April 2017 - #Atozchallenge - Journey to J

J is for Journey.  I'd have to say that this is one of my top five favorite groups.  It would be number one if Steve Perry was still performing with them.  I was really hoping to see that happen when they were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but unfortunately it didn't.  I never saw Journey when he was touring with them and I didn't see the other Steve they had (Steve Augeri).  The first time we saw them Jeff Scott Soto was their lead singer.  He only lasted about a year and then Neal found Arnel Pineda in Manilla and he's been singing with them since about 2007.  He is okay, but he's no Steve Perry.

In any case, here are the layouts from the first Journey concert in 2006.  This was the one where we saw Def Leppard the first time too.  Neal Schon came out alone at first and did the Star Spangled Banner.  Blew the house down right away!

This is the first time we took a "concert selfie."  Since then I've tried to remember to do it with each show.  How young I look!  

The next time we saw them was in 2008.  Journey was the headliner with Cheap Trick and Heart performing first.  This time it was Arnel singing with Journey and they had just released a new album so they had some new music to show off.  I was not impressed with the new stuff and although the sound was close, I could still tell it wasn't Steve Perry singing my favorites.  

I'm also not really impressed with these layouts.  I think I should have put some mats behind the photos.  I love the paper, just not with these pictures.  Maybe someday I'll redo it.

We next saw Journey in 2011 and although those pictures are not yet in my concert album, I did make another kind of album to give to some friends who went to the concert with us.  This is one of the paper bag albums I make.  It is literally made using paper bags and it has inserts that pop out of the top and cards that are in the side pockets.  

We had a pre-concert tailgate in the parking lot so I included those pictures and then I added some pictures of each of the bands.  Night Ranger played first, then Foreigner and finally Journey.

 With each pocket card I included the set list from the band.

I was able to get some really good pictures because we had great seats and a couple of them look like the singer (Kelly Hansen of Foreigner) is looking and pointing right at me!

I like making these paper bag albums and have done them for all kinds of different themes.  School days and baby's are the most common, but they work with any occasion.  I think they make great gifts.  I have one ready for Mother's Day in my Etsy shop. (Shameless plug of my crafting work!)


That's our Journey with Journey.  We did see them two other times, in 2014 with Tower of Power and Steve Miller and 2016 at the big San Francisco Fest with Tower of Power, Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller and Santana.  I think my favorite show of all was the very first one!


So, have you seen Journey?  Like Arnel better than Steve Perry?


You can click over to the main A to Z Challenge page to see what other participants have come up with for this letter, and come back to see what K has for us!