Journey Distant Eyes CD

Live in Japan March 2, 1983

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Journey at the Los Angeles Forum 1983

 Journey played at the Los Angles Forum for 5 days in 1983! It was August 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th!

Sold Out all 5 days!! 

I share my T-shirt from the event with you now...

I went to the concert for all five days. I always thought it was 5 nights in a row, but this shows that there was a break on August 8th. This was the last time that I saw Steve Perry in concert. (The next time was in person, but that's for another day). I took 5 different friends to the concert. This concert was a huge deal in 1983. I did have some trouble finding people to go with me as my friends were all into new wave, certainly not Journey. Then everyone wanted to go once they played the first night. I was turning people away by the last night.

Here's a copy of my tickets for the first night. $15.00 was a lot of money in 1983, especially for a 20 year old.

Merry Christmas from Herbie Herbert and Journey 1983 Journey Force Christmas Card

Journey was as big as they ever got in 1983! They were the biggest band in America with sold-out shows all across the World! It looked like nothing could stop them, they were getting bigger and bigger, selling more and more records. Journey was constantly on television talk shows as well ad radio shows and interviews.

Between the years of 1981 and 1983, the three albums released, "Captured", "Escape", and "Frontiers" were their three biggest selling albums to date. It's no wonder that after these three years of grueling hard work that they would want to take a break. Who knows what could have been accomplished by 1985 had everything kept on track. They might have actually reached "Freedom". That's the name that was supposed to be the next album set for release in 1985. It probably would have meant Freedom from Columbia Records, Freedom to be on their own, Freedom to do whatever they wanted. 

This is the last of the original Christmas Cards sent to Journey Force members. I remember receiving this, the third year in a row. In a way, it had become expected by now and not quite as exciting. It's still a great treat to receive a Card every year from The Journey Force. This one shows what the stage show looked like during the "Frontiers Tour"...

Happy Holidays from WHEEL IN THE SKY

Journey Force Publicity Photo of Jonathan Cain of Journey 1984

Keyboardist/songwriter Jonathan Cain found success in a series of bands ranging from Journey to the Babys and Bad English. Born in Chicago on February 26, 1950, he first emerged fronting the Jonathan Cain Band, which issued one LP, Windy City Breakdown, on the Bearsville label in 1977. A year later Cain replaced keyboardist Mike Corby in the British band the Babys, which scored the hits "Isn't It Time" and "Every Time I Think of You." When the group disbanded in 1981, Cain joined Journey prior to their breakthrough hit Escape, and remained in the band until they broke up after 1986's Raised on Radio. Two years later, he and Journey guitarist Neal Schon teamed with ex-Babys frontman John Waite in Bad English, which scored a pair of major hits -- "When I See You Smile" and "Price of Love" -- before calling it quits in 1991. Cain resumed his solo career with 1995's Back to the Innocence and Piano With a View; after rejoining Journey for their 1996 reunion effort, Trial By Fire he returned with the solo Body Language in 1997. In 1998 Cain and Neal Schon reformed Journey and continue on today.

This publicity photo is taken during the grueling Frontiers Tour in 1983...

Journey's Concert Ticket Evolution Through Time part 5, New Frontiers

The Frontiers Tour of 1983 was the biggest audience Journey ever brought in. The shows were sold out everywhere! Journey was a household name by this time. Children, teenagers and adults all liked this band! Only the biggest venues in each city were used and the Video Projection that Herbie Herbert created was used again. They were even renting it out to other bands.

The shows were incredible! The band even played an original keyboard instrumental to kick off the shows. It was called "Elmo's Theme. It would also play at the end of the fireworks at the end of the shows. Songs added to the setlist were Neal Schon and Jan Hammer's single "Lies" as well as the Kenny Loggins/Steve Perry hit, "Don't Fight It". The shows became a mostly "Escape" and "Frontiers" with the bands older staples used as encores, like "Any Way You Want It", "Wheel In The Sky", "Lights", and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'".

As Ticketron continued to corner the market, prices were really gauged at this time. Face value of the tickets hadn't gone up this year, but you were very lucky if you could get a ticket for $30.00. Ticket agencies started popping up in malls where you could buy tickets, choose the seats you wanted and paid a huge service fee resulting in tickets costing anywhere from $30.00 to $100.00 per ticket or more. I like to call these places scalping agencies and my favorite was "Good Time Tickets" on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. They seem to always have the best seats.

Oh, Sherry, the band was starting to break at the seams. Steve Perry started using his own transportation, no longer riding with the rest of the band to the shows. The shows themselves were always great and exciting, but they seemed more formulaic. They didn't veer much off the prepared set list. Steve Perry's talking to the audience seemed very much rehearsed and not as authentic as previous tours. The band members were having babies and raising families by this point. The band wanted to slow down and enjoy the success by spending time with their families.

