In 2017, at the request of legendary Japanese concert promoter Mr. Udo, Journey came to Tokyo’s world-famous Budokan to play their two most successful albums — 1981’s Escape and 1983’s Frontiers — in their entirety. Naturally, a special event like this had to be captured for historical preservation, so recording and filming crews were dispatched and two years later Eagle Rock Entertainment is rolling out Live In Japan 2017: Escape + Frontiers on Blu-ray, DVD and CD for fans to gobble up and savor. Fortunately, this well-shot show provides a good mix of Journey hits and deep cuts to please just about anyone.
Together, Escape and Frontiers yielded eight Top 40 singles combined and have sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide. In Tokyo, the band — singer Arnel Pineda, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory, and drummer Steve Smith — broke out big with “Don’t Stop Believin’’’ slotted in as the opener (as it is on Escape). Seeing the band play the hits — “Open Arms,” “Who’s Crying Now,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” and “Faithfully,” a song, Cain tells the audience, that Journey first played live in Japan — is something most fans expect.
What most fans don’t expect is hearing those deep album cuts the band stopped playing live (assuming they were played live at all). Playing every song off a classic album can be an exciting and fresh prospect for both the artist and the audience. In this case, Journey, who has never had a problem throwing curve balls with extended solos — and there’s lots of those here — takes full advantage of the situation with some truly stellar performances and odd turns. Case in point, the lead vocal duties on rarities “Lay It Down” and “After The Fall” are handled by Travis Thibodaux, who’s been lurking in the shadows providing background vocals and auxiliary keyboards for the band since 2015. He nails the parts, and could very well be Pineda’s understudy.
Meanwhile, an epic stab at the Latin/Santana-flavored “La Raza del Sol,” which appeared as a B-side to the Top 20 hit “Still They Ride” from Escape, blazes away for a good 13 minutes before segueing into a palpable, extended version of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” to end the show. Actually, as the credits roll, a round of band introductions joyously finishes off the Blu-ray and DVD on a high note. Live In Japan 2017: Escape + Frontiers is a strong indication that Journey is still a viable and strong live attraction, each player steadfast in his role, with a plenty of miles left of their odometer. Maybe exploring a few more albums, like Infinity and Evolution, could be in their future.
~ Shawn Perry
