Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour (2006)
1. Escape
2. Line of Fire
3. Lights
4. Stay Awhile
5. Open Arms
6. Mother, Father
7. Jonathan Cain Solo
8. Who's Cryin' Now
9. Where Were You
10.Steve Smith Solo
11.Dead or Alive
12.Don't Stop Believin'
13.Stone in Love
14.Keep on Runnin'
15.Neal Schon Solo
16.Wheel in the Sky
17.Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'
18.Any Way You Want It
19.The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)
Somewhere in the glossed-over fog of early-'80s arena rock, Journey staged a triumphant performance in Houston, Texas—one that was, at the time, partially immortalized in an MTV broadcast and subsequently became something of a holy grail for fans of the band’s commercial peak. Years later, the full (or at least convincingly full) concert finally surfaced on CD, allowing those who missed the original broadcast—or weren't born yet—to experience Journey at their absolute zenith.
Recorded during the Escape tour, Live in Houston captures a band flush with success and radiating confidence. Eight of the ten tracks from Escape are performed here, a clear indicator of how central that album was to their mythos. The performance is tight, sleek, and unapologetically grand. Steve Perry is in fine voice, Neal Schon’s guitar tone is razor-sharp, and the rest of the band operate with well-oiled precision.
Sprinkled throughout the set are three instrumental or vocal solo spots—standard fare for the era, and here handled with taste and just enough flair. While they don’t break new ground, they offer brief pauses in the relentless tide of radio hits and arena-sized anthems.
A fair portion of this performance had already seen release on Greatest Hits Live, which may dull the impact slightly for those hoping for fresh content. The overlap is considerable, and listeners might feel a touch short-changed on first glance. Still, the value of hearing the entire concert as a single, cohesive document shouldn't be underestimated. It flows, it builds, and above all, it showcases Journey as a band that knew exactly how to fill a stadium.
A DVD version accompanied the release, adding the visual spectacle to the sonic experience—a reminder of just how comfortable Journey was under the spotlight at the height of their fame. No reinvention, no reinterpretation—just a snapshot of a band fully in command of their domain.
Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review