Greatest Hits Live (1998)
1. Don't Stop Believin'
2. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
3. After The Fall
4. Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'
5. Faithfully
6. Who's Crying Now
7. Any Way You Want It
8. Lights
9. Stay Awhile
10.Open Arms
11.Send Her My Love
12.Still They Ride
13.Stone in Loe
14.Escape
15.Line of Fire
16.Wheel in the Sky
Until the release of Greatest Hits Live, Journey’s only official in-concert offering was 1981’s Captured—a thunderous, pulse-quickening document that unfortunately arrived just before the band truly entered its imperial phase. That oversight is addressed here. This release draws primarily from the Escape and Frontiers eras, two albums that, between them, carried the bulk of the band’s commercial legacy. Hits were not in short supply—and neither is their presence here.
Far from being a retread of Captured, this live set serves as a complementary volume, showcasing the radio-dominating power Journey wielded at their absolute peak. More than half of the songs are drawn from those two aforementioned blockbusters, and unlike many so-called “live retrospectives,” this one doesn’t merely repackage what fans already owned. It brings the spectacle of arena rock, mid-‘80s style, roaring back to life.
The bulk of the recording comes from a 1981 performance in Houston—an event that, at the time, passed into legend largely unheralded, but would later receive a full standalone release. There are moments of ragged charm: Steve Perry name-checks “Houston” a few too many times with an enthusiasm that borders on self-parody, and a peculiar Japanese shout-out midway through Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) betrays the fact that not everything here was recorded in the same place—or perhaps even the same year.
Still, the energy is unmistakable, and the playing is razor sharp. Journey may have thrived in the studio, but they were no slouches live. The omission of any material from the Raised on Radio period is conspicuous, particularly given its commercial significance. The most likely explanation? Lineup changes. By then, Journey was more brand than band, and this set clearly aims to preserve the purity of the classic Perry–Schon–Cain axis.
Greatest Hits Live doesn’t try to rewrite the legacy—it simply reminds us why there was one in the first place. It delivers what it promises, and then steps aside. No reinvention, no revelation—just power ballads, guitar crunch, and a frontman with lungs of leather.
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