Journey's 1981 Concert History

Journey is one of the most influential arena rock bands of the 1970s and '80s. However, the first few years were rough going. Between 1973 and 1976, Journey released three studio albums, all of which failed to meet the expectations of Columbia Records, which nearly dropped the band. In 1977, Steve Perry became the new lead singer, and things changed. The band's next few albums sold millions of copies worldwide with 1981's "Escape" reaching the top spot on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. After a decade of great success, Journey broke up in 1987, briefly reuniting in 1991 and then permanently in 1995. In 2017, Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Date Concert Venue Location
Dec 27, 1981
Journey / Loverboy Thompson-Boling Arena, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Dec 22, 1981
Journey

Escape Tour

Honolulu International Center Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Dec 21, 1981
Journey Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Dec 12, 1981
Journey / 49ers Cow Palace San Francisco, California, United States
Dec 10, 1981
Journey Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, California, United States
Dec 08, 1981
Journey Portland, Oregon, United States
Dec 07, 1981
Journey

Escape

  Photos
Portland Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon, United States
Dec 04, 1981 –
Dec 06, 1981
Journey / Red Rider

Escape Tour

Seattle Center Coliseum Seattle, Washington, United States
Show Duplicates for Dec 04, 1981
Dec 03, 1981
Journey Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Dec 02, 1981
Journey / STEVE PERRY Cow Palace San Francisco, California, United States
Show Duplicate for Dec 02, 1981
Nov 29, 1981
Journey / Loverboy

Escape

Fresno, California, United States
Nov 25, 1981
Journey / Loverboy

Escape Tour

The Forum Inglewood, California, United States
Nov 24, 1981
Journey / STEVE PERRY / Loverboy The Forum Inglewood, California, United States
Nov 23, 1981
Journey
  Photos
The Forum Inglewood, California, United States
Nov 22, 1981
Journey / STEVE PERRY / Loverboy

Escape Tour

  Photos   Setlists
The Forum Inglewood, California, United States
Nov 21, 1981
Journey San Diego, California, United States
Nov 19, 1981
Journey Salt Palace Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Show Duplicate for Nov 19, 1981
Nov 17, 1981
Journey Denver, Colorado, United States
Nov 15, 1981
Journey Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Show Duplicate for Nov 15, 1981
Nov 14, 1981
Journey
  Setlists
Tucson, Arizona, United States

Videos from 1981 View All 1981 Videos



The Rolling Stones / Journey / George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Sep 25, 1981
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  Added by Shay Burke

Photos from 1981 View All 1981 Photos


Journey / Point Blank on Sep 5, 1981 [684-small]

Journey / Point Blank
Sep 5, 1981
 East Troy, Wisconsin, United States
  Uploaded by Zimtrim

Journey / Greg Kihn on Sep 6, 1981 [685-small]

Journey / Greg Kihn
Sep 6, 1981
 East Troy, Wisconsin, United States
  Uploaded by Zimtrim

Journey on Jun 13, 1981 [940-small]

Journey
Jun 13, 1981
 Angles Camp, CA
  Uploaded by Jason Eastlick

The Rolling Stones / George Thorogood & The Destroyers / Journey on Sep 26, 1981 [343-small]

The Rolling Stones / George Thorogood & The Destroyers / Journey
Sep 26, 1981
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  Uploaded by Zimtrim

JOURNEY / LOVERBOY on Oct 27, 1981 [286-small]

JOURNEY / LOVERBOY
Oct 27, 1981
 Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
  Uploaded by Mark Mc Carty

Journey / Loverboy on Oct 15, 1981 [181-small]

Journey / Loverboy
Oct 15, 1981
 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
  Uploaded by Krock

Journey / Loverboy on Nov 8, 1981 [167-small]

Journey / Loverboy
Nov 8, 1981
 Dallas, Texas, United States
  Uploaded by John Fortier

Journey on Dec 7, 1981 [168-small]

Journey
Dec 7, 1981
 Portland, Oregon, United States
  Uploaded by Chris Loar

Journey on Dec 7, 1981 [169-small]

Journey
Dec 7, 1981
 Portland, Oregon, United States
  Uploaded by Chris Loar

Journey / Greg Khin Band on Oct 3, 1981 [183-small]

Journey / Greg Khin Band
Oct 3, 1981
 Lexington, Kentucky, United States
  Uploaded by Zimtrim

Journey on Oct 17, 1981 [308-small]

Journey
Oct 17, 1981
 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
  Uploaded by Zimtrim

Journey / STEVE PERRY / Loverboy on Nov 22, 1981 [616-small]

Journey / STEVE PERRY / Loverboy
Nov 22, 1981
 Inglewood, California, United States
  Uploaded by Chris Gicking

Rock
Hard Rock
Classic Rock
Progressive Rock
Soft Rock
Album Oriented Rock (AOR)
Mellow Gold
Arena Rock
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2024 71 concerts
2023 46 concerts
2022 72 concerts
2021 16 concerts
2020 6 concerts
2019 30 concerts
2018 66 concerts
2017 76 concerts
2016 67 concerts
2015 43 concerts
2014 60 concerts
2013 62 concerts
2012 69 concerts
2011 95 concerts
2010 2 concerts
2009 82 concerts
2008 98 concerts
2007 20 concerts
2006 69 concerts
2005 85 concerts
2004 29 concerts
2003 57 concerts
2002 24 concerts
2001 59 concerts
2000 3 concerts
1999 29 concerts
1998 17 concerts
1996 1 concert
1995 14 concerts
1994 28 concerts
1993 2 concerts
1992 34 concerts
1991 1 concert
1990 5 concerts
1989 6 concerts
1987 3 concerts
1986 44 concerts
1985 1 concert
1983 115 concerts
1982 32 concerts
1981 92 concerts
1980 94 concerts
1979 96 concerts
1978 115 concerts
1977 48 concerts
1976 30 concerts
1975 25 concerts
1974 13 concerts
1973 1 concert
1971 1 concert
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Dayne Poling Nov 17, 2021

