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Steve Perry - Perry Avoids Bandmates

18 February 2006 14:55

Perry Avoids Bandmates

Former JOURNEY frontman STEVE PERRY refuses to contact his ex-bandmates, because he fears any show of unity will spark rumours they are to reform.

The OPEN ARMS hitmaker is determined to end speculation of a comeback tour, after his brief appearance at his Hollywood Walk Of Fame honouring in January last year (05), triggered hope among fans.

He says, "I showed up because the thought came to me that if anybody deserved to be there, I deserved to be there too.

"One of the things that makes it difficult to have contact with the members is that as a result of going the Star Walk of Fame and showing up at the last minute, some of the members have used that on some of their promotional radio interviews.

"So if there's anything that keeps me from contacting the members it's that it's always turned into something else and I don't to participate in that sort of thing."

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30th June 2010 15:54 perrysluv4ever (1)

	AS I'VE SAID BEFORE ON MANY OTHER SITES, THERE MIGHT OF BEEN A JOURNEY BEFRORE STEVE PERRY BUT NO ONE REALLY KNEW OF JOURNEY TILL STEVE JOINED THEM. HIS VOICE IS WHAT PUT THEIR SONGS ON THE HIT CHARTS. DID JOURNEY BEFORE STEVE HAVE A LOT HITS? AND THIS NEW GUY THEY HAVE AS A FRONT MAN ISN'T NOTHING BUT A MIMIC SINGER. ARNEL CAN IMITATE ANY BAND. HE'S JUST A COVER BAND SINGER. HE CAN'T EVEN HIT THE HIGH NOTES. STEVE PLEASE COME BACK AND SING FOR US. WE LOVE U STEVE

11th November 2006 05:16 angelmuse1 (1)

	I will sum my opinion with this, He wore tails and had jet black hair, He sang "yeh, yeh" like he was riding the wind, and everytime he sang I could not bare, that the song was coming to an end, Steve Perry is his name, and he's my music man, and I'm not going to say I'm your number one fan, because through the years with your distinctive voice,you've brought us all to tears, And even though it's been a long time since you've sang, I know one day on the radio, I'll hear that voice ring, It will take me back to those days gone by, Take me with you steve, I'm ready to fly, On your voice I will sore like a bird, Cause in the end It was your voice I heard.

27th September 2006 13:16 Ross from Prestwick (3)

