JOURNEY’S FINAL TOUR
Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/24/26
In my mid to late 20’s I stumbled on to 80’s rock, and it wasn’t until then that I discovered Journey. I can still remember I was at a company picnic for a large Atlanta Ad agency and “Don’t Stop Belivin'” came on and the whole company stopped and sang along! Journey is woven into the fabric of that time of my life and getting to see them one last time at State Farm Arena on Monday, October 19th was a treat. Taking a rewind, I took a party bus in 2006 to see them and Def Leppard together at Chastain Park. I was way up in the lawn so, I don’t remember the set list but I do remember how enthusiastic Pineda is as a lead singer. That still rang true this night. Being in the first section really brought the whole thing to life. Did anyone ever see Journey with Steve Perry back in the 80’s?
This performance was much more of a spectacle then 2006! They had a large jumbo video screen to show the highlights, lot of swirling and strobing lights, and even pyrotechnics to accentuate big moments in songs. And they really loaded up their set with popular songs to keep the crowd interested and anticipating what would come next.
From the set list they had some popular singable songs like “Ask the Lonely” and “Precious Time” to start off with! But the Journey catalogue really came to life around mid-concert with the one two punch of “Who’s Crying Now” and “Open Arms.” You should have heard the reaction of the crowd to the intro to “Open Arms” and when Pineda was singing the chorus. They loved it, and so did I.
Then, another trio of songs that had the audience rockin and rolling started with “Wheel in the Sky” where Pineda came into the crowd. He went around the arena floor singing and high fiving the lucky few on the ends of the aisles. Next, Journey slowed it down with the very popular, power ballad, “Faithfully.”
And of course there is “Don’t Stop Believin'” the final of the trio, their most recognizable song with catchy singable chorus and screeching guitars paired in harmony. The sound of the crowd singing almost drowned out Pineda’s voice which could be faintly heard. But, my favorite of their songs came close after and only one song from the finale, Separate Ways. “Don’t Stop Believin'” might have been my late 20’s anthem but the earnest and methodically composed “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” has become one that I tend to listen to more.
They ended on a high note with “Anyway You Want It,” upbeat, happy, and electric with all the bells and whistles including confetti! A final tour for the ages.
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