Journey And Heart Build New Fan Base
— July 11, 2008 1 91Two classic rock acts are currently touring together, and seem to be generating a lot of interest among fans who remember the early days, as well as new fans who are showing up at concerts and screaming out requests for well-worn classic tracks that were probably recorded years before they were born.
Journey and Heart have hit the road and neither group appears to be showing any signs that they are ready to retire from the music scene. Journey, with their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, have recently released a new album 
that has been certified gold and Heart is planning to enter the studio later this year to work on some new material.
After laying low for a while, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, the two remaining original members of the group, seem to have made the decision to seek the spotlight once again. They performed not too long ago on the popular “Idol Gives Back” television program along with Fergie, and have also had some of their music featured on the wildly popular video game, “Guitar Hero.”
It’s a story that’s playing out quite frequently in concert halls these days: Young fans singing along with or requesting songs from their parents’ generation. Whether that demonstrates a lack of good music being made these days or the enduring appeal of music made during the 1970’s and 1980’s is unclear. Perhaps it’s a bit of both.
Instead of fading away, the popularity of the music we think of as classic rock seems to be on the rise. There are at least three major classic rock stations in my local market (Boston), and I suspect most other major markets in the country have their share of classic rock stations. The satellite radio broadcasters also have a number of stations dedicated to the classic rock format as well.
When I first heard Heart back in my teenage years, I never expected they would still be out touring when I was in my late forties. They were one of the first rock acts that really caught my attention back in those days, and I became an instant fan. Although the current line-up does not live up to the standard of the original line-up for me, I’m still very happy to see them out there touring and planning to work up some new material.
Cheap Trick is the other act that is part of this tour, and although I do recall a hit or two from the past, I don’t think their popularity rose quite to the level of either Journey or Heart. I’m sure they’ve got fans out there and I recall hearing that they were quite popular in Japan at some point, but personally, I’ve never been much of a fan.
Whether it’s Journey, Heart or Cheap Trick, it appears that the sounds of classic rock will not be disappearing from the airwaves and concert halls any time soon.
Check out the Salt Lake Tribune for more on the Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick Tour.
1 Comment
Thanks for the story. Just wanted to share that the Cheap Trick, Heart & Journey tour have been sold out in their 1st & 2nd concert show kicking off their US tour. Great response so far! I’d say the 80’s sound is definitely catching on and Journey’s new material (Revelation) fits well with current rock sound (though unique) influencing younger generation (like me) to check it out.