Journey - Live in Manila

I have to admit, that since Jeff Scott Soto was asked to leave Journey, I have not followed the band as closely as I had.  I felt betrayed, by the band, because of the way that Soto was dismissed.  The only thing that would have kept me cheering, would have been the return of long time front man Steve Perry.  I dug the Steve Augerie (ex-Tall Stories) era, and was pumped when they announced that Soto would be fronting the band.  Being an established fan of both of these vocalists, it was a no brainer, that I would stay on board, but when they replaced Jeff with a guy on Youtube, I was pissed and checked out.  Well it wasn't a total check out, I still bought what they put out, but it still bugged me that they basically had a Steve Perry, sound alike, fronting the band.

My opinion of the band has not really changed over the past 9 years, since Arnel Pineda joined the band, until their latest live release Live in Manila.  This concert was filmed in 4K resolution and looks amazing.  Not only does it look amazing, but the band is firing on all cylinders.  Schon and company rip through their greatest hits, as well as a few new tunes.  The band look like their having fun and have a nice dynamic with now ex-drummer Deen Castronovo handling some of the vocals.  I have to admit, that I enjoyed Pineda's performance, even though he seemed little too giddy to be a rock star.  He comes off a little goofy, but who wouldn't if you were fronting one of the greatest rock bands of all time.  This one was thoroughly entertaining and is a must for Journey fans.  If you are skeptical like I was, then give this one a shot, and I would bet your opinion would change.

Bottom Line:  A well shot DVD that gives you a great live experience, from your couch.  The band shows that they can still rock hard after 40+ years.

-Ragman is ready for the reunion with Steve Perry, that will probably never happen.