documentary about band journey

JOURNEY: New Documentary 'A Voice Lost...And Found' To Premiere On REELZ This Weekend

"Journey: A Voice Lost...And Found" will premiere on Reelz on Sunday, June 25 at 9 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. PDT.

The official program synopsis: JOURNEY dominated the American music scene in the 1970s and 1980s with their epic arena rock anthems and power ballads. Frontman Steve Perry was dubbed "The Voice" thanks to the untouchable vocal stylings that burned up the radio waves and made him a household name. But the bigger JOURNEY became the more miserable Perry grew. He was the rare rock superstar who craved anonymity more than applause.

Then at the height of the band's success Perry did the unthinkable quitting JOURNEY . That alone should've been an absolute death knell for a band so defined by a single voice. But JOURNEY 's other longtime members refused to give up the dream and brought in a new singer to keep the music going.

Fans were livid that anyone would dare to try to fill Perry 's shoes. Shows were played in empty houses and threats were even made against the band. When that replacement singer didn't work out desperation forced the band to turn to YouTube for the most unlikely inspiration.

JOURNEY members Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo are joined by former members Jeff Scott Soto and Narada Michael Walden , as well as SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk and former JOURNEY producer Kevin Elson to tell the band's amazing tale.

"Journey: A Voice Lost...And Found" is produced by AMS Pictures .

Reelz is available in more than 40 million homes on DIRECTV (238), DISH Network (299), Verizon FiOS TV (692HD), AT&T U-verse (799/1799HD) and Xfinity , Spectrum , Optimum , Mediacom , Peacock , Philo , Freecast , DIRECTV Stream , Dish Sling and many other cable systems and major streaming services nationwide. Find Reelz in your area by visiting www.reelz.com .

Owned by Hubbard Media Group , Reelz is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico with national ad sales based in New York City with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Sadly I don't have Reelz as I use YouTube TV, if there is anyone who can work out how to make a .mov .mkv .mv4 .MP4 or otherwise of this show, please DM me, I would LOVE to see it since I'm in it!! 🙏🤘😘 https://t.co/LpLHhO0i6F — Jeff Scott Soto (@jeffscottsoto) June 23, 2023

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Movie Reviews

'everyman's journey': don't believe everything you hear.

Scott Tobias

Arnel Pineda's journey from obscurity to international fame as the new frontman for the rock band Journey is the narrative thread that drives Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey. Cinedigm Entertainment Group hide caption

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

• Directors: Ramona S. Diaz
• Genre: Documentary
• Running Time: 113 minutes

With: Arnel Pineda, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain

Some bands are born of passion and deep camaraderie, a collective desire to rebel against authority — or at least to look cool. Others are born because a major label threatens to drop them if they don't find a lead vocalist.

It's possible that Journey started as the former before morphing into the latter. Most people know the band as the hit-making arena rockers responsible for "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Faithfully" and other songs you danced to at your cousin's wedding. But before Steve Perry's soaring voice and lustrous hair launched them into the '80s stratosphere, Journey was a Bay Area jam band, turning out technically proficient prog rock with a jazz-fusion bent. When CBS Records demanded they change course after their first two albums flopped, they reinvented themselves as a pop act with Perry at the center.

The chart-topping Journey of the early '80s — Perry, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith — was only good for a few years, plus a reunion or two, but the nostalgia tours haven't stopped in the three decades since. Journey minus Steve Perry may sound unthinkable to some, but the core group of Schon, Cain and Valory has forged on with a succession of new lead singers and session players and a few modest-selling albums to tour behind. The question of artistic legitimacy post-Perry doesn't matter: Journey is a cash register that never stops ringing.

The thin documentary Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey tells the remarkable rags-to-riches story of the band's latest vocalist, Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer whose uncanny cover of "Faithfully," posted on YouTube , caught Schon's attention one night. After eight years with Steve Augeri as frontman — a period that ended with a throat infection and accusations that the band was piping in pre-recorded vocals — and an aborted attempt to recruit Jeremey Hunsicker, the lead singer of a Journey cover band, Schon and company were desperate for a viable frontman. In the wake of The Sopranos ' series finale, which famously (and notoriously) ended with "Don't Stop Believin' " pumping through a diner jukebox, the time was ripe for a world tour. And with Pineda, they wound up hitting the jackpot.

Journey takes a pragmatic-old-pros approach to integrating its new lead singer; though Don't Stop Believin' emphasizes Pineda's rags-to-riches story, it's clear from the film that the band's main goal is the continuity of its business and brand. Cinedigm Entertainment Group hide caption

Journey takes a pragmatic-old-pros approach to integrating its new lead singer; though Don't Stop Believin' emphasizes Pineda's rags-to-riches story, it's clear from the film that the band's main goal is the continuity of its business and brand.

