by Michael McCarthy
photos by Brent Goldman – used with permission
Thirty minutes before Journey took to the stage at Boston’s TD Garden on Tuesday night, November 10th, 2026, a countdown began ticking away on the enormous screen in the center of the stage. When it finally reached zero, the band appeared promptly and opened the show with a rousing rendition of the classic “Be Good to Yourself.” It might not have been my choice for an opening song if you’d asked me beforehand, but it worked remarkably well. The song got everyone singing along and gave them permission to be good to themselves, which I think helped people relax and set the tone for a fun night where they could forget about their troubles, sing along, and simply have a blast. And for the better part of two hours, that’s exactly what Journey gave us, a blast.
I was fortunate enough to have seats in the 12th row on the floor, fairly close to the center, which made the enormous arena feel surprisingly intimate. We were close enough to appreciate the musicians’ performances while still getting a spectacular view of the stage.
The stage featured three gigantic video screens: one in the center that looked as large as an IMAX theater screen, if not larger, and two enormous screens on either side that seemed several times bigger than the Jumbotrons you usually see at concerts.
These screens were utilized beautifully. Sometimes you’d see lead guitarist Neal Schon on one side screen while the other featured multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Jonathan Cain, who mostly alternated between keyboards, piano, and rhythm guitar, although he also played harmonica at one point. Meanwhile, the center screen might alternate between drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo, lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, vocalist and second keyboardist Jason Derlatka, and bassist/backing vocalist Todd Jensen.
The visuals were impressive without being overwhelming, and they ensured that fans throughout TD Garden could get a good look at what was happening onstage.
I do have to mention that the sound wasn’t perfect during the first few songs. The instruments initially seemed to overpower the vocals, making it difficult to hear what was being sung, even when I tried using my concert earplugs. Fortunately, the sound improved considerably as the show progressed, and once everything was properly balanced, the band sounded fantastic. And I do mean fantastic. There wasn’t a single song all night that I thought Journey performed anything short of perfectly. Every musician and vocalist seemed to be giving it 100 percent.
As a founding member, Neal Schon is the musician who’s been with Journey the longest. He formed the band in 1973 and is the only member to have performed on every Journey studio album throughout its more than five-decade history. Jonathan Cain has been with the band since 1980, joining after original keyboardist and singer Gregg Rolie departed. Cain subsequently became a major contributor to Journey’s songwriting, co-writing such classics as “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” and “Who’s Crying Now,” among others.
Deen Castronovo originally joined Journey in 1998 and remained until 2015. After six years away, he returned in 2021 and has been with the band ever since. Arnel Pineda joined in 2007 and has served as their lead vocalist for the past 19 years. Jason Derlatka joined in 2020, while bassist Todd Jensen came aboard in 2021.
The second song Journey performed Tuesday night was “Stone in Love,” a classic from the band’s massively successful 1981 album Escape, which happens to be my favorite Journey album. In fact, Escape was the most heavily represented album of the evening, with five songs: “Stone in Love,” the title track, “Who’s Crying Now,” “Open Arms,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
I was especially impressed by the powerful performance of “Open Arms,” which Arnel sang so beautifully it was like listening to the voice of an angel. The video screens displayed burning candles and what appeared to be the interior of a colorful church, creating an atmosphere that perfectly complemented the song. One thing I particularly loved was that they extended it a little, repeating the chorus an additional time at the end.
In case you’re not aware, “Open Arms” is an unusually short song. You have the first verse, followed by the chorus, then the second verse and another chorus, and that’s it. The song is over. Most ballads–and songs in general–repeat their choruses two or three times toward the end, and many rock songs also feature a guitar solo. But “Open Arms” doesn’t have either of those things, which has always made it feel a little too short to me. Just when I’m completely swept up in it, the song ends. Hearing Journey repeat that final chorus an extra time made the performance feel more complete than the original album version has ever felt to me.
Interestingly, when I saw Hugo Valenti’s Journey tribute show back in February, he also extended “Open Arms.” In fact, I believe he repeated the chorus two additional times, stretching the song even further. Speaking of Hugo, Journey actually brought him onstage during two concerts in Japan earlier this year. He performed “Faithfully” in Fukuoka on August 29, then returned in Tokyo on September 1 to sing both “Faithfully” and “Keep On Runnin’.”
Those appearances prompted some fans to speculate that Journey might be considering replacing Arnel with Hugo. Personally, I think the band simply admires Hugo’s abilities and wanted to give him an opportunity to perform with the musicians whose legacy he’s helped celebrate. After all, he had already performed with Jonathan Cain at an event in Dubai in 2025.
But getting back to Tuesday night’s show, I have to say that I was enormously impressed with Arnel. Not only did he sound fantastic, he was also like the band’s Energizer Bunny, running from one side of the stage to the other again and again, often while twirling around his microphone stand. While the other members certainly moved around at times, I think it’s safe to say that Arnel was the one working the entire stage the most, doing everything he could to keep fans throughout the arena engaged and feeling seen. And the audience seemed to love him. Twice during the show, he ventured offstage and made his way through the audience, where fans eagerly reached out to shake his hand or exchange high-fives. It was wonderful to see him connecting with everyone so enthusiastically.
