Search - Journey - Live in Houston 1981, The Escape Tour on DVD

At the Pinnacle

Glenn O. Kirms | Anywhere, USA | 11/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In just 5 more years who would have guessed that Journey would be putting out their last cd before a 10 year hiatus, Valory and Smith would be gone and pop sappy rock would be flowing through Steve Perry. This DVD brings at last their concert at a creative turning point for the band. Gone is Rolie and in comes Cain which brings them their most notable commercial success. There's not alot of flash here and they play 8 songs from Escape, 3 from Departure, a few solo's, 2 from Evolution and a couple from Infinity (which has to be their best from the Rolie period and most creative and most towards the progressive side leaning towards their previous 3 albums before Perry). With that said, the 5.1 sound is great and offers something that you couldn't get from the VHS tape or cd. And, of course, watching it and hearing it is incredible. It's interesting to note that on the inner sleeve the only albums that are mentioned from Journey are the Steve Perry colaborations, which excludes Dream after Dream from 1981. It doesn't mention their very first 3 albums or anything from the current Augeri era. But I guess the fued goes on and it will interesting to see where Perry goes from here. He is on the new David Pack cd singing back-up, but it is hard to find him out there. Oh yeah, the tribute to Journey cd was a nice touch with him singing one of Augeri's songs. That's a twist. If you loved Journey with Perry, then this is a must have."

The Concert I Missed

Jefferson T. Packer | Taos, NM | 05/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Journey's Escape Tour came to the Cleveland Coliseum just a few weeks after my 14th birthday. I had no car, no money and parents who suspected that things went on at rock concerts that they had to protect me from. It seemed like the entire neighborhood was going, and at school it was the only thing anyone talked about for the next week. The girls all had magazine pictures of Steve Perry taped inside their lockers.

All I had to sustain me was the "Escape" album in LP vinyl, and my friends and I literally wore it out over the next several years, with all of us coming of age in what seemed like months, all to the soundtrack of Journey and a few other bands. By the time the "Frontiers" tour came to town, I was old enough to go but I had moved on to other bands, and besides we all sensed that "Escape" had been the pinnacle, and that Journey was morphing into a band for girls.

So I am grateful beyond words that MTV happened to capture this night in Houston with such high quality video and sound. The band is simply at their technical and spiritual peak, and they are riding a wave of unbelievable power since, as Steve Perry mentions during the concert, the "Escape" album had gone number one just three weeks earlier.

Disco had ended, Progressive was still coming, MTV had arrived but hadn't figured out quite what it was yet, and Journey was the biggest thing in America in 1981. This DVD captures that moment, and what's truly amazing for us rock connoisseurs is how sparse and basic their stage show is here. The musicians stand on stage with their gear, they blow our minds out with their playing, Steve Perry runs around and some primitive pyros explode at the beginning and the end, and aside from that, pretty much nothing else happens except that everyone in the audience goes nuts and most of the girls probably wet their pants. It's a basic, fundamental, unbelievably well played and well sung rock concert by a band that was on the rocket ride they had worked towards for years.

If you missed this concert too, this DVD will almost make up for it. It certainly stands up to time, and they play and sound better than you would think was humanly possible."

It's STEVE PERRY . . . it's a must-have!

K. Johnson | CA, USA | 10/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Were you there for this amazing show? If you were, you definitely want to go back and relive the magic, with this DVD. And for those who weren't there, and are still missing the one and only *VOICE*, Steve Perry, this is sure to be your favorite early Christmas present to yourself!!
"

Greatest Rock Singer of All Time!

Goat Lover | 05/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, I had no idea this DVD was even out there. I just happended to see it in Best Buy and I couldn't believe it. I have waited for this for years. If you saw the Escape tour live you will love this DVD and CD. If you love Journey just buy this now, don't wait. You will not be disappointed. It's just like being there all over again. If you didn't see the Escape Tour live, you really need to buy this. I saw the tour at Kemper Arena in Kansas City and it was the highlight of my High School years. I will never forget getting teary eyed watching and listening to Steve Perry being nothing short of amazing. I teared up because he was so talented and knew I was watching something I would never see again. Well, thanks to this DVD I got to feel that way one more time. It's so rare that you go back and watch these groups and see them as great as you remember them. I camped out overnight with about 500 to 1000 people to get my tickets so on the day of the concert I knew everyone around me. It was a amazing experience that my kids will never know. Steve, if you read this stuff, thank you so much for putting this DVD out. You put me back in my seat at the concert for a little while and for that I am truely grateful. Now if you could put me back in the tent of the girl that was two rows in front of me on the night I camped out for tickets........................ Thanks buddy and have a great life!"