The disparity between Journey's mercenary nature and Pineda's inspiring triumph over adversity comes through starkly in Everyman's Journey , but director Ramona S. Diaz doesn't seem conscious of it. She gets terrific footage of Pineda's rough initial studio sessions with the band, when he struggled to harness his voice, and of his first night on tour in Chile, where the adrenaline rush of performing before thousands of screaming fans had him zipping wildly around the stage. But in both cases, Journey members and management take a coolly analytical view of Pineda's flaws: His excitement is getting in the way of the pristine vocals the band (and its fans, presumably) has come to expect.

Sticking close to Pineda, Diaz hears heartbreaking stories of his broken family and deep poverty, including a period where he slept in a public park and literally sang for his supper. Had a fan not spent hours in an Internet cafe uploading grainy videos to YouTube, Pineda might still be belting out covers in the lounges of Manila, so he's understandably thunderstruck by the opportunity when Schon contacts him from out of the blue.

It's a dream come true — but it comes with a set of anxieties, too: Perry's shoes wouldn't be easy for any singer to fill, but for a poor young man from an underdeveloped country, the expectations of the band — and those of thousands of skeptical fans — are difficult to bear. Everyman's Journey glances at some of Pineda's problems on the tour, from a pesky cold to bouts of homesickness to the ugly specter of racist Journey fans, but it papers over them too quickly. Diaz insists on selling Pineda's promo-friendly myth at the expense of the richer, more complicated story of a dreamer who learns to become the durable professional his bandmates expect.

It's a cold-blooded business — and all sentiment aside, it's clear that Pineda is as replaceable as anyone.

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Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

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Rent Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

An energetic but thin portrait of the venerable rock band Journey, Don't Stop Believin' gets a boost from new singer Arnel Pineda's charming personality.

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“Well-chronicled and fascinating, Don’t Stop Believin’ is a cinematic journey well worth taking.”

—usa today.

Now in Theaters and On Demand

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

Don't stop believin': journey's neal schon on finding a fron.

Journey band member Neal Schon describes how he discovered their newest member, Arnel Pineda, on YouTube, in this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Don't Stop Believin'.

Previews + Extras

Don't Stop Believin': How a Fan Video Led to a Real Life Roc

S14 E18 - 1m 57s

Arnel Pineda tells the story of how a fan's video shot in the Philippines led to his being invited to join the band Journey, , in this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Don't Stop Believin'.

Don't Stop Believin': Journey's Arnel Pineda Recalls His Deb

S14 E18 - 2m 41s

Journey frontman, Arnel Pineda describes what his debut performance with the band was like. , in this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Don't Stop Believin'.

Don't Stop Believin' - Preview

S14 E18 - 30s

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey follows the real life rock ‘n’ roll fairy tale of Filipino Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the front man for iconic American rock band Journey.

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Journey Recount Singer’s Wild Ride in ‘Don’t Stop Believin” Doc

By Steve Appleford

Steve Appleford

It’s never been easy to replace the singer of a hugely popular rock band. After Steve Perry left Journey in 1998, the platinum-selling Bay Area act moved on with a series of vocalists to varying degrees of success, but it wasn’t until guitarist Neal Schon landed at an obscure video on YouTube late one night that he knew he’d found his man — in Manila.

See Journey and 14 Other Bands That Hired New Lead Singers

The voice singing Journey hits in the lo-fi video belonged to Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer who grew up in poverty and sang in local cover bands with no expectations of rock stardom. All Schon knew was that the guy sounded just like Perry, and he soon had Pineda on a plane to San Francisco to audition for the gig in late 2007. Months later, Pineda made his debut as the band’s new singer in front of 20,000 fans at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile. “He’s a clutch hitter, this kid,” guitarist Jonathan Cain tells Rolling Stone . “He comes through.”

The story of Pineda’s dramatic first year in the band is told in the documentary Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey , which is set to air September 30th on the PBS series Independent Lens . Directed by Ramona Diaz, the film won raves at festival screenings last year and will be released August 20th on DVD and Blu-ray.

Pineda’s first year was a grueling trial for the singer, whose dream gig came with the physical challenge of international touring and the expectations of Journey fans as he ran through an FM radio hit parade of “Faithfully,” “Any Way You Want It” and “Who’s Crying Now.” He faced moments of loneliness, stage-fright and genuine racism, but still remains with the band after six years, and will be back on the road when Journey tours next year with the Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power.

He has yet to meet Perry, but knows what he’d say if that encounter ever happened, and without a hint of sarcasm: “Can I have your autograph?”

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In Los Angeles, Pineda, Schon, Cain and bassist Ross Valory spoke with Rolling Stone about the documentary and Journey’s new era as a truly international rock act.