I also thoroughly enjoyed hearing Jason Derlatka sing lead vocals on “Of a Lifetime” and “Girl Can’t Help It.” Both performances were brilliant, and they demonstrated that Journey has another talented vocalist in its ranks.
Another interesting moment came when Neal Schon mentioned former Journey frontman Steve Perry by name. In fact, Perry’s name came up a couple of times during the show. One particularly memorable acknowledgment came before the band performed the underrated ballad “Patiently” from the album Infinity. Schon said it was the first composition he and Perry wrote together, reportedly completed in roughly half an hour.
From everything I’d heard about the relationships between Journey’s various members over the years, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to hear Perry’s name at all. But Schon spoke graciously about him, and I appreciated hearing one of Journey’s longest-serving members recognize the enormous role Perry played in the band’s success.
There were plenty of other highlights throughout the evening, including “Ask the Lonely,” “Only the Young,” “Chain Reaction,” and the powerful “Wheel in the Sky,” which featured an extended instrumental jam.
The final five songs–all singles–were particularly strong: “Faithfully,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” and “Any Way You Want It.”
Before performing “Faithfully,” Cain spoke about the United States celebrating its 250th anniversary and dedicated the song to veterans and those currently serving in the armed forces. It was a really nice speech, and I found it refreshing compared with the more overtly political comments some artists have made onstage in recent months. Cain didn’t make a partisan statement or ask anyone to choose sides. He simply spoke as a proud American who wanted to thank those who serve and protect the country.
Unfortunately, despite all of these wonderful performances, there was one disappointing aspect to Tuesday night’s concert. Roughly halfway through the show, Deen Castronovo experienced what the band later described as a “medical emergency” and was unable to finish the show.
Deen had sung lead vocals beautifully on “Lights,” and I had been looking forward to hearing him sing a few more songs as recent setlists have shown him doing. However, something went wrong around the time the band performed “Who’s Crying Now,” and Deen disappeared from the stage.
Another drummer took over, Deen’s drum technician Steve Toomey, who had also stepped in when Deen suffered a medical emergency during a concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month. At the time, the audience wasn’t told exactly what was happening. It wasn’t until the band’s final bow that we learned Deen had experienced an emergency. I had already suspected that something was wrong, particularly when Journey performed “Open Arms” considerably earlier than they had been performing it at most recent concerts.
Having familiarized myself with the tour’s usual setlist, I knew that “Open Arms” normally came much later in the show. When the band moved it forward by several songs, and Deen was nowhere to be seen, I began worrying that the concert was going to end prematurely. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. Instead of performing the approximately 29 songs and solos that had made up many recent shows, Journey ended Tuesday night’s concert after just 18 songs and two instrumental solos.
Comparing Boston’s setlist with the band’s November 7 performance in Uniondale, New York, reveals that eight songs and a drum solo were omitted, including “Just the Same Way,” “La Do Da,” “Edge of the Blade,” “Precious Time,” “Anytime,” “Dead or Alive,” “Keep On Runnin’,” and “Suzanne.”
Several of those songs would have featured Deen on lead or shared vocals, so I can certainly understand why the band might not have been able to perform them after he became ill. However, other omitted songs featured Arnel or Jason on lead vocals, which left me wondering why those performances couldn’t have gone ahead. I don’t know whether Toomey was familiar with the arrangements for the entire setlist or whether other considerations influenced the decision to shorten the concert.
Most importantly, I sincerely hope Deen is doing well and makes a full recovery. No concert is more important than someone’s health. Nevertheless, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by how much music we missed. Journey performed for approximately one hour and 55 minutes in Boston, compared with roughly two hours and 35 minutes at the November 7 show. That’s about 40 minutes of music we didn’t get to hear. That said, I certainly give the band credit for preserving all of the major hits, and nearly two hours of Journey is still a substantial concert. But on a farewell tour, when fans are eager to hear as much of the band’s catalog as possible, losing approximately one-third of the usual setlist is bound to be a bit disappointing.
Shortened set aside, Journey was outstanding. Neal Schon delivered dazzling guitar work, Jonathan Cain was excellent on his various instruments, Jason Derlatka proved himself an impressive vocalist, and Arnel Pineda gave an energetic, passionate performance that demonstrated why he’s been fronting the band for nearly two decades.
Once the early sound problems were resolved, Journey sounded phenomenal. The musicians were clearly enjoying themselves, the audience was enthusiastic, the production was spectacular, and every song they performed was delivered with conviction. I had a wonderful time listening to them. I just wish we’d gotten to hear more. Suffice to say, I would highly recommend that you catch them on The Final Frontier Tour while you still can.
Here’s hoping Deen Castronovo is doing well and that the remainder of Journey’s tour proceeds without any further emergencies. And I can’t end this without suggesting that Journey fans check out Deen’s side-project band Revolution Saints, an excellent melodic rock band that features Deen on not only drums but lead vocals. If you liked his rendition of “Lights” and other songs on the current Journey tour, you simply must check them out. They have five albums already out and other members of the band have included legends like Night Ranger’s Jack Blades, and former Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich.
Leave a Reply