Steve Perry Fans - Departure Review

    Journey, the rock and roll band that comes to the Mid-South Coliseum Wednesday night, could never be accused of being another "overnight success."
    The group, formed in '72, has been through a number of personnel changes and one major shift in musical direction throughout its years, and it took the band several albums to begin establishing itself with the national rock audience.
    Now that it has, however, it would seem that the group is settled in pretty firmly. Its last two albums, Infinity and Evolution, have sold more than a million copies each, and its latest release, Departure, looks like it will have the same success.
    In addition, the group has become a major headliner on the tour circuit, as witnessed by last year's advance sellout of the coliseum.
    The San Francisco-based group has its foundations in several of the Bay Area's big groups. Keyboard player Gregg Rolie was in Santana during its first four albums, bassist Ross Valory was with Steve Miller, and guitarist Neal Schon, who has a reputation as a hotshot, joined Santana for awhile (this was after he had

turned down an offer from Eric Clapton to join his group).
    After Santana went through a shakeup in 1972, Schon and Valory joined some other musicians in forming Journey. In the first few years, a guitarist left because of his hatred for the road, a drummer decided to go to another group, and the group moved from progressive rock instrumentals to more a mainstream rock sound.
    By the time of Journey's fourth album (1978), the group had added a vocalist in Steve Perry, and that album, Infinity, marked the beginning of the band's move into the big time. Also in '78, drummer Steve Smith, who has played with Focus, Jean Luc-Ponty and Montrose, replaced Aynsley Dunbar, who is now with Jefferson Starship.
    Last year the band released Evolution, and it gave up the hit single, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," which cemented the album's sales success.
    On the bill with Journey will be the Babys, a hard rock group best known for the hit "Isn't It Time."
    Wednesday's show has a starting time of 8 p.m. and is being presented by Mid-South Concerts.