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Journey Sets 2020 North American Tour with Pretenders

Happy Halloween my Fiends. Here is a little musical bit of a treat for you as the legendary Journey has announced a tour with The Pretenders. The details can be perused below the show posted along with the healthy amount of dates. Check it out.

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The Press Release:
JOURNEY – Neal Schon (founding member and lead guitarist), Ross Valory (co-founding member and bassist), longtime members Jonathan Cain (keyboardist) & Steve Smith (drummer), and Arnel Pineda (lead singer) – have set an extensive North American tour in 2020 with the PRETENDERS that will feature all new production and hits from start to finish. The 60+ date tour, produced by Live Nation, begins Friday, May 15, through Saturday, September 12, and tickets go on sale Friday, November 8, at 10 AM. All times are local. A full listing of tour dates can be found below.

Fans can expect to hear iconic Journey classics such as “Lights,” “Faithfully,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Open Arms,” “Wheel In The Sky,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” and the seminal “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which is the top-selling digital catalog track in history, as well as Pretenders’ hits such as “I’ll Stand By You,” “Back On The Chain Gang,” “Brass In Pocket,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” “2000 Miles,” “My City Was Gone,” “Middle of the Road,” and many more.
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Def Leppard & Journey Announce Co-Headlining Tour

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The Press Release:
NEW YORK, NY (January 25, 2018) – Following the huge buzz surrounding last week’s announcement that two of the world’s greatest rock bands – DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY – are teaming up for a massive co-headlining North American tour, special fan presales and VIP packages have now been announced, as well as additional on sale details.

Tickets for most dates go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, February 3 at 10 AM local time at Ticketmaster.com. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public in select dates beginning Tuesday, January 30 at 12 PM local time. A full list of tour dates and on sale details can be found below.

Additionally, Def Leppard and Journey fan presales will begin Monday, January 29 at 12 PM local time. Def Leppard VIP Packages will also be available beginning Monday, January 29 at 12PM local time through Epic Rights, visit http://www.DefLeppardRockBrigade.com for all information. Journey VIP Packages will be available beginning Monday, January 29 at 12PM local time through VIP Nation. For more information, visit http://journeymusic.com.

Promising to be one of the top tours of the year, the North American trek will be composed of both stadium and arena concerts, with half of the shows being closed by Journey and half by Def Leppard. The tour, promoted by Live Nation, kicks off May 21st in Hartford, Connecticut, at the XL Center and will feature complete sets and all-new production from both bands, and an arsenal of their hits such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Lights,” “Photograph,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Rock of Ages” and “Faithfully.”

The 58-city tour will hit ten stadiums – Toronto’s Rogers Centre; Atlanta’s Sun Trust Park; Detroit’s Comerica Park; Chicago’s Wrigley Field; Denver’s Coors Field; Minneapolis’ Target Field; Boston’s Fenway Park; St. Louis’ Busch Stadium; San Francisco’s AT&T Park; and San Diego’s Petco Park – as well as world-famous arenas, such as Madison Square Garden in New York and the ‘Fabulous’ Forum in Inglewood, California.

Neal Schon said, “These co-headlining Journey/Def Leppard dates will be epic classic rock shows. So many hits. It will be great to see you all, friends!”

Said Joe Elliott, “This tour is going to be a blast! We’ve toured together before and it was massive. This time it’s going to be even bigger and better!”

Jonathan Cain added, “We are all anxious to share our sound with the world again and, along with Def Leppard, we are part of a world-class package to the rock stage that spans decades and represents a multi-platinum legacy.”

Added Rick Savage of Def Leppard, “12 years ago we embarked on a US tour with Journey and it was an absolute blast. Looking forward to hooking up again. Believe me, this will be even more spectacular.”

