The Pretenders opening for Journey (-Steve Perry, obviously)?!?!?

Actually the Pretenders have two albums that are leagues better than anything that Journey has put out.

 

Pretenders are a kick ass rock band.

Journey is not a kick ass rock band.

 

While it might seem like an odd pairing, old classic rocks bands teaming up for these kind of joint tours is pretty much the norm nowadays, and you often get pairings (or more) that do not seem as natural as others might, but that probably brings in more fans. And Journey is obviously a much bigger draw nowadays than the Pretenders, so them getting the top billing is what I would have expected. I have never seen either, so I wouldn't mind seeing this tour even with the current lineups, but I suspect the price will be well out of range for what I would be willing to pay.

 

Your opinion of this pairing is likely dependent upon whether you view The Pretenders as the preeminent early '80s indie act.....or whether you view The Pretenders as a washed-up four-hit wonder.

 

Smart idea, attracts fans of both bands. Better than playing county fairs.

 

It's because Perry was the voice of Journey, so the music sounds very different without him. If they had a different bassist, no one would care.

 

This question encapsulates the cluelessness of this entire thread. Journey has seen a steady return to popularity for many, many years and has been headlining arenas once again for most of the 2010s.

They release new albums. They’re a band. They were always vastly more popular than the Pretenders and continue to be so. The OP and anyone who agrees with him is on crack if they suddenly expect the concert promotion business to operate any differently than it ever has.

This is like complaining that Graham Parker isn’t headlining Bonnaroo.

 

i have no issue with the paring, i'm just surprised they (either of them or combine) could do an arena tour at this juncture of their career

just out of curiosity, can Pineda still hit those Perry notes at age 52 (another surprise) ?? that would be impressive if he still can...

 

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I'd pay for that kind of tech, but without cuts to the street below.

 

Of course, you picked the one member people would least care about, but if Neal Schon was missing, people would care. They wouldn’t even have a band. And guess what, audiences don’t seem to care that Perry is not there. They pack the arenas anyway.

 

I remember that brief period when Jeff Scott Soto did some live shows. At the time, I was hoping they’d keep him and take Journey in a different direction. I like pre-Perry Journey and I thought it would be interesting to reinvent the band with JSS for a different phase of the band.

Obviously, they didn’t do that and turns out they were right. People want to hear the classics sung pretty much the way they remember them. Arnel is no Steve Perry, but he gets close enough that the band has carried on pretty well over the years. Most people don’t seem to mind judging by how well the tours seem to go. And at the end of the day, ticket sales usually tell the story of whether something is working or not.

And as someone who has seen the band with and without Ross, I am one of those who would miss him on bass, but I am admittedly in a very (probably very very very) small group that likely consists of me, a few others, and members of his family.

 

Chrissie's gotta eat!

 

You would think so, but it hasn’t worked out that way. People love Journey and will pay high prices to attend arena shows (or more astonishing - stadiums with Def Leppard). Meanwhile, Steve Perry releases his first new music in 24 years to what might best be described as a collective yawn.

I saw the Pretenders a few years back at the Singapore F-1 Grand Prix. They received a terrible slot, playing a small stage right before the race, when most people are lined up to buy beer or watching the pre-race festivities. There was only a small crowd watching, but Chrissie was working hard and seeming to savor every bit of applause.

Compared to flying 16 hours to play a day set in front of a few hundred people, this gig with Journey must look pretty damn good. I don’t see the problem.

 

Depends on the fair. I used to make the joke about classic bands slipping so far down that they’re stuck playing fairs.

Then I read somewhere that bands often get paid really well for those gigs if it’s actually a big county fair.

Think about your typical fair... overpriced food, rides, etc. If a band draws people who might not normally go, the expectation is that those folks will also buy some overpriced food, rides, etc. So fairs are more than happy to pay a good band fee if they (the fair organization) feel they’ll make even more because of the influx of extra people.

 

Perry could still essentially hit those notes in '95 when he was 46 years old. Yes, the songs were tuned down a half-step, but a half-step is not that much. It's still way out of the average man's range. (I can kind of hit it on a good day, as long as I don't have to sing for more than about 2 minutes, Perry's shows lasted almost 2 hours)

If Schon got the boot but Perry was brought back, I guarantee you people would be happier. Not saying no one cares about Schon, but Perry was always the most visible member of that band.

*20 years. "I Stand Alone" was in 1998.

And Perry's new music got a lot of attention. For instance, he got an interview with Dan Rather.

 

Makes more sense than Journey and Def Leppard.

 

I've seen Santana and Nugent at county fairs in front of decent sized crowds. So yeah, there's money to be made but nothing beats arenas or even smaller venues (Hard Rock Cafe, HOB, etc.) if the band can get those kind of gigs.

 

They're coming to see Johnathan Cain and those songs that he wrote for the band that Steve Perry fronted. Those songs sold like hotcakes 4/5 of the band are on speaking terms and still playing to thousands of people at every gig. Just show up and play. It shouldn't work but it does because life is 95% just showing up.

Heh heh.. I'd pay to see Chrissie Hynde segue from I'll Stand By You into Faithfully while thousands wave cigarette lighters. Then have Journey turn Precious or Tattooed Love Boys into a 70s fusion Return to Forever style jam that ends in a 10 minute coda that would make Jan Hammer blush!!!

 

Hey the Pretenders could stay home and just have Chrissie Hynde show up and Journey would have no problem with anything the Pretenders have to play. That would be a killer show too!!! I'd love to have Chrissie Hynde sing lead on All I Ever Wanted by Santana. Can you just imagine those velvet tones of Neal Schon's guitar bathing all those Learning to Crawl tunes!!! I'm glad the Pretenders got a nice opening gig here but the possibilities are endless!!!

 

I watched this interview with Chrissie and Stevie just last night. That might've been a good live show that I missed.

 

Cool move by Chrissie. Pisses off all right people. All the rock snobs who hate Journey. Perfrct punk move to piss off everyone for your own choice. Rock n roll baby. They played with ZzTop too. That wouldn't go over to same either. I love em all.

Rock on Chrissie ! F em

 

Huey Lewis had more hit than Elvis Costello and would quite possibly draw better.

 

Huey Lewis has some rare neurological condition and can no longer sing.

 

Strange, then, that he’s got a new album coming out in 2020 and recently released the first song from it.

 

Huey Lewis Opens Up About Inner Ear Disorder Keeping Him ...https://www.nbcwashington.com › entertainment › entertainment-news › Hu...