Journey/MIyagi,Japan 2017

The strongest and best live album that will blow away your “JOURNEY loss” is here. The other day, we delivered the superb album “OSAKA 2017” from the first day of the tour, and its wonderful sound has been well received. However! This work has a transcendent sound that surpasses that masterpiece. It is a masterpiece that is the “Tour No. 1” without question! This work contains the performance of “February 4, 2017: Xebio Arena Sendai”. This week is also a release rush of JOURNEY’s performance in Japan, so let’s organize the apex recordings of each performance.・February 1st: Osakajo Hall “OSAKA 2017” ・February 2nd: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium ・February 4th: Xebio Arena Sendai [This work] ・February 6th: Nippon Budokan “BUDOKAN 2017 1ST NIGHT” ・February 7th: Nippon Budokan “BUDOKAN 2017 2ND NIGHT” Thus, this Japan tour will have a total of 5 performances. JOURNEY has visited Japan 11 times so far, but this is their second time performing in Tohoku. This work is an audience album of the Sendai performance, which was realized for the first time in 13 years. The person who recorded this rare live performance is a master known only to those in the know in Tohoku. The other day, we delivered Jeff Beck’s superb board “SENDAI 2017”, and it is the same recordist as that masterpiece. If you have listened to Jeff, you will know the strange quality of using “Schoeps MK4” has been inherited in this work. Of course, it is not possible to simply compare the performances of JOURNEY because of the differences in the sound output/musicality of the bands and the audience, but it is a cut above other performances by JOURNEY. It was recorded near the 15th row of the first floor, and the direct feeling is just like a soundboard. The audience spread is thin, and it feels so close that it feels a little unrealistic. Although it absorbs applause and cheers, the musical tones are so close that the sense of perspective feels strange. The “Zebio Arena Sendai”, where the event took place, is about 6,000 in size, about four times the size of “Zepp Sendai” 13 years ago, and the sense of scale is so great that it is hard to believe. The vocals are particularly amazing, and you can even hear the breath flowing into the microphone. In the scene where Arnel Pineda fails to sing and his voice becomes hoarse, it is so clear that you think, “It might be a shame to record it so vividly…”. Of course, the instruments are also thoroughly beautiful. Neil Schon’s light picking nuances are clear, Jonathan Cain’s synths sparkle, and the bass, which tends to be a weak point in audience recordings, is rich. On the contrary, the switching of effects is clear, and even the faint electrical noise of “shhh” leaking from the PA during silent parts such as MCs can be heard. “Chain Reaction” sung by the mysterious explosive support singer Travis Thibodeau is also intense. JOURNEY’s “Greatest Hits” depicted with that sound are simply heart-wrenching. I wrote earlier that “Arnel failed to sing…”, but that is something that you just hear in other performances and recordings. This is how clearly this work is recorded, and the beautiful world of JOURNEY, where the singing and guitar weave melodies loudly and dance wildly, can be felt unwaveringly and abundantly. The set is a dazzling greatest hits, all from the Steve Perry era. The axis is a group of masterpieces carefully selected equally from the three golden albums “INFINITY”, “ESCAPE” and “FRONTIERS”, with “EVOLUTION”, “DEPARTURE” and “RAISED ON RADIO” scattered around. In addition, the soundtrack and single B-side songs are accented, and the show is exquisite while appearing to be full of classics. It is a skilled work that toyed with the biorhythm of “It’s good after all” and “That’s how it comes!” from the light layer who only listens to the album to the core layer. In any case, the fierce quality that will be passed down as “Tour No. 1” and “Representative sound source of 2017”. Despite the rare Sendai performance and the Tohoku region, which is said to have a shortage of recorders, the sound is more transcendent than anywhere in Japan. It is a masterpiece that depicts “JOURNEY of 2017” in that beautiful sound world. Perhaps many people are looking for a live album of a show they have actually seen, but this work is not on that level. Even if you have never seen it once, this is an inevitable “top” live album. Live at Xebio Arena Sendai, Sendai, Japan 4th February 2017 ULTIMATE SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (49:20) 1. Introduction 2. Separate Ways 3. Be Good To Yourself 4. Only The Young 5. Stone in Love 6. Any Way You Want It 7. Guitar Intro. 8. Lights 9. Keyboard Solo 10. Open Arms 11. Who’s Crying Now Disc 2 (60:29) 1. MC Intro. 2. Chain Reaction 3. La Do Da 4. Drum Solo 5. Guitar Solo 6. Wheel in the Sky 7. Piano & MC Intro. 8. Faithfully 9. Don’t Stop Believin’ 10. La Raza del Sol 11. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ 12. Band Introduction