The night Journey stopped Believin'

Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda and guitarist Neal Schon perform "Only the Young" to start their concert March 14 in NRG Stadium during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. An electrical fire under the stage ended the concert a few minutes later while they were performing "Don't Stop Believin'."

We were there when Journey stopped Believin’.

Friday, March 14, the rock band was in the middle of performing its biggest hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” when everything came to a stop during a concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It was surreal. At first the crowd picked up when the sound cut out, thinking it was part of the act.

“For a smile they can share the night. It (sound cuts out and crowd takes over) goes on and on and on and on.”

The crowd kept singing for a few more seconds, but it was no act. The band didn’t continue the performance. Eventually it dawned on the sold-out crowd in NRG Stadium that something was wrong. After the sound cut out, the stage lights went dark.

“Hey, Houston! An act of God tonight!” drummer Deen Castronovo wrote in a social media post. “Fire broke out underneath the stage—right under my drum riser! I was literally on fire for 4 ½ songs, all the power cables melted, and the show was a BUST! That doesn’t mean we won’t be back soon, because we love you all — and WE WILL RETURN!”

This journey with Journey has been a very interesting experience. I became a fan of the band in high school when their acclaimed Escape album was released. I bought all of their cassettes and played them a lot. I remember entertaining myself on a long trip I took in my red ’77 Camaro by playing their entire album collection as I cruised along Interstate 80.

I first saw Journey in concert in Denver at McNichols Sports Arena (now the location of the Denver Broncos football stadium) on Sept. 19, 1986. The Outfield opened for them. It was a great show; part of the Raised on Radio tour. The two things I remember the most about the concert are the crick in my neck that hurt like crazy and what appeared to be lead singer Steve Perry’s mascara running. At least I think he was wearing mascara because there were dark streaks running down his face from his eyes.

I didn’t get to see Journey again until March 10, 2022, when the band performed at RodeoHouston. I had an opportunity to photograph them but turned it down. That morning I had a basal cell skin cancer removed from under my right eye and I didn’t feel comfortable trying to do anything too strenuous. My friend Shane drove us to the show and we watched from the press box.

By this time Perry was long departed from the group and was replaced by Arnel Pineda. Guitarist Neal Schon is the only original member still performing with Journey, and as he pointed out, Pineda has been the lead singer much longer than Perry, even though Perry is the one people often think of when Journey comes to mind. He sang most of their biggest hits in the late ’70s through the ’80s.

Flash forward to the concert this year and this is where the tale gets interesting. My wife Sandy and I spent the day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo working on other stories and getting ready for the rodeo and concert. I found out about an hour before the gates opened that I had been approved to photograph Journey. Photographers get the first two songs and then we’re out. Our usual mode of operation is to go to the press box where I leave Sandy while I go down to the stadium floor to photograph the rodeo.

After the last bull ride, I met the other photographers and our escort. We were led out to a waiting area. When the show started, we made a mad dash to the side of the star-shaped stage. They opened up with “Only the Young” while we scrambled to keep up with Pineda who raced around from point to point. At the same time, I wanted shots of Schon and the others as they circled around on the rotating stage. It was exhausting running in all that dirt.

The next song was a favorite, “Be Good to Yourself.” We left when it was over. Schon did a guitar solo and then they started in on “Stone in Love” while I rejoined Sandy in the press box. I had just settled down when they started “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

You know the rest of the story. And that is my journey with Journey. Maybe next time I will finally get to see them without any pain or complications. At least I hope this journey will go on and on and on and on. Until it ends, I won’t stop believin’!