journey midnight special

Flashback: Journey Introduce Steve Perry to America in 1978

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Steve Perry emerged from two decades of seclusion in August with new single “No Erasin'” off his upcoming album Traces . It was a rather stunning development for Journey fans that had largely given up on ever hearing him sing again, especially after he refused to perform with his old group when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. But in new interviews, Perry revealed that after losing his girlfriend Kellie Nash to cancer in 2012, he decided it was time to face the world again.

Perry said he’s considering promoting Traces with a solo tour, but don’t expect to see him back onstage with Journey. They’ve been doing just fine without him ever since Arnel Pineda became their new singer 10 years ago and have even played stadiums this summer on their co-headlining tour with Def Leppard. They exclusively play songs from the Perry era of the group, and Pineda sounds almost exactly like his predecessor did in 1983. Most audiences are quite happy to sing along with their favorite hits and don’t really care if the original guy isn’t actually on the stage.

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Forty years ago, however, Perry was a crucial part of Journey’s success. The group began in 1973 as an offshoot of Santana with guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist/singer Gregg Rolie, but their first three albums failed to find a mass audience and they faced getting dropped from their record label. Steve Perry was brought into the group to help them develop a more commercial sound, beginning with 1978’s Infinity. The gambit worked immediately as lead single “Wheel in the Sky” reached Number 57 on the Hot 100. Here’s video of them playing their first hit song on The Midnight Special in February 1978, which was the first time many in America saw the group play with Perry.

If Perry decides to tour in support of Traces , Journey will face some competition on the road. Fans have had plenty of chances to see Journey minus Perry play the hits, but Perry minus Journey hasn’t done any sort of tour since a brief one in 1995 to support his solo album  For the Love of Strange Medicine . The tour generated very little interest since Journey were aggressively uncool in the Lollapalooza era, but things have changed quite a bit since then. He hasn’t sang “Wheel in the Sky” in over 23 years, but should he decide to go out and do it again he’ll probably be shocked by how many people are willing to pay big bucks to hear it.

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• April 28, 1978 Setlist

Journey Setlist at The Midnight Special, Burbank, CA, USA

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• Wheel in the Sky Play Video
• Feeling That Way Play Video
• Anytime Play Video
• Patiently Play Video
• La Do Da Play Video

Note: This is the broadcast date of the show, as the band played in Wheeling, West Virginia on that night.

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6 activities (last edit by coffinjose , 5 Sep 2023, 16:28 Etc/UTC )

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The midnight special.

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Journey Gig Timeline

• Apr 25 1978 Knoxville Civic Coliseum Knoxville, TN, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 27 1978 Scope Arena Norfolk, VA, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 28 1978 The Midnight Special This Setlist Burbank, CA, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 28 1978 Capitol Theatre Wheeling, WV, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 29 1978 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, TN, USA Add time Add time
• Apr 30 1978 Huntington Civic Center Huntington, WV, USA Add time Add time

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Remembering ‘The Midnight Special’

Producer Burt Sugarman pitched NBC on a Friday night musical variety show that would follow the high-rated The  Tonight Show at 1 a.m. and retain some of its audience. The network didn’t bite. So he bought the airtime, found a sponsor (Chevrolet) and on August 19, 1972, premiered the 90-minute program, on which the acts played live, as a special. The pilot episode of The Midnight Special , hosted by John Denver, drew enough viewers for NBC to pick it up. The series ran 450 episodes from February 2, 1973, until May 1, 1981.

That jam-packed pilot episode featured Argent, War, The Everly Brothers, The Isley Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, David Clayton-Thomas, Cass Elliot and Harry Chapin.

Many subsequent episodes featured former border radio DJ Wolfman Jack as its announcer. Born Robert Weston Smith on January 21, 1938, the “Wolfman” had come to national prominence in George Lucas’ 1973 film American Graffiti .

During its run some of the classic rock acts that appeared included AC/DC, Aerosmith, the Beach Boys, Blondie, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Jim Croce, the Doobie Brothers, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton, Genesis, Billy Joel, Elton John and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.

Here’s Journey…

Others included Kiss, Van Morrison, Randy Newman, New York Dolls, REO Speedwagon, T. Rex, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Thin Lizzy and Tina Turner.

ABC soon followed suit and debuted In Concert on Friday late night. In September 1973 the syndicated Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert bowed with the Rolling Stones as guests. Throughout the decade it was where many of us first heard and saw what would become our favorite bands.

Watch the Commodores perform “Brick House”

Watch singer Mickey Thomas sing lead vocals on Elvin Bishop’s 1976 hit, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”

Here’s Fleetwood Mac…

Watch Argent perform their #5 smash “Hold Your Head Up”

Two weeks after “The Joker” topped the Hot 100 in 1974, the Steve Miller Band performed the smash on  The Midnight Special .

And here’s Wild Cherry with the bare-chest and silver jacket look playing “Play That Funky Music”…

Watch Blondie perform “Heart of Glass.” Hey, Debbie, what’s with that outfit?

