Journey's Eclipsed - The Popularity of a Band and their Eclipse

Just recently I was at my local Walmart in Porter ranch California and came across the CD section and found where all the "Eclipse" albums went. Here's a very sad picture the Journey section...

I always thought this album sold well, they did a great marketing job and had a special vinyl edition that sold out. I didn't really care for the album and couldn't figure out who was buying it. It looks like Walmart has all of them. Here's another picture at the Van Nuys, California store. The staff decided to dedicate the entire A-M sections to hold their collection of the "Eclipse" album.

Obviously Journey's popularity has dwindled a bit since the Steve Perry days. I'm not even sure they play any new music at their shows. "Eclipse was released in 2011 and Journey hasn't released a new song since. Maybe the thinking is why bother putting out new music if nobody will buy it and it just sits on the shelves. Maybe if we got serious and wrote some more great songs in the old style. The album "Revolution" was a huge hit because it had good music in their old style. It even had sub-standard versions of their old hits re-recorded with Arnel Pineta's voice on a separate CD, along with a DVD of one of Arnel's first shows with Journey. It didn't need any of the extra stuff, it was a solid album. Then they followed up with this. A shame really.

Journey's Concert Ticket Evolution Through Time part 9, Freedom

By 2008 Neal Schon has a new wife and she too likes the internet. She happened across a guy named Arnel Pineda singing some of Journey's hits. Arnel soon becomes Journey's new lead singer and the band re-records 11 of Journey's top singles. This was done for financial reason to cut Steve Perry out of some royalties. The songs lack anything new and are just not as good, then you add a soundalike voice and the results are what you'd expect.

The first album with Journey's new singer is called Revelation. It's the first non-Perry Journey album to actually be really good. This one has some great songs that could have well been a follow up to Frontiers back in 1985. Finally Journey had some good songs to incorporate into the set so it wasn't only just the old greatest hits list. In 2011 Journey released the "Eclipse" album that was over-hyped and under-performed in sales and radio play. The "eclipse" tour of 2011-2012 were the first signs that Arnel's vocals too were starting to wear.

Former Member Steve Smith comes on again as Journey's drummer starting in 2016. Steve Smith was a member from 1979 though 1997 so it's been almost 20 years without him. There is only one more old member they need back in the lineup and that would be Steve Perry. One day it will happen and there will be sold out shows across america once again. The question is when.

Ticket Prices are roughly $50.00 in 2008 and they reach a whopping $129.00 in 2016 to See Journey with Steve Smith and Santana together. This is an absolute outrage. No wonder Journey can't get back in the limelight, the audience can't afford to go to the shows!

June 17, 2008 - Hammersmith Apollo. London, England

July 27, 2008 - Superpages.com Amphitheatre. Dallas, TX

March 26, 2011 - Arena Movistar. Santiago, Chile

July 21, 2012 - San Manuel Amphitheatre. San Bernardino, CA

October 30, 2012 - Barclays Center. Brooklyn, NY

March 14, 2015 - MidFlorida Credit Union at FL State Fairgrounds. Tampa, FL
Steve Miller Band, Tower Of Power

April 16, 2016 - PPL Center - Allentown, PA - Santana

Journey's Eclipse video blog about the American and Japanese Versions.

In this week's video blog, I discuss both the American and the Japanese versions of Journey's last Studio Album, "Eclipse".

I show both Album covers as well as discuss the difference between the two.

Neal Schon has said that this album is like "Journey on steroids."
Let this be a lesson to you, stay off drugs!

The album was released on May 24, 2011, and has been the last release from Journey...