The Tour Dates:
May 21: Hartford, CT @ XL Center**
May 23: Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
May 25: Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
May 26: Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center**
May 28: Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena**
May 30: Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena
Jun 01: Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
Jun 02: Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
Jun 05: Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
Jun 06: Knoxville, TN @ Thompson Boling Arena**
Jun 08: Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
Jun 09: Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Jun 11: Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center**
Jun 13: New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Jun 15: Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
Jun 16: Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena
Jul 01: Atlanta, GA @ SunTrust Park
Jul 03: Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Jul 04: Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest Rock Stage
Jul 06: Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
Jul 07: North Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena Fri, Feb 2
Jul 09: Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
Jul 11: Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
Jul 13: Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park** Fri, Feb 9
Jul 14: Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field** Sat, Feb 17
Jul 16: Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena** Fri, Feb 9
Jul 18: Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
Jul 19: Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
Jul 21: Denver, CO @ Coors Field
Jul 23: Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena**
Jul 25: Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center**
Jul 27: Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field Fri, Feb 9
Jul 28: Fargo, ND @ Fargodome** Fri, Feb 9
Aug 11: Boston, MA @ Fenway Park**
Aug 13: Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Aug 15: Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
Aug 17: Ft Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
Aug 18: Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
Aug 20: Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena @ The BJCC
Aug 22: Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
Aug 24: St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium** Fri, Feb 2
Aug 25: Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Aug 27: New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
Aug 29: Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Aug 31: San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
Sep 01: Houston, TX @ Toyota Center**
Sep 05: Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
Sep 07: Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
Sep 08: Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena**
Sep 21: San Francisco, CA @ AT&T Park
Sep 23: San Diego, CA @ Petco Park
Sep 25: Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
Sep 26: Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Arena **
Sep 28: Portland, OR @ Moda Center
Sep 29: Seattle, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
Oct 01: Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Oct 04: Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
Oct 06: Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum

**Not ticketed by Ticketmaster

About Journey: JOURNEY – Neal Schon (founding member and lead guitarist), Ross Valory (co-founding member and bassist), and longtime members Jonathan Cain (keyboardist), Steve Smith (drummer) and Arnel Pineda (lead singer) – is one of the most popular American rock bands of all time, creating some of the best-known songs in modern music, with iconic hits such as “Lights,” “Faithfully,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Wheel In The Sky,” “Separate Ways,” “Who’s Crying Now,” and the seminal “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which is the top-selling digital catalog track in history. Since the group’s formation in 1973, the band has earned 19 top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums and has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Their Greatest Hits album is certified 15 times-Platinum, bringing Journey into the elite club of Diamond-certified award holders. The band continues to tour and record into the 21st century, performing concerts for millions of fans worldwide, and received the prestigious Billboard “Legends of Live” touring award. Journey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, and is the subject of the award-winning documentary, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey.’ In 2017, Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

About Def Leppard: With more than 100 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., Def Leppard – Joe Elliott(vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick “Sav” Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as an institution in both the music and touring industry.Def Leppard’s influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums—including two of the best-selling albums of all time, Pyromania and Hysteria, capturing the group’s legendary tracks, bringing together classic Leppard hits such as “Rock of Ages”, Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Foolin.” The band’s most recentself-titled studio album debuted at #1on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Independent Albums charts. The album also took the #5 spot on Billboard’s Top Current Albums and #10 spot on the Top 200, as well as claiming 15 top 10 debuts around the world. For the first time, in January 2018 Def Leppard debuted their full recording catalog worldwide via streaming and download platforms, and their music is already in the Top Ten on the Billboard Charts in over 20 countries.

*** end of transmission ***

Official Website: http://www.defleppard.com
Official Website: http://www.journeymusic.com

Journey and Santana Announce Three Exclusive Live Dates!

Are you kidding me? Are you frigging kidding me!!!!!! Journey AND Santana doing a choice few gigs on the same stage with Neil Schon doing double duty in Santana with legendary members from the past? Color me interested. Below the poster for these choice appearances is the brief press copy and then some added thoughts on it all. Get rolling.