March 2, 1983 - Budokan Hall. Tokyo Japan

April 6, 1983 - Devaney Sports Center, U Nebraska. Lincoln NB - Bryan Adams

April 9, 1983 - Hulman Center. Ind. St. U., Terre Haute, IN - Bryan Adams

April 21, 1983 - The Omni. Atlanta, GA - Bryan Adams

May 2, 1983 - Capitol Center. Largo, MD - Bryan Adams

June 1, 1983 - Market Square Arena, Indianapolis IN - Bryan Adams

June 5, 1983 - Hollander Stadium, Rochester, NY - Bryan Adams

July 16, 1983 - Mid-South Coliseum. Memphis, TN - Bryan Adams

August 5, 1983 - Los Angeles Forum. Los Angeles, CA - Bryan Adams

August 7, 1983 - Los Angeles Forum. Los Angeles, CA - Bryan Adams

The "Frontiers" album had two shining tracks suddenly removed before it went into mass production and replaced with lesser songs. "Ask The Lonely", and "Only The Young" were held back and later used in movie soundtracks.

Journey Force publicity photo of Steve Perry of Journey in 1984

Here's a great 8X10 publicity shot of Steve Perry of Journey. This was released in 1984 and was from The Frontiers Tour of 1983.

After a few failed attempts at music as a career, Perry was ready to give up until he was given the chance to audition for Journey. They hired Perry and the rest is, well, you know, history. Journey now had a great vocalist – radio success was on the way. Journey’s first album with Perry as lead vocalist was the 1978 release "Infinity," which Journey had its first two charting singles and an album that reached #21 on the Billboard charts. Perry’s place was now solidified.

Perry would go on to record six more studio albums as a vocalist for Journey. Album sales would skyrocket and singles would continue to make their way up the charts. With Steve Perry as a vocalist, Journey sold over 41 million albums worldwide.

In 1983, Kenny Loggins released a duet with Steve Perry called “Don’t Fight It.” The song reached #17 on the Billboard charts. This was probably the first sign of Perry wanting to do something outside of Journey. Later that year Journey would release the album Frontiers. Perry would tour with Journey in support of this excellent album. The tour ran through 1983.

Journey Force Neal Schon 8X10 Publicity Photos from Frontiers 1983

Neal Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the bands Journey and Santana. He is Journey's last original constant member, having participated in every album and tour to date. He was also part of Schon & Hammer, Bad English, Soul CirkUS, Abraxas Pool, Hagar-Schon-Aaronson-Shrieve, and was also an original member of Hardline.

Neal was born on February 27, 1954 at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, United States and started Journey in 1973 with Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, and Herbie Herbert.

Here is a great Publicity photo from 1983's Frontiers Tour. These were available through The Journey Force in 1984.

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Admired and respected by his fans as well as his peers. Neal Schon is the quintessential rock guitarist, capable of playing anything and everything. Turning down an opportunity to perform with Eric Clapton, Neal joined Santana instead and then went on to become one of the founding members of Journey. His collaborations with Jan Hammer and Sammy Hagar have broadened his musical horizons, while helping to enhance his creative growth in Journey.

The Journey Force 1984 Publicity Photos of Drummer Steve Smith

Steve Elliott Smith was born on August 21, 1954 in Whitman Massachusetts. While drumming for Ronnie Montrose in 1978 Journey asked him to become their new drummer.

Steve Smith joined the band and first played on October 1, 1978 at Automatt Studios in San Francisco. This was called Super Jam II with Tower of Power, Stoneground and Tommy Johnson.

Steve Smith has been in the Band Journey from 1978-1985, 1995-1997, 2016. He was part of the hit making machine of the 1980's.

Here are some Publicity Photos from 1984 showing Steve doing what he does best!

Steve "Machine Gun" Smith is one of those unique individuals blessed with perpetual energy. He replaced original Journey drummer Aynsley Dunbar in 1979, and has been a mainstay ever since. His work with Vital Information has allowed him to pursue new musical directions in the field of Jazz - but after witnessing one of Journey's live performances. There can be little doubt that Steve is truly one of music's premier Rock drummers.

Journey 1983 Frontiers Tour Book - Making and Breaking Records

The last three pages of the Frontiers Tour Book starts with a double page thanking the road crew on one side and Journey's biggest albums artwork on the other.

JOURNEY Making and Breaking Records;

The Frontiers Tour was a huge success. Until this point Journey had been working hard touring and making albums that they decided to take a break after the tour.

This is the first time that the band had ever stopped after a tour, they usually would go right back into Studio to record another album.

We take a moment to reflect on where we've been and where we came from. What started as a little jazz fusion band in 1973 had become the biggest Rock and Roll Band in America!


