Concert Tickets : Journey in , on Wednesday, December 31, 1969

Fans hoping to catch Journey on their 2011 tour had better run, not walk, to grab tickets, because judging by recent patterns, seats will be going quick. Loved by the millions across several generations of rock listeners, Journey's 2008 tour was one of the highest grossing concert draws that year. Journey first emerged in the mid 1970s as a fusion act formed from the splinters of Santana's ever revolving cast of sidemen. Guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Gregg Rolie had both served with the Latin rock heavyweights, while bassist Ross Valory was fresh off a stint with the Steve Miller Band. With their eponymous debut album in 1975, Journey dazzled with a set of spacey jazz/rock complexity, as displayed in such aptly named instrumentals as "Kohoutek" and "Topaz". For their sophomore effort, Journey shifted into the stadium rock style recently pioneered by the likes of Styx and Boston. 1976's Look into the Future featured "I'm Gonna Leave You", a guitar/organ powerhouse that was soon mimicked by Kansas on "Carry on Wayward Son". Journey followed this with a slight detour into bluesy hard rock for 1977's Next LP. Journey remained a cult attraction until gaining a proper vocalist that would catapult them to the front-lines of rock. 1978's Infinity LP announced the arrival of charismatic tenor Steve Perry. The album went platinum and spawned two major hits, "Lights" and "Wheel in the Sky". Journey furthered this new winning formula with their next two albums, Evolution (1979) and Departure (1980), which were respectively graced with the FM radio staples "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" and "Any Way You Want It". Departure was also their last album to feature Rolie, whose exit paved way for the arrival of ex-Babys keyboardist Jonathan Cain. Songwriting sparks flew between Cain and Perry, who jointly crafted the slew of hits comprising 1981's Escape LP. With the timeless popularity of "Don't Stop Believin'", "Who's Crying Now" and "Open Arms", Escape stands as Journeys biggest album ever with over nine million copies sold. Following a whirlwind tour, Journey doubled these triumphs with their 1983 release Frontiers, which boasted another string of hits with "Send Her My Love", "Faithfully" and "Separate Ways". After a break in which Perry enjoyed huge solo success, Journey's output became more sporadic until they regrouped full-time in 1996 for the hit "When You Love a Woman". Perry has since been replaced by a string of vocalists, but Cain, Schon and Valory have upheld the Journey nameplate as an unstoppable touring force. Their 2008 Revelation CD with current vocalist Arnel Pineda became their highest charting disc in years, and their upcoming Eclipse CD looks set for similar success. Journey's 2011 tour itinerary covers a European trek through June before hitting the States for a three-month engagement, which commences on July 15 in Oshkosh, WI.