The lead singer position is historically a very hard spot to fill. Neal Schon: There were guys being pitched to us — people in L.A. and New York that have been doing the classic rock thing for a long time — and I really was not moved by it. I was looking for some serious talent, somebody that we could move forward with — and have serious pipes and go in new directions with us as well as cover our old stuff very well. When I found Arnel, I went, “That’s the guy.” I’d never heard any singer cover that broad of a spectrum. He’ll do Nat King Cole for you right now, and you’ll go no way. Sing for him, Arnel. . .

Arnel Pineda: [ Singing ] Unforgettable, that’s what you are . . .

It seems like a crazy idea to find your singer that way from across the world. Schon: I didn’t think it was that crazy. Everybody was concerned that he was in Manila and does he speak English? I’d go, “I just watched 40 videos and he’s singing all songs that are in English. If he doesn’t speak good English, he can always learn.”

Jonathan Cain: Ironically, the Internet proved to be a friend. When Arrival first came out [in 2001], Napster stole the album. We spent a ton of money flying to New York making this record only to have it up there for fans to get it for free, so I hated the Internet. Then it comes around to serve us well in the future. It’s quite a tool and for us it was a blessing.

What was it like for you to suddenly be immersed in Journey’s world? Pineda: It was my world being turned upside down — but in a good way, a fantastic way. I’m still in disbelief. I’m in front of thousands of people singing all these songs that I listened to when I was 18 years old. Now I’m with the big boys and it’s such a blessing. It’s one in a million.

Schon: He brings it. He sings his heart out every night, and it’s not an easy menu. Our songs are so difficult to sing. It’s going on six years now and we’ve toured a lot.

What was it like as a new performer to be faced with all the pressure that comes with playing to large audiences? Pineda: I had to give up a lot of foods that I’m accustomed to eating: dairy products, beer, wine, spicy food. And no talking. I like talking. It’s become a luxury to last even through a 10-minute talk with you. I have to go back to my room and my silence — until the next gig happens.

Journey's Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon Reach Resolution in Long Legal Battle

Do stop believin': fake steve perry scams ohio woman out of $122,000, steve perry signs to new label, contemplates solo tour: 'i miss it terribly'.

Was there another downside to having this all happen at once? Pineda: I get really homesick inside. I would miss my life with my wife.

Schon: In the very beginning, we threw him in the fire, no doubt about it. I remember we’re getting ready to go on in Viña del Mar and it’s sold out and it’s live to 25 million people all over South America. Arnel is like, two seconds before we go on: “Can I go home? I don’t want to go out.” It was fear and loathing to the max, but then he went out and he went for it and the audience went nuts.

How nervous were you? Pineda: I was terrified to death. It took years, but I survived it. I’m still here.

Other bands have tried to replace a popular singer with an unknown and failed. Cain: It is rare that the audience goes with you like that.

Schon: The good news is that when he came in, it was a breath of fresh air for all of us and every scenario that went with it. All of a sudden, instead of us being a band from the U.S.A., we became a worldwide band. We’re accepted worldwide everywhere we went with him in markets we were never accepted before. There’s always going to be the naysayers who cant live with anything but exactly what it was from the beginning. You can’t please everyone.

In the film, it shows that some of the early reactions were very negative, even racist. How did you deal with that? Pineda: I just didn’t bother to get intimidated with those words. I’m not trying to compete with Mr. Perry. I’m trying to help out here. I am so blessed to be in this position, to be the one to carry the legacy.

Cain: Back in ’98, when we started with Steve Augeri [as singer 1998-2006], I was worried about him getting shot. We took a lot of flack. We used to get hate mail. Somebody got my number and would call me: “You son of a bitch!” They were reading us the riot act because how dare us be Journey without Steve Perry?

Schon: It was vicious, man.

Pineda: This is the first time I’ve said this — my wife was so freaked out with all these racist comments that she told me to bring a bulletproof vest: “You might get shot there!”

Because of your history together, you must still have business with Steve Perry. Ross Valory: Steve has been really, really cooperative. He helped produce the greatest hits video. It’s unfortunate we don’t have a physical relationship with him.

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Schon: Working on it though. I have ultimate respect and love for the guy this many years later. I’m getting older, man, and you don’t want to hang onto all the stupid things that you do in your life. You start looking back and I’m cherishing all the good times that we had — and the first time I sat in a room with him and wrote “Patiently” in 10 minutes. The door’s always been open. Arnel’s even open. If he ever wanted to come onstage with us and do a song, we’d be like, “Come on!”

What was your reaction to the documentary? Pineda: I’m so happy that it’s out there. I think it’s going to give a tremendous amount of inspiration for all of these hopeless musicians out there — especially those we will never learn about how fantastic they are. Second, it’s like I’m not supposed to be there — I look at it and it’s an ill fit. But it’s how I look and how I was born, so I’m going to live with it. It’s my journey. I’m so grateful for what’s happened, and it’s still going strong.

