Steve Perry - lead singer; Gregg Rolie - vocals, keyboards; Neal Schon - guitars, vocals; Ross Valory - bass, vocals; Aynsley Dunbar - drums
A week after the release of their fourth album, Infinity, which ended up going platinum, Journey took the stage at the Palladium in New York. Boasting a new, vivacious singer named Steve Perry, Journey was well on their way to stardom as they rock a polished, radio-ready sound and commercially viable singles.
Jumpstarting their 42-minute show with "Feeling That Way," the band cruises through a seven-song set, one that includes the sorts of flashy keyboard, drum, and guitar solos that the following decade would became representative of. A telling peek into the direction that album rock was going to head over the next few years, this show demonstrates how tight the ensemble was and hints at a bright future for the band. Highlights include "Anytime," "You're On Your Own," and of course, the Journey favorite "Wheel in the Sky," which closes the show and showcases a mid-song drum solo that gets the crowd riled up.
Journey formed in San Francisco in 1973 and went through a number of personnel changes and shifting musical directions before really hitting their stride around the time this show was captured for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Eventually selling a staggering 100 million albums, it was with their 1981 release, Escape, that the band was propelled into superstar status, coasting on the success of such hits like "Open Arms" and "Don't Stop Believing," which still stand as evidence to the '80s power ballad.
Journey still performs today, and some of the members included in the lineup at this show remain active in the band, including Neal Schon and Ross Valory. Steve Perry suffered from a degenerative bone condition and ended up leaving the band in the mid-'80s, but has had an active solo career ever since.