Tour - Journey and Santana - Winter 2016

The Press Release:
JOURNEY and SANTANA will join up for three special concerts this April. The two legendary music artists will take the stage together starting in New York City at Madison Square Garden on April 13 with shows also lined up in Uncasville, CT at Mohegan Sun Arena April 15 and Allentown, PA at PPL Center April 16. A limited number of VIP Packages will be available, including premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more. Click here for on sale details: http://www.journeymusic.com/pages/news/journey-santana-team-up-for-special-concert-series

PiercingMetal Thoughts: The classic era of Santana with all those wonderful hits sung by the great Gregg Rolie are songs that I remember so fondly and can say that I grew up alongside. I was too young to be a part of the Woodstock experience of course and NO I was not conceived there in case you wondered, but my family always had music on and fortunately for me my Mom was someone who always left the Rock station on. I guess she realized I liked it when I was on the young side. So yeah that stuff is iconic to me. Then there is Journey who I first heard with the album “Evolution” and was hooked immediately. They became one of my very favorite bands and I was super stoked to even see them live during the blockbuster “Escape” and “Frontiers” tours. The idea of Journey acting as the support act and finding Santana once again working with the members of his historic and most groundbreaking period is making my hands shake with excitement. I am going to do my best to be a part of that Madison Square Garden show and you should too if you know what’s good for you. Please let me know what you think of the whole matter in the comments section below.

Official Websites:
Journey: http://www.journeymusic.com
Santana: http://www.sanatana.com

“Greatest Hits” (remaster) by Journey

Artist: Journey
Title: “Greatest Hits”
Label: Columbia/Legacy
Release Date: 8/1/2006
Genre: Rock
Rating: 5/5

Originally released in 1988, the Greatest Hits of Journey would see sales well into the millions causing the disk to achieve 14 times Platinum status. If you listened to a radio during the years of 1977 through 1986 then there it is very strong chance that most of the songs on this CD will come back to you and perhaps even have you recall a specific period of time. The band was formed by members of Santana (Schon and Rolie) and they built a solid Rock outfit that was borderline Progressive at first but never short on melody when it came down to it. When singer Steve Perry joined the group for the album “Infinity” a new direction was beginning for them musically and would lead to blockbuster levels of success as hit after hit made it to the airwaves. A few songs on the first Perry albums found radio acclaim like “Lights” and “Anyway You Want It” but when “Escape” and “Frontiers” were released the result did so well that they show units of over 43 million being sold when their catalog is reviewed. The CD finds its strongest representation from these two releases and sales numbers are growing more and more as time passes by. While in 2006 the band has found some membership changes over the years their die hard supporters have never let go of their love for the music. This is the kind of Greatest Hits package that I prefer because it does not feature a batch of new tunes that are often an unwelcome presence on a compilation like this. Too often we find bands giving fans a new song that was leftover, and sadly usually for a good reason. It takes away from the inclusion of an additional hit for the release and I really find them forgettable. This is a high recommendation and the perfect CD for your music player or collection in general.
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“Black Wings Of Destiny” by Dragonlord

Artist: Dragonlord
Title: “Black Wings Of Destiny”
Label: Escapi Music
Release Date: 10/25/2005
Genre: Black Metal
Rating: 8/10

Testament’s Eric Peterson is a Metal heavyweight on his own due to numerous contributions to the genre with that legendary Bay Area band. Steve Smyth is also someone who continually raises the bar on what guitarists are able to do in his band Nevermore and recently the two have shown just how wide the scope of Metal delivery can be. Hot off the heels of the original lineup reunions of Testament and touring for Nevermore’s incredible release “This Godless Endeavor” the pair bring us the mighty Dragonlord. Knowing these musicians past in the Power and Traditional genres of Metal led me to anticipate something similar to what I already knew. I had no idea that it would be a journey down the roads of Black Metal and that I would enjoy it as much as I ended up doing. At a number of points the group mirrors what one can expect in the recent material by Norway’s Dimmu Borgir and that is due to Peterson’s growl reminding me so much of Shagrath himself. Certain musical runs also hold in kind to what the Dark Norse Gods have brought to the table, but with them being one of the top acts in that form it was a welcome sound to find on this release. There are some Symphonic elements due to the keyboards and as a result Dragonlord shows not only the love of Black styling’s but inside the music a little deeper is a profound level of musicianship that shows a wider range than some others might showcase. It is a tight quartet who does not seem to lose any momentum as the record plays through. Joining Peterson and Smith is Derek Ramirez (bass), Lyle Livingston (keyboards) and Jon Allen (drums). There is such a great display of their abilities in these songs that makes them appear to be a good live lineup or at least interesting to watch in concert.
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