You all are missing a Journey, Pat Benatar, Loverboy concert in your archives that took place on 8-8-12 that was then the Banker's Life Fieldhouse. I went to the concert and was trying to look up the date to let my little girls know when their mom and I went and did not see it. Just thought you may want to add it to the list of concert dates for those artists.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


How Did Journey Start?

Journey started as the Golden Gate Rhythm Section in 1973 with the intent to act as a backup band for artists performing in the California Bay Area. After a concert in Hawaii, they ditched the idea of being a backup band and renamed themselves “Journey.”

The founding members were all in earlier acts like Santana, Frumious Bandersnatch, and The Tubes and included:

Steve Perry, the most famous vocalist of Journey, did not join the band until 1977.

Who Is the Lead Singer of Journey?

Between 1973 and the present day, Journey has hosted a large number of lead singers. The first lead singer of Journey was Greg Rolie, initially of Santana. Steve Perry, the most famous lead singer, joined in 1977 and continued with the band until 1987. He’s returned as the lead singer several times since.

Other lead singers for Journey include Arnel Pineda, Robert Fleischman, Steve Augeri, and Jeff Scott Soto.

Why Did Steve Perry Leave Journey?

Steve Perry first left Journey in the late 1980s to pursue a solo career. However, he never reached commercial success as a solo artist and reunited with his band mates in 1996 to record the "Trial by Fire" album.

Soon after rejoining Journey, Perry discovered that he had a hip condition that needed surgery, but he wanted to pursue alternative treatments. This would have meant that Journey would have been unable to tour, so his band mates gave him an ultimatum: unless he sought surgery, he would have to leave so that another singer could step in and prevent any more tour delays. In 1998, Perry announced that he was permanently leaving Journey, but in 2020 it was revealed that he’s been paid as a member of the band for years even though he hasn’t performed with them in nearly 20 years.

What Does the Name Journey Mean?

"Journey" is a name coined by the band's roadie John Villanueva. Originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, the band members decided to run a radio contest for their new name. Not loving any of the entries, Johnny suggested “Journey” as their name, and everyone loved it. The name otherwise has no real symbolic or metaphoric meaning or significance.

What Genre of Music Does Journey Create?

Journey is one of the greatest classic rock bands in history. Originally, Journey was known to be a progressive rock band but has since expanded into other sub-genres of rock such as:

  1. Hard rock
  2. Pop-rock
  3. Soft rock
  4. Heavy metal
  5. Jazz fusion
  6. Classic Rock
  7. Progressive Rock (Prog-rock)

What Should You Wear to a Journey Concert?

You have all the freedom to creatively dress up for a Journey concert. If you have any Journey t-shirts or other merch, you should definitely wear them to the show. Journey concerts can be hours long, so it's best if you wear comfortable shoes and avoid hoodies, jackets, or other items unless you know it’s going to be a cold or rainy outdoor show.

How Long Is a Journey Concert?

A Journey concert’s length depends on how many opening acts there are before Journey plays. However, the main act usually lasts between an hour and an hour and a half. Other factors like the venue and tour lineup may also affect the concert's length as well.

Has Journey Ever Won a Grammy?

Although Journey is one of the most crtically acclaimed rock and roll bands of the last half century, selling millions of albums worldwide and earning dozens of accolades, the band has only been nominated for a Grammy once. In 1997, Journey's hit single "When You Love a Woman" was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, but it lost to "Free as a Bird" by The Beatles.

Nonetheless, Journey has received many other accolades including an induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 and the prestigious "Legend of Live Award" at the Billboard Touring Awards in 2010.

Is Journey in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Even though Journey first became eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the band was not inducted until 16 years later. Pat Monahan inducted Journey into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 saying in part that "[Journey] didn't even need lyrics. That's how badass this band is."

Other Class of 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees included Joan Baez, Electric light Orchestra, Pearl Jam, Nile Rodgers, Tupac Shakur, and Yes.

How many concerts has Journey had?

Journey has had 2,154 concerts.

What genre is Journey?

Journey is most often considered to be Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Soft Rock, Album Oriented Rock (AOR), Mellow Gold, and Arena Rock.

When is the next Journey concert?

The next Journey concert is on April 19, 2024 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. The bands performing are: Journey / Toto.

When was the last Journey concert?

The last Journey concert was on April 16, 2024 at Peoria Civic Center Arena in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The bands that performed were: Journey / Toto.

What setlist does Journey play live?

The songs that Journey performs live vary, but here's the latest setlist that we have from the April 16, 2024 concert at Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois, United States:

  1. Only the Young
  2. Guitar Solo
  3. Stone in Love
  4. Keep On Runnin'
  5. Don't Stop Believin'
  6. Lights
  7. Send Her My Love
  8. Who's Crying Now
  9. Ask the Lonely
  10. Just the Same Way
  11. Chain Reaction
  12. Let It Rain

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