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Journey Documentary Film Debuts First Trailer

Arnel Pinada isn't the first cover band singer who's been hired to replace the guy he sounds like -- in fact, as former Judas Priest frontman Ripper Owens would be quick to point out, his story isn't even the first to inspire a movie. However, as the first trailer for the upcoming Journey documentary takes pains to argue, Pineda's tale might be the most inspiring.

After setting the stage for original vocalist Steve Perry 's departure (without ever mentioning him by name), the trailer details the band's search for a replacement -- conveniently skipping over the tenures of Pineda's predecessors, Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto, who kept the band touring and recording between 1998-2007. Those quibbles aside, the trailer for 'Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey' does make an undeniably compelling case for the journey of a Filipino vocalist who, in his own words, "was singing just to survive" until guitarist Neal Schon happened to see a YouTube video of his cover band in action.

"I looked and looked and looked, and I was ready to give up," Schon recalls in the trailer. "I just looked at one last link, and I pushed it, Arnel popped up, singing with his band ... This is too good to be true."

Of course, Pineda's background presented obstacles -- and not just because, as he quips at one point in the trailer, "I'm short...I'm so Asian," but because he was completely unfamiliar with an operation of Journey's size and scope.

"His voice is huge. But can he speak English?" keyboard player Jonathan Cain remembers asking. "How do you take someone from a third world country and throw them into this circus?"

Drummer Deen Castronovo had his own concerns -- as he put it, "What's he gonna look like on stage? He's never played big places." But if you've ever seen an episode of 'Behind the Music,' you know there's an inspirational final act in store, and the trailer hints at it with another quote from an enthusiastic Castronovo, who insists, "Arnel is like David Lee Roth and Bruce Lee put together" before letting out a mock scream.

"I'm speaking to those people who believe in me," Pineda explains at one point, and with a U.S. theatrical run reportedly around the corner, it looks like a safe bet he'll be speaking to more of them soon.

Watch the Trailer for 'Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey'

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• Episode aired Apr 26, 2020

For more than three decades San Francisco rock band Journey has been selling out stadiums around the world; the band began in the early 1970's as a prog-rock outfit, but it's biggest success... Read all For more than three decades San Francisco rock band Journey has been selling out stadiums around the world; the band began in the early 1970's as a prog-rock outfit, but it's biggest success came when lead singer, Steve Perry, joined the band. For more than three decades San Francisco rock band Journey has been selling out stadiums around the world; the band began in the early 1970's as a prog-rock outfit, but it's biggest success came when lead singer, Steve Perry, joined the band.

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Journey: Don't Stop Believin': The Untold Story Paperback – May 1, 2011

• Print length 288 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Omnibus Press
• Publication date May 1, 2011
• Dimensions 6.2 x 0.83 x 9.16 inches
• ISBN-10 1849386579
• ISBN-13 978-1849386579
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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Omnibus Press (May 1, 2011)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1849386579
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1849386579
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 0.83 x 9.16 inches
• #2,696 in Rock Band Biographies
• #3,284 in Rock Music (Books)

About the author

Neil daniels.

Based in the UK, Neil Daniels has written about rock, metal and pop culture for a wide range of magazines, fanzines and websites.

He has penned books on Judas Priest, Robert Plant, Linkin Park, Bon Jovi and Journey, and co-authored Dawn Of The Metal Gods: My Life In Judas Priest & Heavy Metal with original Judas Priest singer/co-founder Al Atkins. His third book on Judas Priest is Rock Landmarks: Judas Priest's British Steel.

His acclaimed series, All Pens Blazing: A Rock & Heavy Metal Writer's Handbook Volumes I & II, collects over a hundred original and exclusive interviews with some of the world's most famous rock and heavy metal scribes. His other duel collection, Rock 'N' Roll Mercenaries - Interviews With Rock Stars Volumes I & II, compiles over sixty interviews with many well-known rock stars and rock writers.

His books have so far been translated into Brazilian, Bulgarian, Czech, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish and Swedish with more foreign titles in the works.

2012 saw the publication of his books on Metallica, Iron Maiden and You Me At Six.

2013/14 saw the release of his books on AC/DC, Pantera, UFO, ZZ Top, Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden.

It's not just rock 'n' roll. Matthew McConaughey – The Biography was published in November 2014 by John Blake Publishing. 2015 saw the release of more film biographies, including actor Martin Freeman and film director J.J. Abrams.

His Createspace books include AOR Chronicles, Rock & Metal Chronicles, Hard Rock Rebels - Talking With Rock Stars, Rock 'N' Roll Sinners - Volumes I, II & III, Rock Bites, Love It Loud and the fictional rock 'n' roll novel, It's My Life, amongst several more weighty tomes. And then there's a book on former American Idol contestant turned Queen frontman Adam Lambert. Also, In A Dark Room - Exploits Of A Genre Fan collects his articles, features and reviews on books, comics, TV and film and is also published by Createspace. His 'Casual Guide' series (also published by Createspace) includes titles on Neal Schon, Bryan Adams, Richie Sambora, Rob Halford and Brian May. Further Createspace works are planned for 2015/16.