From the Guess Who’s performance on March 29, 1974, let’s clap for the Wolfman!

The Wolfman died on July 1, 1995.  The Midnight Special collections are available to order here .

Related: Read Part 2 of our series – Rock Edition, and   Part 3 – Solo Artists edition

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13 Comments so far

Any band of the 70’s was on it. Sweet,Starz,Black Oak Arkansas,Foghat ( they got a “Killer” new release “Under the Influence” Its Smokin’ hot !! Knock it Off sounds like Bon Scott AC/DC era song, Hot Mama like a Stone Blue era song,a burnin’ Heard it Through the Grapevine !! )

While there were many noteworthy acts on the Midnight Special, I always thought ABC “In Concert” had the cooler bands performing. Everything from the Allman Brothers to Poco. A shame that you can’t get those performances on dvd or blu ray

I agree with you. I used to watch both shows, but it was “In Concert” that definitely had the bands that had an “edge” to them. I remember they did a multi-show series on “The California Jam”, when I 13yrs old. It was a monumental exposure to live R&R in the span of 4-5 weeks. That was where I was first introduced to Rare Earth, The Eagles, Black Oak Arkansas, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and a band that I would go on to be a gigantic fan of to this day, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

Midnight Special was a little more “pop”, however, I do thank them for an introduction to David Bowie, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, and especially, Fleetwood Mac. Both shows did provide good musical entertainment to an age group that had very, very, few options for exposure to R&R.

It’s too bad there are not shows like that on now. Austin City Limits is pretty good, but it’s not “In Concert”.

You are correct. The first “In Concert” with Alice Cooper was monumental! I might still have a tape recording I made of it.

I really hope all these shows have existing tapes. They can all be released on DVD eventually.

I MET HIM IN FLORIDA….AT A NEW (THEN) NIGHTCLUB CALLED WOLFMAN JACK’S JUKEBOX….I ASKED HIM ABOUT SOME ROCK TRIVIA AND HE COULD NOT ANSWER THEM….HE HAD A POPULAR SHOW…AND A GIMMICK VOICE AND HOWL…BUT DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE MUSIC HE WAS PLAYING

So many times, l have to wonder whether the Moody Blues performed on these programs and then, I found out, yes they were. They never lowered their standards, or changed their vision to fit what was the flavour of the month and I respect them for that.

It’s also what gave them staying power, because they drew a faithful audience that felt the same.

I love going to the Concerts. I look at the audience filling the venue and I feel like I’ve come home.

The people who come to their shows are three generations now each as excited as the other.

I’ve seen 1st time Concert goers at the shows and l know exactly what they’re feeling, because I felt it too the 1st time. It’s hard to put into words all of the emotions that they fill you with, but you’ll find out when you start relating their songs to your life.

They are so much more than one song, “Nights in White Satin”, so make “Question” your anthem and you’ll have a GREAT RIDE!

THANK YOU MOODY BLUES!

Great acts.TERRIBLE hosts

Occasionally, some respected acts who never had a hit would materialize. I recall seeing Paul Butterfield’s Better Days and Weather Report (possibly on the same show), as well as Ry Cooder performing ‘Diddy Wah Ditty’ solo. The Little Feat-hosted episode is floating around the internets, but I’d like to like to see the aforementioned surface as well.

The “Midnight Special” was a great time for me. I remember trying to stay awake to be with my older brothers while they watched their favorite bands. They had some classics like the Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Bay City Rollers (who were my favorite band as a 11 year old), Foghat etc. A great time for music and to this day, I love the 60 & 70s rock.

Correction: Wolfman Jack did NOT host the first episode of The Midnight Special, John Denver did (and also performed, including a duet of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” with Cass Elliot!). As the article points out, “American Graffiti” was released one year after The Midnight Special’s debut.

Also, the first show and those after it were not aired live. It was pre-recorded. You can tell when you watch the video that was just posted to You Tube a few days ago.

Thanks to reader “Big John Milner”… We’ve made the correction about that pilot episode.

Live! Live! Live! These guys could play, wanted to play and did play – LIVE! The musicianship and presentation of their songs shows that these bands came from a lost era when you rehearsed your ass off, played a thousand gigs, and were lucky enough AND good enough to get a chance to show it. I watch in on Youtube.

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Watch Journey and Herbie Hancock elevate Junior Walker's Road Runner into the funkosphere

Journey get their funk on with Herbie Hancock as The Midnight Special continues to mine its rich seam of classic rock gold

Most Journey fans think of the band as the one with Steve Perry out front, with their enormo-hits and their glistening, super-slick, radio-friendly power ballads . Open Arms. Who's Cryin' Now. Don't Stop Believin' . All of that. 

But there's always been the other Journey. The band Before Perry. The Journey of the first three albums, the one with all those jazzy, progressive rock sounds. The one that favoured lengthy instrumental workouts over three-and-a-half minutes singles. And it's that Journey who are the subject of the latest video to be uploaded to The Midnight Special 's increasingly unmissable YouTube archive.

