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I was waiting for this one to happen at some time. The Cinderella story with Arnel Pineda surely got a mythical dimension back in the Philippines. Hence, JOURNEY had to perform over there to secure recognition for their choice plus they'd surely count on en endless number of fans waiting to see their hero singing for a legendary American Rock band.
Using RED technology, which features special 4K high-definition cameras with a resolution exceeding 35mm film resulting in footage having an extra dynamic quality (if you have a fitting video system you'll be surprised by the audio and video level), the DVD shows JOURNEY in Manila playing for more than two hours in a crowd consisting of every single adult category you can think of. Rockers, housewives, office directors, tourists, metallers, strangers, civil servants…A multi-camera crew captured each end every single move of the band members, with much focus on Arnel's figure anyway. I think - gradually seeing the 2-DVD set - that the rest of the band members on purpose left the main space to Pineda so as to set his own land on fire; Arnel speaks both in his native language and English while interacting with the crowd, and the fans (especially the front part of the arena) seem to bow to each word his speaks out.
JOURNEY performed songs off the Revelation album plus an anthology of classic tunes, spanning from the late 70s to today's makings. The instrumentation is nearly perfect (some improvisations or new arrangements are also maid to some tracks like e.g. Wheel In The Sky), Dean Castronovo is the beast behind the kit and you surely know what to expect form JOURNEY since their late renaissance with the Philippine singer.
A drawback I see watching the gig again is that at times it seems like the band is rushing to end the setlist; apart from - as pre-said - Pineda's interaction there seems to be lack of vivid mood from the rest of the clan. In the liner notes booklet it's written that JOURNEY performed in Manila having to face inadequate climate obstacles (humidity etc) so maybe such an explanation is valid.
For the time being, this double DVD set is being sold exclusively at Wal-Mart in North America at a 10$ 'smile' price. The DVD also debuted at the top of Billboard's Top Music Video Sales chart, marking the first time the band has topped this chart (the 2005 release of Live In Houston 1981 - The Escape Tour DVD peaked at number nine). The package, needed to be said, is impressive but in the booklet some more information would be appreciated.