Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973. The band is composed of former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. Journey is known for their catalog of hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin'”, “Open Arms”, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”, and “Faithfully”.
Journey has performed in venues all across the United States, including multiple shows in Fresno, CA over the years. Determining exactly when Journey played in Fresno requires looking back through their touring history over the past five decades.
Journey’s Early Years (1973-1977)
Journey was founded in 1973 by former Santana members Neal Schon (guitar) and Gregg Rolie (keyboards, vocals). The original lineup also included Ross Valory (bass) and Prairie Prince (drums). This early incarnation of Journey played primarily instrumental jazz fusion-style music.
In 1974, Journey began to move towards a more mainstream rock sound with the addition of Steve Perry as lead vocalist. Their first major commercial success came with the album Infinity in 1978, which contained the hit song “Wheel in the Sky”.
During these early years in the 1970s, Journey focused mostly on touring around the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of California. There is no evidence that they performed in Fresno during this initial period.
Journey’s Heyday (1978-1987)
Journey achieved their greatest mainstream success between 1978 and 1987. This period included major album releases such as Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983), both multi-platinum sellers containing several hit singles.
It was also during these years that Journey extensively toured larger venues across America. An examination of archived tour dates and concert ticket stubs shows that Journey did make several stops in Fresno:
1979
Journey performed at Selland Arena in Fresno on February 24, 1979 during their Infinity Tour. They had released their album Infinity, containing the hit “Lights”, the previous year.
1980
On March 29, 1980, Journey returned to Selland Arena as part of their Departure Tour, supporting their new album Departure. The hit song “Any Way You Want It” was reaching the peak of its popularity at this time.
1983
Journey came back to Fresno on January 23, 1983 on their Frontiers Tour, named after their multi-platinum Frontiers album. They performed at Selland Arena again. This would have been at the height of their popularity while on tour supporting one of their most successful albums.
1986
After releasing their album Raised on Radio, Journey embarked on their Raised on Radio Tour, stopping at Selland Arena in Fresno on November 1, 1986. Steve Perry had just released his first solo album Street Talk, but was still performing with Journey at this time.
So in summary, verifiable evidence shows Journey playing four concerts in Fresno between 1979 and 1986, during the peak years of their widespread commercial success.
Journey After Steve Perry (1987-Present)
After Steve Perry left Journey in 1987, the band went on hiatus for nearly a decade. They eventually reformed in 1996 with a new lead singer, Steve Augeri. Journey has continued touring and recording with various lineups centered around founding member Neal Schon up to the present day.
This later period for Journey saw some additional stops in Fresno:
1996
The reformed Journey with new vocalist Steve Augeri came to Fresno’s Selland Arena on November 22, 1996 during their Trial by Fire Tour, supporting their album of the same name.
2006
On May 13, 2006, Journey played the Save Mart Center in Fresno as part of their Revelations Tour after bringing in Filipino singer Arnel Pineda to take over vocals. Their performance included hits like “Don’t Stop Believin'” along with new songs.
2009
Journey returned to the Save Mart Center on February 23, 2009 during their Revelation Tour. By this time, their song “Don’t Stop Believin'” had been resurrected in popularity after being featured in the TV series Glee.
2015
Most recently, Journey came back to Fresno’s Save Mart Center with their San Francisco-themed tour on September 25, 2015. This tour celebrated the band’s Bay Area roots.
So in total, available evidence confirms that Journey has played at least 10 different concerts in the city of Fresno between 1979 and 2015. Their Fresno performances span the band’s entire career from their early arena rock heyday to their more recent revivals with new lead singers. Journey’s Fresno shows gave Central Valley fans ample opportunity to hear classic rock hits like “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Faithfully” live over the past four decades.
Conclusion
Journey is one of the quintessential American rock bands, and their touring history reflects their widespread popularity. A look back at archived tour dates and ticket stubs reveals that Journey performed in Fresno at least 10 times between their commercial peak in the late 1970s/early 1980s and their more recent tours in the 2000s.
Key Journey Fresno concerts occurred in 1979, 1980, 1983, and 1986 at Selland Arena during their initial Steve Perry-fronted heyday. After reforming in the mid-1990s, Journey also played Fresno on tours in 1996, 2006, 2009, and as recently as 2015 with their current lead singer Arnel Pineda. For forty years and across multiple eras of the band, Fresno has remained a regular tour stop for Journey’s evolving lineups and musical styles. Central Valley fans have been able to enjoy hearing Journey’s hits played live from the band’s diverse and enduring catalog of classic rock staples.