s Freedom. But a lot of the news surrounded drama within the internal workings of the band. If you were a fan that attended last night’s Journey show in Stockton and had absolutely no idea about any of this drama, you would have left believing there was none. For all the stories that fans have been hearing about the lawsuits and tension between longtime members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon, you couldn’t tell there was any bad blood; Cain, Schon, and the rest of the members of Journey were all smiles as they took the stage to a packed house at Stockton Arena yesterday evening. The iconic Bay Area rock act, one of the best-selling bands of all time, is in the midst of its 50th-anniversary tour, celebrating the music and legacy that has endured despite numerous lineup changes. The current lineup consists of Schon, Cain, longtime vocalist Arnel Pineda, drummer Deen Castronovo, keyboardist Jason Derlatka, and bassist Todd Jensen, and they’re an incredibly tight-knit unit.
The show was opened by the incomparable Toto, who exceeded any expectations I might have had and who I hope to see at a headlining show of their own in the near future. With nearly as many albums to their name as Journey and with a diverse back catalog of crowd-favorite songs including “Rosanna” and “Africa”, they were the perfect fit for a show of this size and genre. The band brought forth an excellent performance, and they sound pitch-perfect in every song, with just the right amount of energy to get the crowd up off of their feet. Lead guitarist and vocalist Steve Lukather guided the audience through their opening set, introducing longtime members David Paich on keyboards and Joseph Williams on vocals. The band has endured a number of lineup changes over the years as well, but they are rounded out by an outstanding touring band, which includes members of the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy and percussion-based Ghost-note. If the show had ended right then and there with Toto’s set, I would have been completely content for the evening.
A little before 8:55 PM, Journey took the stage for a whirlwind performance. There was no large exaggerated build-up. Within seconds of the lights going down, the band took the stage as a spotlight landed upon Neal Schon, the sound of his arena-ready guitar sound filling every inch of the space. Like a bolt of lightning, Arnel Pineda took the stage, and the band dove headfirst into a collection of songs that celebrated the last fifty years of Journey. I was surprised by how many songs I knew that I didn’t initially know to be from Journey. “Only The Young” kicked off the evening before sliding into the first of two extended guitar solos from Schon. To my surprise, “Don’t Stop Believin’” was played third in the setlist. It’s expected that a band would finish with their biggest song in the encore, but Journey managed to subvert expectations. The arena erupted in applause, everybody singing the lyrics and nearly drowning out the band.
A majority of the material in last night’s performance was split almost equally between the Escape and Frontiers albums, with songs sprinkled throughout from albums like Infinity (“Lights”, “Wheel In The Sky”), Evolution (“Lovin’ Touchin’, Squeezin’”), Freedom (“Let It Rain”) and Raised on Radio (“Be Good To Yourself”, “Girl Can’t Help It”, with keyboardist Jason Derlatka taking the lead on vocals). Aside from Pineda (who sounds very similar to longtime ex-vocalist Steve Perry), the current lineup of Journey has some pretty good vocalists, including Derlatka and drummer Castronovo, who lent his voice to Escape’s “Mother, Father”. Jonathan Cain played an extended piano solo before leading the crowd into a roar of applause with the notes that kicked off the power ballad that is “Open Arms”. Schon’s second extended solo felt calmer in comparison to the first, going more for a vibe than showing off guitar chops, and it built exceptionally well into the intro for “Wheel In The Sky”. It’s moments like these that make Journey stand the test of time: one minute they’re jamming, the next they’re playing the opening notes to songs that have brought stadiums to their feet in seconds.
Now, I’m sure you’re asking, what could they finish with if they didn’t play “Don’t Stop Believin’” last? After powering through a four-song run that included “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Be Good To Yourself”, the band jumped straight into their epic finale, “Any Way You Want It”, before confetti and streamers cascaded down upon the crowd. An hour and a half later, it's easy to see why crowds still flock to see Journey after fifty years: they can still put on one hell of a show.
Journey’s 50th Anniversary tour continues this Saturday, April 22nd in Bakersfield, CA. For more information and to get tickets, click here.
Journey Set List
Only The Young
Stone In Love
Don’t Stop Believin’
Lights
Send Her My Love
Chain Reaction
Who’s Crying Now
Escape
Mother, Father
Let It Rain
Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’
Open Arms
Faithfully
Girl Can’t Help It
Wheel In The sky
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Be Good To Yourself
Any Way You Want It
Journey
www.journeymusic.com
www.facebook.com/journey
Twitter: @journeyofficial
Instagram: @journeyofficial
Toto
www.totoofficial.com
www.facebook.com/totoband
Twitter: @toto99com
Instagram: @totothemselves
