The “Raised On Radio” tour has been rolling across the country since September, with the band playing to jam-packed, sold out arenas night after night. The response from audiences has been overwhelming, and last issue we shared reviews and comments from both rock critics (newspapers, magazines) and Force members. For this issue, we decided to see how the band felt, so we caught up with Steve, Neal & Jonathan backstage at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX, where they were playing the second of two sold out shows. Neal & Jonathan spoke with us before the show later that evening, after the show, we talked with a very candid Steve Perry, as he shared his thoughts on…

… the “Raised On Radio” tour

We’re having a great time out here. Journey is doing better than ever, and we have a lot of faithful friends who stuck with us for a long time. The Dallas shows were also special for me because I flew out a good friend of mine, Randy Goodrum, to see them. He worked with me on my solo project, and I hadn’t seen him in quite a long time because of Journey’s hectic schedule. Randy is an extraordinary songwriter in his own right; he wrote ‘Foolish Heart’ with me as well as the lyrics for ‘Oh, Sherrie.’ He was also involved n some of the vocal co-production for “Raised On Radio.” We’ve been having a great time. He wanted to get away from his hectic schedule in L.A., so he flew to Dallas to hang out with the band.

… his favourite song to do ‘live’

“Faithfully” It was my mother’s favorite. She used to cry when she would watch T.V., especially when she was at her sickest. My dad used to tell me that he would have to calm her down; she would just break into tears when the video came on T.V. I think she felt it was her song; the lyrics are great “being apart ain’t easy on this love affair” and “they say that the road ain’t no place to start a family.” Bless her heart. Unfortunately, it’s a year ago now that she died. That’s part of the reason I had Randy come out.

… Journey’s plans for 1987

To be totally realistic, 90 shows are about the most that Journey has ever done to support an album or tour. For this schedule, we crammed 90 shows into a shorter time than we ever had before. We’ve had a great time and we’re not finished yet; we’re looking forward to heading toward the West Coast because we’re having more fun than ever before. Around the first of February, we might take a break, and then we’ll discuss what’s happening for the summer. We might take February/March/April off. There are some big stadium shows that have been offered to the band, but it depends where everyone is at that time. Now, because of the way the band is with Randy & Michael, it takes only three to four days to completely fire this thing up.

… his plans for after this tour

To be perfectly honest, I’m not going to do anything right away. I went from the beginning of the “Frontiers” tour, which was 107 shows ending on Sept 7th, to moving to L.A. three weeks later, starting my solo album. Doing the album and videos for that took 7-8 months. Then I began writing the “Raised On Radio” album immediately. It took a year to finish writing and recording, and then a year to find a drummer to rehearse and tour with it. So it’s been two years right now that I have not stopped, and I think everyone needs a little time off. People think we have time off, but when you’re in the fast lane, you’re in the fast lane. I just need to get away, unplug, go back to the Valley, see some friends of mine, get on my motocycle and ride a bit, and then, when I get restless, there will be a reason to do something. Everyone needs a vacation, even me.

… the upcoming documentary

Actually, it’s not finished yet. Right now we are working on the ‘live’, performance video for the new single, ‘I’ll Be Alright Without You’. It has live singing and live playing, with film running at the same time (a video track and an audio track). Bonafine live!

… outside projects

I did background vocals with Sheena Easton on a song called ‘Still In Love’. It should be out sometime soon. We got time enough to do backgrounds when I was home rehearsing the “Raised On Radio” material. I would also like to sing a duet with Sheena, but my schedule on tour conflicted with her schedule in the studio. We’re in different parts of the world.

… love

You know, Steve Perry in still singel and looking for love, and hopes someday he’ll find it. As for what type of woman I’m looking for, it would be someone unpretentious, normal, and everyday, real person. Oh yeah, and she’s got to like motorcycles!

… his journey with Journey

I’ve been in this band a long, long time. I’m very greatful for the years that we have been together and the things we have accomplished together as a group. It’s a very proud thing to be involved with. I did a solo album, and it was also a very proud thing to be involved with. Now, the new “Raised On Radio” album and tour is one of the proudest things I’ve been involved in. Because I finished that album as my mother was passing away, I really put my life into it. Where everything goes from here is just like Journey is… the word Journey is truly something that you just have to let run for awhile, to see where it goes. It’s worked so far, so don’t ask where it’s going, because it’s going to be okay. The very nature of the band’s name implies change and movement, and you must go with that. So far, it have proved itself, shown that it’s okay to let it run it’s course and go with it. That’s what the next step is.

… memorable moments

Tonight was the eve of the date (Dec 4th) that my mother passed away. I was doing my best to deal with being jovial and entertaining, and I was trying to have a good time like I usually do. I didn’t want to let this subliminal emotion come through – the reality that this was the eve of the death of my mother. I did the best I could to deal with it, but no one knew. Internally, I knew. And I knew that tomorrow was going to be the hardest day of my life. So, I was feeling down at the beginning of the concert. I got out there and things were okay. I was having a good time because the people were very energetic and nice, but I still was down at times, thinking that everything was being questioned in my life. I am no different than anyone else, and life takes no prisoners. I don’t care if you are a success or failure. It has nothing to do with how strong you are… life is life. Someone wrote that “life is something that happens to you while you’re busy making plans.” I believe that.

This is kind of what happened tonight at the show – I was onstage and I was losing it, I was starting to lose face, and worry because I’m just a normal human being and I have emotions, too. I couldn’t walk on stage and have people think I was believable, if I wasn’t normal. That nomalcy was being blocked.

And then I saw this little girl, she must have been around 10, who was up front with her mother. She had these thick, little “coke-bottle” glasses, and there she was with this big smile on her face, and she was waving her arms back and forth, though she could barely move because she was crushed among the other people. She was the cutest thing I ever saw, and she was smiling at me, and I looked at her and thought, “you’re the queen of the entire evening.” I kept looking at her and she got me through the night. She was just so precious. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. There was another girl, about four shows ago, and she was about the same age, but she was sitting on her father’s shoulders. And she was so damn cute. When kids are at that age, up to around 12 years old, they are such beautiful, free souls, waiting for guidance, open for all; they are so special.

… being good to yourself

My Christmas message to all Journey fans and friends of fans is to respect your lives and be good to yourselves, because you deserve it. You are a good person. People who think that they are less than most, have fallen prey to making up the difference with drugs. To make themselves stronger. But drugs don’t discriminate. They don’t care who you are. They kill. I wish everyone would look at their life and treat it as a gift from their mother and their father. It is precious and is not to be taken lightly. So, be good to yourself; use music, not drugs.