...and then there was the back cover;

Journey's 1983 Frontiers Tour Book makes an Escape

The next pages in the 1983 Tour Program from Journey's Frontiers Tour is an ad for the Data Age Video Game "Journey Escape"

The ad is by Data Age, the makers of the Journey Escape Video Game released in 2 formats. The most popular was the Atari Video Game System, but this was also released for Sears' Tele-Games Video Arcade which I have never heard of.

This is one of the rare ads for this game. The game was released in 1982. It was based on Journey's Escape album. The idea of the game is that you try to help the band Escape.

I've also included a link to a play-through video of the game. This takes you quickly through all stages of the game.

ESCAPE VIDEO GAME

Click below for the original 1982 TV commercial for the Journey Escape Game;

ESCAPE GAME COMMERCIAL

Concluded next week...

Journey's 1983 Frontiers Tour Continues with Photos Of Steve Perry and Neal Schon

Journey's 1983 Frontiers Tour Continues with Photos Of Steve Perry and Neal Schon.

The next five pages show some great Close-Up photos of Steve and Neal starting with the shot of Steve on the bus. There's also a great shot of Neal singing and having a go with his Guitar. We end with two shots of Steve, the last being the famous camel toe shot where he's pointing to the sky.

Neal was of course a founding member of JOURNEY back in 1973. It was 1978 that Steve Perry stole Robert Flieshman's job as Lead Singer in the band. It was a great move as JOURNEY was on top of the World by this time in 1983!

Continued Next Week...

Journey 1983 Frontiers Tour Book continues on (part IV)

Part IV of the Journey 1983 Frontiers Tour Book continues this week with more pictures of the members of the band!

The Frontiers Tour is time that I had two tickets to all five nights at the Los Angeles Forum. Being able to take five different people each night to see my favorite band while I was 19 years old was incredible. 

I was able to tell Steve Perry that I saw him live at the Forum five nights in a row once and he went on to tell me that his mother was sick at the time, so that tour was kind of a blur to him.

The next five pages of the Tour Program shows excellent shots of Jonathan Cain and Ross Valory. There's also some nice shots Neal Schon, Ross Valory, Jonathan Cain, and Steve Smith...

Continued Next Week...

Journey's 1983 Frontier's Tour Book Part IV with Centerfold Poster

There are two posters from the 1983 Frontiers Tour Program featured this week. The Frontiers Tour was a grueling 8 months around the World and back again. When the Tour was over Steve Perry started working on his first solo album, "Street Talk" while Steve Smith went back to record with his other band "Vital Information". Neal always had side projects and he really expanded on them during this time. 

This is the first time "Journey" didn't work on new songs during their Tour, they concentrated on the solo projects which kept delaying any work on a new album for far too long.

The first poster is a great shot of the band on Tour. It doesn't even matter that Steve Smith is just an added shot in the corner. Way back in the dark, Ross Valory ended up having the least flattering shot of the group.

This next one is the Centerfold Poster. It's an excellent shot of the band playing. There are also insert shots of each member of the band. It would seem that Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain never change their shirts on Tour.

Continued next week...

Journey's 1983 Frontiers Tour Book Program part III

This week's edition of the 1983 Frontiers Tour Book is the next 5 pages of band pictures starting with full shot of Steve Perry, the remaining Steve we need back in the band!

The Frontiers album was released on February 22, 1983 and if it wasn't for Michael Jackson's Thriller being released on 2-26-1983, Journey would have had another #1 album in the USA! Instead, Journey had to settle for #2.

The album spawned 4 singles in 1983 and was certified 6 times Platinum by the year 1997. Also included are mini bios for Steve Smith and Neal Schon...

Journey's 1983 Frontiers Tour Book Program continues

Part II of the Frontiers Tour Book from 1983 contains 5 pictures. There is one each of all the band members. These have some sort or heat recognition posterization going on.

By now Journey is exhausted after the grueling 2 year Escape Tour and creating the "Frontiers" album. Somehow they were able to pull off an album that was an excellent follow up for "Escape".

By now, it was a machine, a hard working, well oiled machine.

Continued next week.

Journey Frontiers 1983 Tour Program Book Cover

Journey's Frontiers Tour began on February 22, 1983 in Nagoya Japan. That same night the Frontiers Album was released in the U.S.A. The first U.S. Date was on March 28, 1983 in Seattle Washington. The tour continued until September 6, 1983 where the last date was played in Honolulu Hawaii at the Blaisdell Arena.

The Cover of the giant Tour Book is a solarized blue and red version of the Frontiers Album Cover depicting Elmo's Head.

The next two pages included this week are combined so that it can also be used as a poster. If possible I'll create a text file of what's printed on the left and post it next week.

For the next few weeks I will be posting the entire tour book, so stay tuned....