His reviews, articles and interviews on music and pop culture have been published in The Guardian, Classic Rock Presents AOR, Classic Rock Presents Let It Rock, Rock Sound, Record Collector, Big Cheese, Powerplay, Fireworks, MediaMagazine, Rocktopia.co.uk, Get Ready To Rock.com, Lucemfero.com, musicOMH.com, Ghostcultmag.com, Drowned In Sound.com, BBCNewsOnline.co.uk, Carling.com, Unbarred.co.uk and Planet Sound on Channel 4's now defunct Teletext service.

He has also written several sets of sleeve notes for Angel Air and BGO Records.

He can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Tumblr. He has author pages on both Amazon US and UK sites. Further details can also be found on Wikipedia.

His primary interests are music, films and books. He has a degree in Film Studies.

His official website is www.neildanielsbooks.com.

Please take some time to check out his latest business venture - an online reselling business called otherrealmscollectibles primarily dealing with action figures, toys and superheroes merch as well as t-shirts, books, CDs and DVDs. Favourites include Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Toy Story and Disney. There are hundreds of items for sale.

Here is the link: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/otherrealmscollectibles/

And here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_name_4?ie=UTF8&asin=B013GMNN8Y&isAmazonFulfilled=1&seller=A20WM3YMHHYSZO

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Customers find the content interesting. They also report minor grammatical missteps and spelling errors. Readers also mention that the biography lacks details of their personal lives.

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Customers find the book interesting, providing answers to questions. They also say the history is well presented and makes them want to learn more.

"...Perry, so you get a biased view of things at times, but it’s really fascinating to read how Infinity came about, as well as Escape, Frontiers and..." Read more

"...Read it in three days. Great history of the band, with lots of interesting information ...." Read more

"If you are a journey fan, this is the book for you. The history is well presented and makes you want to learn more...." Read more

"... This book is interesting as far as what the guys did to try to bring back the magic after SP...." Read more

Customers find the writing quality of the book poor, with minor grammatical and spelling errors. They also say it's hastily written and poorly edited, and reads like a term paper.

"...Other than some minor grammatical missteps and spelling errors ..." Read more

"This book reads like a term paper . It is so dry and full of notations that it's a chore to finish...." Read more

" Apparently hastily written , and poorly edited, this first serious effort at a biography of the beloved American rock band Journey sits somewhere..." Read more

"...I’m not English major but there were many grammatical errors ...." Read more

Customers find the biography lacking in details, saying it's not an authorized biography. They also say the author's stories are not untold and there's no in-depth background on Neal or any analysis on his guitar.

"...It is NOT an authorized biography , but a PR device (as the introduction of the book more or less tells you) and a safe read but not exactly exciting..." Read more

"...I'm sorry I purchased this book...... author stories are not untold !!!.......repeated stories that are well know." Read more

"...Very detailed about the longevity of this band. Not many details of their personal lives , but a good read nontheless." Read more

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Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller Band Revive Classic Rock Staples At LA’s SoFi Stadium [Photos/Videos]

What’s better than an iconic band going on tour to celebrate a milestone anniversary? How about two bands doing that on the same tour? That’s what The Summer Stadium Tour 2024 with Def Leppard and Journey has brought to cities all over America.

Def Leppard has used this legendary go-round to commemorate 40 years since the release of their breakthrough album, Pyromania . For Journey, it’s been a chance to look back at 50 years as a band, albeit without former lead singer Steve Perry on the microphone.

Before either of those acts dove into their respective sets at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, they had Steve Miller Band warm up the fans as they trickled in on a busy Sunday in August.

In many ways, Steve Miller Band was just as much of a headliner as the two other bands on the bill. The San Francisco-based outfit has long been a staple of classic rock radio, and reaffirmed as much with a hit-filled setlist in South Los Angeles.

Right from their usual “Space” introduction, Steve and company plunged headlong into timeless tracks, from “Swingtone” and “Serenade” to “The Stake”. They dialed up the patriotism and psychedelia simultaneously with “Living in the USA” and “Fly Like an Eagle” before dedicating “Abracadabra” to Eminem , who interpolated the top-ten hit in his own recent single, “Houdini”.

From there, Steve Miller Band ramped up with even more unforgettable tunes en route to a phenomenal finish. Whether Steve was “Rock’n Me” or singing about “Jungle Love”, imploring listeners to “Take the Money and Run” or recounting the tale of “The Joker”, seemingly every voice in the house kept up with him, word for word.

Before bidding farewell to LA, Steve shared a story about his godfather, Les Paul . As Miller recounted, the late electric guitar pioneer taught him his first chords. He then proceeded to put that education to fantastic use on “Jet Airliner”, which Steve dedicated to Les.

