Journey - Live In Manila
Wal-Mart Exclusive
www.journeyband.com
Rating: A
More than two hours long, Live in Manila shows Journey
returning to vocalist Arnel Pineda's homeland; a place where the
singer used to live on streets. The DVD is a testament to
tenacity and shows Arnel returning in triumph as the singer for
one of the most popular bands in history.
Filmed with RED Technology, the double disc DVD was shot with
special 4K high-definition cameras making it, literally, one of
the best looking concert DVDs ever to be released. The track
listing is amazing and features early Steve Perry era hits as
well as new songs from the band's latest studio release
Revelations. Highlights include "Stone in Love," "Keep On
Running," "Wheel in the Sky," "Open Arms," "Mother, Father,"
"Separate Ways," "Escape," "Faithfully," "Anyway You Want It,"
"Lights," "Don't Stop Believing'," "Lovin' Touchin', Squeezin',"
and "Be Good to Yourself."
Arnel is living the dream and the look in his eyes shows how
important this show was to him, personally. The rest of the
band, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboard player/guitarist Jonathan
Cain, bass player Ross Valory and drummer Deen Castronovo also
get swept away in the emotion of the evening, each giving top
notch performances. Valory holds the groove down with
Castronovo (who takes a few lead vocals and sounds a lot like
Steve Perry) while Cain gives a solid performance. No surprise
for Journey fans, it is Schon who, aside from Pineda, is the
focal point of the show. The guitarist plays both lightening
fast licks and melodic phrases that drop the jaw and inspire at
the same time. Schon and company seem to be enjoying a renewed
energy that is oozing out of their excitable lead singer.
This DVD is a testament to life after Perry. The band has tried
a few times and were simply not able to get it quite right.
This time, however, the Rock Gods seem to have given them a
gift. Everything has fallen into place for Journey, including a
# 1 selling DVD and a platinum selling album.
By Jeb Wright
