Journey: Looking Back On Their Rock Hall Induction
Journey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of its 2017 class. They are one of many bands to be inducted long after being eligible….
Journey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of its 2017 class. They are one of many bands to be inducted long after being eligible. Their legions of fans rightfully celebrated the band and this long-overdue honor inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
They were inducted by Train singer Pat Monahan, whose own band also hails from the San Francisco Bay area. Monahan referred to Journey as "the heart of San Francisco music." He listed their many accolades, including selling over 100 million albums worldwide.
Monahan also alluded to Journey being overlooked by the Rock Hall for many years. He said, "I love along with you all that this is the first time they've been put on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot, and that's all it took for them for them to be recognized for the great work they've done."
Journey's Acceptance Speeches
When it came to the acceptance speeches, Jonathan Cain, Aynsley Dunbar, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Steve Smith and Ross Valory all made remarks. However, the member many looked forward to speaking the most was former Journey singer Steve Perry. When he walked to the microphone, the Barclays Center erupted, and Perry was visually moved.
Perry recalled first checking out the band when they would perform at clubs in Los Angeles and mentioned how their musicianship blew him away. He did single out one musician in the band during his speech.
"Though their musicianship was absolutely par to none, there was one instrument that was flying above the entire city of Los Angeles. That was the magic fingers of Neal Schon's guitar," said Perry.
A true class act, Perry also said during his speech, "I must give a complete shoutout to someone who sings his heart out every night, and that's Arnel Pineda. To Arnel, I love you."
Perry opted not to sing with Journey during the performance segment of their induction. Instead, Pineda did the honors. Their three-song set included "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," "Lights" and "Don't Stop Believin'." Those performances can be seen below.