For most bands, Steve Miller Band would be a tough act to follow, but Journey managed to pull it off, thanks to their own collection of quintessential rock songs. Arnel Pineda , who has been the band’s lead singer since 2007, more than held his own as Steve Perry’s stand-in. Between power ballads like “Ask The Only” and classic rock jams like “Be Good to Yourself”, “Stone in Love”, and “Escape”, the 56-year-old Filipino sensation hit all the right notes with his powerful pipes.

That said, Arnel has some stiff competition among Steve Perry impersonators in the band. Deen Castronovo , Journey’s mostly-on drummer for the last quarter century, burst out with surprisingly fidelitous vocals while banging away to scenes of the Golden Gate Bridge on “Lights”.

“Who’s Crying Now” occasioned a brilliant guitar jam by Neal Schon . The 70-year-old was similarly superlative during a reprise outro on “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”, and showed off his outstanding axemanship on a similarly extended “Wheel in the Sky”.

Not to be outdone, Jonathan Cain gave the crowd some memorable moments, as well, albeit mostly on piano rather than rhythm guitar. The 74-year-old Chicago native tickled out a touching piano solo leading into “Open Arms” and got a mixed reaction to his promotion of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams—on their home turf, no less—before dedicating “Faithfully” to members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

To finish off their time, Journey hit the crowd with a wicked combo of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, and “Any Way You Want It”. Each of those tunes turned SoFi Stadium into a giant karaoke booth, thanks to the sheer passion and purpose with which fans belted out the lyrics alongside Arnel.

No band on the bill, though, rocked harder—or made more use of the massive thrust stage inside SoFi Stadium—than Def Leppard. After a dramatic on-screen countdown, the British hair metal band emerged from plumes of smoke to a Pyromania introduction that fed into “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)”. Lead singer Joe Elliott started exploring the space during “Rocket”, with bassist Rick Savage following suit on “Foolin’”.

By the time the second half of the set came around, the entire band had set up on the thrust—even Rick Allen , who traded in his drum kit for a maraca on “This Guitar”. That track came on the heels of a shortened acoustic version of “Two Steps Behind”, which led into a stadium-wide singing of “Happy Birthday to You” for guitarist Vivian Campbell .

Besides those moments and “Just Like 73” (sans Tom Morello), Def Leppard pulled their setlist almost entirely from Pyromania and Hysteria . From “Armageddon”, “Animal”, and “Love Bites” early on to closing the main set with “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph”, to an encore of “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, the band made sure that their tens of thousands of fans in the building went home happy.

Those opportunities will soon run dry for lovers of classic rock in America. Def Leppard ’s tour with Journey will wrap up with dates in the Pacific Northwest and Denver. As for Steve Miller Band , they will embark on a seven-city tour of their own come late September.

Def Leppard | SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, CA | 8/25/24 | Photos: Josh Martin

Journey | sofi stadium | inglewood, ca | 8/25/24 | photos: josh martin, steve miller band | sofi stadium | inglewood, ca | 8/25/24 | photos: josh martin.

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Music and Concerts | Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller Band: 15…

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Music and concerts | def leppard, journey, steve miller band: 15 things to know if you are going to friday’s petco park concert, the three bands, all rock & roll hall of fame inductees, will provide hits aplenty when they perform on the home field of the san diego padres.

All three bands have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Miller in 2016, Journey in 2017 and Def Leppard in 2019). Between them, they will perform nearly 50 songs (12 by Miller and his band, 16 by Journey, and 18 by Def Leppard, which headlines).

Miller will perform for an hour, while Journey and Def Leppard will each do 90-minute sets. How many of the songs that will be performed were Top 40, Top 10 or chart-topping hits? You may want to use the calculator on your phone to tally up the total.

At last count, the combined number of guitars owned by Miller, Journey’s Neal Schon and Def Leppard’s Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell exceeds 1,000. Schon currently owns 750, give or take, including the 150 he bought during the pandemic shutdown. At last count, Miller owned more than 400.

Of course, a majority of these guitars stay in high-security storage when their owners are embarked on concert tours, but attendees at Friday night’s concert will likely still see enough different guitars played on stage to stock the wing of a museum.

Until then, here’s what you’ll need to know if you are going to the show.

15 Things to Know

1. The concert’s scheduled starting time is 6 p.m. Friday. The Steve Miller Band will open, followed by Journey. Def Leppard will headline.

2. All gates at Petco Park will open at 4:30 p.m. Friday and early arrival is encouraged. No re-entry will be allowed.

3. Padres parking lots will open at noon Friday for concertgoers with pre-purchased passes. Limited day-of parking will be subject to availability. Its name to the contrary, no tailgating will be permitted in Tailgate Park for this concert.

4. Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged.

