Ntctiawc 2005 blog

As a longtime Journey fan, I think “Live From Manila” holds its own against any other live Journey performance. The band continues to sound great, the playing is top notch all around, and I think Pineda embodies what the rest of the band wants and needs in a front man. He’s energetic and lively, plus playing in front of his hometown probably amped him up a few more levels for this performance. My only knock against the package is that there’s no backstage/interview type of feature. Especially considering Pineda has been in the band about 2 years now, I’d thought this would have been the perfect opportunity to get some one-on-one face time with him. But still, it’s 2 hours and 25 minutes, and it’s $10 at Walmart. That’s just simply an unbeatable deal. (And I realize some people outside the US may not have easy access to a Walmart location, in which case I would say, $20 would not be too much to pay for this package. Any more than that………… you’re on your own.) If you’re in the US, there’s no good reason to be buying this package from online sellers here at Amazon or anywhere else. All the hits are here, as well as a few deeper cuts from the late 70s and early 80s. (As always, one of my favorites “Girl Can’t Help It” is not included, but that’s happened so many times, I can’t/don’t hold that against them.)

And finally, this last part is just a rant. Feel free to skip it if you’d like. Arnel Pineda is a great singer, and he covers Steve Perry’s voice nearly flawlessly. Despite what some angry, bitter people type on places like this, yes, THIS IS JOURNEY. Just because the band doesn’t have the same lead singer anymore, it’s still Journey. (And for the record, Perry was Journey’s 3rd or 4th lead singer, depending on whether or not you count Fleischman). People usually decide what “their” version of a band is based upon what they grew up hearing, and anything that isn’t that exact same version is “fake”. That’s simply not correct. This DVD (along
Journey Live In Manila

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