Journey – Live In Manila

Back in 2007 at the height of a thirty year career, Journey, one of the all-time great rock bands found themselves without a singer. What followed next, frankly you couldn’t make it up.

Scouring Youtube late one night Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon found Arnel Pineda, lead singer of the Filipino cover band ‘The Zoo’, they flew him over, auditioned him for a week, and then offered him the job.

This dvd ‘Live In Manila’ is very much a homecoming for Arnel, and captures Journey in concert in front of 30,000 people.

The concert runs in total for about two and a half hours, and give the fans exactly what they want, a “greatest hits” package with a couple of new tracks from the then recently released ‘Revelation’ album, “Change For The Better” and “Turn Down The World Tonight”

For those fans who thought Steve Perry could never be replaced, just have a listen to “Faithfully”, this is one outstanding performance, and proof if needed, that after a few false starts (Steve Augeri and Jeff Soto)  Journey had finally found their man.

Journey as a whole however have strength in numbers, as Drummer Deen Castronovo proves when he takes lead vocals on “Keep on Runnin'”, “Mother Father” and “Still They Ride”. Neil Schon though is undeniably the driving force behind Journey as he trades riff with Keyboardist Jonathan Cain before launching into blistering solos, especially on the brooding menacing ‘Edge Of The Blade’.

The DVD was filmed in 4K and the sound quality is equally as impressive, the camera picking out each musician and allows them to shine without to many fast edits.

Off course no Journey concert would be complete without what is now probably one of the most famous songs in the world, both helped by, and totally ruined by that god awful tv programme Glee, “Don’t Stop Believin’. Arnel does a sterling job on this and follows it up on ‘Anyway You Want It’.

A triple encore brings the night to a close on what must have been a very emotional night for Arnel.

Originally released on DVD in 2009, Journey ‘Live In Manila’ is now being reissued on DVD, Blu-ray and as a DVD+2CD set. This is the first time the Blu-ray has been released outside of North America and the first time the audio has been available anywhere in the world [Cat Nos EREDV1247, ERBRD5298 and EAGDV066 respectively]. ‘Live In Manila’ is released on 9 September 2016. This is a must-have for any Journey fan.

1) Intro Medley: The Journey (Revelation) / Majestic   2) Never Walk Away   3) Only The Young   4) Ask The Lonely   5) Stone In Love   6) Keep On Runnin’   7) After All These Years   8) Change For The Better   9) Wheel In The Sky   10) Lights   11) Still They Ride   12) Open Arms   13) Mother, Father   14) Wildest Dream   15) When You Love A Woman   16) Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)   17) What I Needed   18) Edge Of The Blade   19) Where Did I Lose Your Love   20) Escape   21) Faithfully   22) Don’t Stop Believin’   23) Any Way You Want It   24) Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’   25) Turn Down The World Tonight   26) Be Good To Yourself   27) Credits: The Journey (Revelation)