	Only a few short month ago we were debating Perry and Journey, and the (subsequently successful) UK/ Euro dates. Now the same thorny issues will be raised again with the band having just announced further UK dates for March ’07, and currently touring with yet another singer (see later). But first, back to the band’s limited but well-received recent appearances in the UK - which proved they certainly still have a fan base (check ‘Loyal Brits’ post above as example), but also proved I made the right decision personally… It could have been dubbed the ‘Greatest Hits + 2’ show because every number, other than two from ‘Generations’, came from the 1978 – 1986 period. If this band are so convinced that it’s own musical output works, then it needs more than two new songs to be played - at least half a dozen numbers (including songs from Arrival) should be in the set to push product and promote their current material, surely? No, seeing a band of this calibre resting on its laurels and using its history to put on a show is not for me – but it’s what many go to hear. Fair enough, each to their own. So much for the music, what about ‘The Voice’… Perry may well have lost some of his register and confidence (having not sung in anger for years other than occasional soundtrack and guest vocalist work), but his very presence and voice would change the dynamics dramatically. The presence of Perry and Schon on stage and the ego bubbles that surrounded them (certainly from the Frontiers tour onwards) were so big that it’s a miracle Cain, Valory and Smith could fit on stage. Any friction between them on stage or in the studio (which was actually a positive as they constantly raised each other's game) produced that very fire that cannot be reproduced - without both being part of the entity. Some bands have (or had) a heart and soul, simple as that. However as we all know in 1998 the Journey continued into uncharted waters, but by June of 2006 one fan (initially) was making so many waves that they lost a man overboard… Shortly after the UK and European dates the band headed home to a lucrative nationwide tour with Def Leppard, only for the vocal wars to start again, but this time in a form that nobody saw coming. In June, a post appeared on the melodicrock.com site that alleged the group were guilty of using backing tapes and lip synching the lead vocals, which was of course met with a host of rebuttals and derogatory comments by many fans. The fan who started the internet debate went by the name of ‘Rockndeano’ (and was well known as a genuine Journey fan to those in the internet community and on Journey’s official forum page ‘Back Talk’) and put up his own ‘blog’ page to promote the allegation, and his supporting evidence was staggering… He uploaded a number of song files from previous Journey gigs (bootleg recordings) as well as some from the recently performed Manchester show in the UK, and not only compared the lead vocals to the official live DVD release Live in Las Vegas 2001, but merged a number of the files which clearly seemed to indicate the same lead vocal line was being used. Suddenly, a seemingly ‘provable’ (yet almost inconceivable) controversy was off and running… One accusatory source, and the most damning, was a post from Svante Pettersson, a Swedish Journey fan who worked in radio production and had been at the Swedish Monsters of Rock festival. His insight into the mechanics of Journey’s set and his first hand back stage information was highly detailed, and he wrote a no holds barred account of the machinery and vocal feeds being used which left him in absolutely no doubt that the show was lip synched. Needless to say the radio station were not allowed to record straight to their own decks, and when Kevin Elson was approached (Journey’s in studio producer and live sound engineer) he commented that “we probably have to take this home and fix the vocals". From there the lip synching grapevine accelerated and soon made it to mainstream and Internet news items on American radio station broadcasts, music news, and promotions for the forthcoming tour. When the tour with Leppard kicked off Journey were most definitely ‘live’ as could be heard by some bootleg recordings of the first show. Augeri was quite evidently having problems with the vocals, his voice was cracking at random moments and his delivery was certainly not the pitch perfect performance it had been only a few short weeks before in Europe. So much so that only a few shows into the three month tour Steve Augeri’s voice completely gave up the ghost, at the Raleigh N.Y. show on July 4th. The following day Journey officially reported that Augeri had been sent home with serious vocal problems due to a “chronic throat infection” that he had apparently been carrying for a while. His replacement - temporary, if the official statements are to be believed – is Schon’s old sparring partner from their recently abandoned SoulsirkUS project, Jeff Scott Soto. Journey have never acknowledged the accusations - plausible deniability. I fully understand the official statement, but I don’t accept it. Indeed, there is another curious stage mechanic that to my knowledge was never mentioned or debated during the controversy… On the 2001 DVD and around that time Augeri used a style common to most rock vocalists (including Perry) who really deliver by singing ‘from the boots up’ as they say (from the diaphragm and not the throat) and by constantly moving the microphone’s distance from the mouth, to vary the vocal delivery. And as technology progresses we see better radio mikes, smaller pick up heads, clip on mikes…a number of ways to improve the sound without resorting to having a large clumsy microphone head. Yet that’s just what Steve Augeri had been using during the shows under the microscope, and had changed his mechanics quite dramatically to the degree that he now had the (wide head style) microphone against his bottom lip or chin permanently, and sometimes two hands on the mike. On occasion he kept the mike on its stand while still moving around, thus further obscuring clear views of his vocal delivery. This style is clearly seen on official live video releases such as ‘Faith in the Heartland’ from Generations, and even on some available footage of the Manchester gig mentioned previously. More incredulously, if Rockndeano is to be believed then according to his own detective work he has since confirmed that this had been going on since July 2005, and during at least 80 US shows. So, why? How the hell does a band get into such a predicament? There are some vocalists who have a distinct style and are tagged as 'the greats' whether in range, histrionics, front men capability or simply have that indefinable 'something'. Perry is one, no question. Robert Plant you recognise within first seconds, Jon Anderson has still got an absolutely incredible sixty-year-old-plus set of pipes. In a number of instances, a singer doesn't get the credit for just what a unique range, style and pitch he had/ has until someone else steps in – and Steve Augeri had to step in to those Perry shoes. Augeri has his own voice and sound without question, but he was singing the songs as close as he could to Perry in style, intonation, phrasing - and that for me could well be the source of the problem. Steve Augeri has previously had throat problems, fact - and it all comes about, for me, due to his job description. He had been singing out of his depth for too long. Journey, over the last half dozen years, have never toured as much or played more gigs - it had to be taking its toll…three hour Generation shows in 2005 when, interestingly, 'shared' lead vocals came into play. The vocal sharing described above hardly proves sinister goings on, but does assist the original claim that the dozen or so tracks covered by Augeri were all sequenced from the ‘greatest hits’ numbers lifted from the 2001 Las Vegas tapes, plus pre-recorded or studio takes of newer Generations material. And with the business of putting this cash cow out there to the masses it may mean - as incredulous as it sounds - that lip synching was considered, then actually implemented, rather than the financial suicide of cancelling and having to take valuable timeout to regroup which they quite probably could not afford to do. However, the band have probably ridden the storm out, and the vast majority of Journey fans and concert goers will probably never know there ever was such a dramatic chain of events behind the scenes. Add to the fact that the Tour with Def Leppard brought them to bigger numbers than they could commands on their own (audiences of between 5000 and 20000 depending on locale) and you have, ironically, their healthiest situation in years (by ‘today's Journey’ standards). Initial reviews with Soto indicate that some love it, some are still wondering what the hell is going on, and others like most of the hardcore Journey fans (particularly Stateside) will continue to champion the band no matter what, and await the return of Mr. Augeri. Or how about another ex-member? Considering Steve Perry again would be gargantuan p.r. but contrary to what some may think knowing my passion for the band of the past, that may turn out to be no second coming. Perry had lost a part of his range by the time of his solo shows in 1994 (but the man could still deliver and captivate an audience), and a further near-decade of retirement will not have helped the voice. Would any real fan want to see the 'classic' line up one more time if there was any chance of the band not being able to recreate the magic? Well, yes, I would love to see it one more time, but based on current activities and relationships it's highly improbable to even be considered. Personally? I had limited interest in the post 1998 Journey, and now I have zero respect. I would still prefer to see the Journey end, leaving the legacy tarnished but intact based on past glories. Because you’ve done nothing worthy of the name lately, guys - quite the opposite. And if you don’t agree you can eat my 1979 Evolution Tour Boxer Shorts. Anyone who wants a copy of my whole treatise on Journey’s history can give me a shout on ross@pentlanddrive.fsnet.co.uk