The broadcast actually comes from May 1979, two years after Perry had joined the band, and two months after their release of fifth alum Evolution . Hosting the show, Journey were able to open up the broadcast with five songs from the new album – Loving You Is Easy , Just the Same Way , Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin , City of the Angels and Too Late – before taking it old-school for the show's closer. 

The action kicks off with a huge-haired Neal Schon introducing a "jam" for the audience. He welcomes jazz fusion pioneer Herbie Hancock to the stage, and the band play a tight-but-loose version of (I'm a) Road Runner , the Holland-Dozier-Holland song that was a hit for Junior Walker and the Allstars in 1966. 

The two musicians – who had both appeared on the self-titled debut album by all-star Latin fusion outfit Giants the previous year – trade licks (as they used to say) as the jam evolves, Perry shows he can "do" funk as well as the next man, and there's both choreographed and unchoreographed dancing. It's extremely fluid, and, quite frankly, way more fun than it ought to be. 

Quite how the rest of the show panned out is unclear. Hancock followed Journey's first set, with further dance-friendly material from The Jacksons and Anita Ward, plus an unlikely showing from barely-remembered UK rockabilly crew Levi and the Rockats. Sounds like a good night.       

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Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.  

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The midnight special.

S7.E11 ∙ Episode #7.11

S7.e12 ∙ episode #7.12, s7.e13 ∙ episode #7.13, s7.e14 ∙ episode #7.14, s7.e15 ∙ episode #7.15, s7.e16 ∙ episode #7.16, s7.e18 ∙ episode #7.18, s7.e20 ∙ episode #7.20, s7.e21 ∙ episode #7.21, s7.e22 ∙ episode #7.22, s7.e23 ∙ episode #7.23, s7.e24 ∙ episode #7.24, s7.e25 ∙ episode #7.25, s7.e26 ∙ episode #7.26, s7.e27 ∙ episode #7.27, s7.e28 ∙ episode #7.28, s7.e30 ∙ episode #7.30, s7.e31 ∙ episode #7.31, s7.e32 ∙ episode #7.32, s7.e35 ∙ music, s8.e1 ∙ the charlie daniels band, journey, robert john, gerry rafferty, timothy leary, paul mccartney & wings, s8.e2 ∙ the cars, suicide, the records, s8.e3 ∙ blondie, robert fripp, robert palmer, bram tchaikovsky, rick james, s8.e4 ∙ the captain and tennille, chicago, yvonne elliman, dr. john,, s8.e5 ∙ peaches & herb, france joli, maureen mcgovern, s8.e6 ∙ kc & the sunshine band, the dirt band, kool & the gang, deniece williams, s8.e7 ∙ lionel richie & the commodores, frankie valli, wolfman jack, the captain and tennille, destination, s8.e8 ∙ roger miller, blondie, ian hunter, brenda russell, tina turner, s8.e9 ∙ episode #8.9, s8.e10 ∙ episode #8.10, s8.e11 ∙ episode #8.11, contribute to this page.

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Three more classic journey performances from the midnight special have appeared online.

Watch Steve Perry and Co. perform Wheel In The Sky, La Do Da and Anytime on TV show The Midnight Special in April 1978

Late last month, the freshly-launched YouTube channel from legendary TV music show The Midnight Special unveiled footage of Journey playing Feeling That Way , originally broadcast on April 28, 1978, three months after the release of the band’s Infinity album.

Now another three songs have emerged from the same show, with Steve Perry and Journey performing three more tracks from the album: the previous year’s Wheel In The Sky single, plus La Do Da and Anytime . Which, by our calculations, means that the band’s version of Patiently , filmed for the same broadcast, is waiting in the wings. 

The performances come from a show hosted by the band themselves, one that also showcased music from Rita Coolidge, Al Jarreau and Eddie Money, while former Turtles-turned-comedy duo Flo & Eddie interviewed Lou Reed .

Wheel In the Sky  had been written with previous vocalist Robert Fleishman, prior to Perry joining Journey. The song had started out as a poem called  Wheels In My Mind  by Diane Valory, the wife of Journey bassist Ross Valory, and proved to play a pivotal part in the band’s story, helping to launch the Infinity album.   

“I remember clearly  Wheel In The Sky  being the first single,” Perry told Classic Rock in 2014 (opens in new tab) . “Neal and I went to this pizza place, and I went over to the jukebox and saw a  Wheel In the Sky  vinyl 45 in the machine – an ecstatic feeling.

“I didn’t tell Neal, I just put two quarters in, pushed the button and sat down, and the song started. Neal looked at me and started laughing. It was a monumental moment. Back then if you were started to show up in jukeboxes it was a sign that you might be finally starting to happen.”

Source: loudersound.com

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Midnight Special JOURNEY 1978 # 2-Feeling That Way & Anytime

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