Five years ago even Journey’s most die-hard fans might have had a hard time believing they’d have a residency in what is arguably the Strip’s most prestigious concert hall. They had already helped pioneer the trend of rock bands playing extended engagements in Las Vegas, and rock music has been performed in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. There had yet to be a legendary rock group scheduled to perform on the same stage on which Celine Dion and Elton John set the standards for the modern Vegas residency.
Then again, Journey fans don’t stop believing. It’s that kind of faith that played a role in the four musicians who played on Journey’s most iconic single taking part in the Colosseum residency. With Steve Smith back on drums since 2016, four-fifths of Journey’s most well-known incarnation back up Filipino singer Arnel Pineda.
Pineda now hits the high notes made famous by Steve Perry when guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory and pianist Jonathan Cain perform the song that is a prime factor on Journey’s enduring popularity. “Don’t Stop Believin’” wasn’t the biggest hit from Journey’s 1981 album Escape, the album that found them transformed from hairy ’70s progressive rockers to mega-platinum superstars. It hit No. 9 as a single but “Who’s Crying Now” and “Open Arms” went Top Five, with the latter replacing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” as the most requested slow-dance song at school dances.
Cain wrote “Don’t Stop Believin’” before he replaced founding keyboardist Gregg Rolie, at Rolie’s suggestion. At a time when Cain was ready to quit the music scene and move back to his hometown, his father reminded him they had a vision for his future, and “don’t stop believing.” He wrote down the quote, and came up with the stirring piano intro after Perry asked him to write a song for Escape. They dropped the last consonant and added an apostrophe for the title, and Journey had what would prove to be its most iconic song.
Journey began to burn out and drift apart, then went on hiatus in 1987 and reformed in 1995. Perry, a kinetic presence onstage in the ’80s, left in 1997 after a degenerative bone condition made its presence known. Lineup changes continued, but the band played on.
Then three crucial things happened in the mid-to-late 2000s. DJs began to mash-up classic rock songs and dance cuts, resurrecting “Don’t Stop Believin’” (along with Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”). The song was featured on television, in the musical series Glee and in the closing scene of the finale of The Sopranos.
Finally, Schon discovered Pineda, a singer in smoky rooms in the Philippines who could hold on to those high notes established by Perry and was looking for a symbolic midnight train going anywhere that would lead to fulfilling his dreams. Pineda joined the band, paid his dues and is a major reason everybody still wants the thrill of seeing Journey live. They’ll get their fill at the Colosseum.
Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. Oct. 9, 11-12, 16, 18-19, 23 & 25-26, Dec. 27-28 & 30-31 starting at $69 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