Prior to the concert there will be regular San Diego Trolley service on the Green and Blue Lines every 15 minutes, or sooner, to the 12th Street & Imperial Avenue Transit Center. The center is located just  steps away from Petco Park. Green Line riders can de-board at the nearby Gaslamp Quarter Station.

Post-concert trolleys from the 12th Street & Imperial Avenue Transit Center will continue every 15 minutes until at least 45 minutes after the concert’s scheduled 10 p.m. conclusion, then every 30 minutes until the last scheduled trips of the night. Additional trips will be provided as needed, according to a Metropolitan Transit Service representative.

• The last Green Line trolley to SDSU and Santee leaves at 11:36 p.m.

• The last Blue Line trolley to UTC leaves at 11:38 p.m.

• The last Blue Line trolley to San Ysidro leaves at 12:07 a.m. Saturday.

• The last Coaster ride from the Santa Fe depot in downtown San Diego to Oceanside departs Friday at 11:40 p.m.

5. All tickets for the concert are digital and can be found in either the MLB Ballpark app or the Ticketmaster app. Details on how to access or transfer your tickets are available online at mlb.com/padres/tickets/mobile/guide

6. Concertgoers with non-field level “seating bowl” tickets may enter at the following gates:

• The Gaslamp Gate, located at the intersection of K Street. and 7th Avenue.

• The East Village Gate, located at the intersection of K Street and 10th Avenue.

• The Park Blvd. Gate, located at the intersection of Park Boulevard and 10th Avenue.

• The Home Plate Gate, located at the corner of Park Boulevard and Tony Gwynn Drive.

7. Concertgoers with tickets for seats on the field — designated as sections A1-A7 and B2-B6 — must enter at the Gaslamp Breezeway, located at the intersection of 7th Avenue and K Street for field access. Those ticket-holders must obtain a specific field-access wristband before they can gain entry to the field level. Field wristbands are available at the Gaslamp Breezeway. Each ticket must be scanned in order for you to receive a wristband for floor access.

Concertgoers with general admission pit tickets — designated as PITSR or PITSL — must enter at the Park Boulevard Gate located on Park Boulevard and 10th Avenue for pit access. Guests with general admission pit tickets will need a specific pit access wristband before entry. Pit wristbands are available upon entry at the Park Boulevard Gate entrance.  Each ticket must be scanned in order to receive a pit wristband.

8. Concertgoers who purchased a suite can enter, starting at 4:30 p.m. Friday, through any of the non-field level “seating bowl” entrances.

9. No outside food or beverages are permitted, including factory-sealed water bottles and reusable water bottles.

10. Petco Park prohibits backpacks and bags, with the exception of single-compartment clear plastic bags not exceeding 12 inches by six inches by 12 inches, infant and medical bags, and clutches and purses no larger than 5 inches by 7 inches.

11. Petco Park offers mobile lockers, located at the Premier Lot near the pedestrian bridge across from the Home Plate Gate. Locker rentals cost $12 and are cashless. The lockers area will remain open for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the concert.

12. Petco Park is a cashless venue. Credit cards, Padres Pay, Google Pay and Apple Pay are accepted at all concessions locations within the ballpark.

13. No professional cameras or selfie sticks are allowed.

14. Petco Park is a smoke-free facility. Use of tobacco, vaping and e-cigarettes is not allowed inside the stadium. Designated smoking areas will be available at each main gate.

15. Bullhorns, gum, frisbees, drones, hover boards, hula hoops, bubble-making devices and Chapstick are among the numerous items that are prohibited at Petco Park concerts. A complete list is available at: mlb.com/padres/tickets/concerts/prohibited-items

Def Leppard, Journey and the Steve Miller Band

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: Petco Park, downtown

Tickets: $105.80-$316.75

Online: ticketmaster.com

Due to incorrect information from Petco Park about Friday's concert by Def Leppard, Journey and the Steve Miller Band, the location for stadium field seat tickets and stage pit tickets was incorrectly listed in the original version of this article. Field ticket sections are A1-A7 and B2-B6; pit ticket sections are PITSR and PITSL.

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Inside ‘Pavements’: How Alex Ross Perry Made an Unprecedented Music Film as Ironic — and Sincere — as the Band Itself

By Ellise Shafer

Ellise Shafer

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When Alex Ross Perry set out to make a film about Pavement , he wanted it to be as absurd as some of the ’90s slacker band’s lyrics. For the indie director, known for “Listen Up Philip” and “Her Smell,” that meant pushing the very boundaries of what a film could be.

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Greene adds that the goal was to deliver a project that felt like flipping on one of Pavement’s five records, released over a short seven-year span between 1992 and the band’s 1999 breakup.

“The band uses all these super self-aware references to other bands and other kinds of music and is super ironic in that way and also deeply sincere at the same time,” Greene says. “And when Alex brought the idea, it was like, that’s exactly what we could do here. We could be ironic and sincere, exactly like what it feels like to listen to a Pavement record.”

Once Perry came on board, the band had been tapped for two 2020 reunion shows at Primavera Sound to mark its 30th anniversary — but then the pandemic happened, and plans were pushed. But it was during what Perry describes as the “COVID vacuum” when the magic really happened and he was able to fully develop his unique approach to the film. Pavement also strangely blew up on TikTok with the “Brighten the Corners” B-side “Harness Your Hopes,” bringing newfound recognition from Gen Z and reigniting love from older listeners. By the time Pavement played its reunion tour in 2022, the band meant something totally different in the cultural zeitgeist.

“When we started talking, these guys hadn’t seen each other in 10 years and they were going to do two shows. And by the time we were filming, there were 40 shows booked and indisputably the biggest tangible success of their career, in a weird way,” Perry says. “Some of these gimmicks that I thought of in 2020 — what if Pavement had a museum, what if Pavement had a musical — were 75% more probable by the time we did them because Pavement meant something so different by 2022.”

One of the most entertaining gimmicks in the film is the biopic of the band, which is presented in meta fashion as the audience sees Keery method-acting as Malkmus and scenes are presented with “for your consideration” pasted over top of them. In addition to Wolff as Spiral Stairs, Fred Hechinger plays all-purpose member Bob Nastanovich, Logan Miller is bassist Mark Ibold and Griffin Newman takes on drummer Steve West.

Perry thought a “treacly, cliché, paint-by-numbers, cookie-cutter Pavement biopic was a funny thing to explore,” and immediately had Keery as Malkmus in mind. Without him involved, Perry says he would have scrapped the concept entirely.

“It just wouldn’t have been worth doing because he’s exactly the guy in the real world, in Hollywood, who would be getting an offer — like when we were doing this, New York Magazine’s website ran fan-casting for a Sublime biopic, and they put Joe in it,” Perry says. “He has too much integrity as an actor to take an offer like that seriously, but he has exactly the right amount of creative curiosity to play that part in quotation marks.”

In fact, Perry says “all these guys are up for these roles for real,” revealing that Wolff was “supposed to be” in James Mangold’s Bob Dylan movie “A Complete Unknown.”

“The whole time we were shooting, every one of them had to at some point duck out to audition for the ‘SNL’ movie, which none of them got,” Perry adds with a laugh. “It just all made perfect sense.”

“What’s a great musical but great melodies and great lyrics? And those are there,” he says. “You can’t see those as clearly in a concert hall because you’re there for a rock show, but when you take these elements apart and you put them back together, it’s like, ‘Oh, these are perfect melodies and perfect lyrics.'”

Kannberg, who attended the musical’s premiere with the rest of the band, says seeing his music translated to the stage gave him a fresh perspective on the songs, even after all these years.

“It had been so long since I listened to Steve’s lyrics and they really stood out, how great they were, and the musical performances made that happen. So I concentrated more on that then, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous,'” he says. “It kind of made sense to me that, yeah, there should be a musical of these songs because they’re great songs. It’s like, why not? Why shouldn’t there be a Pavement musical?”

Now, as the film prepares to premiere at Venice, Pavement is still riding the high of its second act — “Harness Your Hopes” went viral on TikTok once again earlier this year, and the band is playing a headlining slot at Chicago’s Riot Fest next month. Oh, and last year, Malkmus was also name-dropped in a little movie called “Barbie,” which is mentioned in “Pavements” with a sweet scene of the band meeting director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach.

“I would have never in my wildest dreams been like, ‘We’ll get a Malkmus joke in a billion-dollar Hollywood movie,'” Perry laughs. “Like, I never would have even gone that far, but we got that before we finished, so it really helped us out a lot.”

Reflecting on the entire filmmaking process, Perry says: “We said, what if we made a movie where Pavement were so iconic and important to culture at large that they not only get a doc about their reunion, but they get a museum, a musical and a biopic? And by the time we finished this thing, five days ago, they are that, and they’ve been that for two years. And it’s a joke without a punchline now, because that exactly happened in tandem with us making this movie.”

Perry, Greene and the band will be in attendance at Venice, with Greene and Kannberg both bringing their teenage daughters (who are huge Pavement fans).

“I mean, it’s pretty surreal. I knew watching it people would dig it and I don’t know the film world at all,” Kannberg says. “But yeah, I guess when they show the movie in the theater there, I’ll start crying.”

For Perry, premiering at Venice has given him confidence that he accomplished his intention of making a “cinematic film” as opposed to just another rock doc.

Greene adds that premiering at Venice is “just a perfect, unpredictable thing for this film.”

“Everything about this started out as, ‘I don’t know, who the hell knows if that will work but let’s do it, why not?’ And then it becomes this other thing,” he says. “I think going to Venice is just the final step of that.”

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