Journey's coming to Columbus, Ohio on September 9 to play the Schottenstein Center. Tower of Power is opening for them.

You couldn't pay me enough money to be there.

Even if you're not a fan of Journey, even if you hate Journey and everything it ever stood for, let me put this in clear perspective for you.

Seeing Journey without Steve Perry is like seeing the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger. Led Zepplin without Robert Plant. The Who without Roger Daltrey.

Heck... it's like seeing the Jackson 5 without Michael Jackson.

What makes it even more pathetic of a show, is their new lead singer is a sound-a-like.  As if you're tricking me into thinking it's really him. Who are you, Obi-wan Kenobi? You think you can do a Jedi mind trick on me?

Thank you Eddie Van Halen for finding a David Lee Roth replacement that was totally different. While Van Hagar wasn't anything like Van Halen, at least it was new, refreshing, and exciting to listen to.

But I digress... here's the whopper.  Journey thinks they are going to fill a huge arena (the OSU Basketball team plays there) and have people pay upwards to $90 to see them. Folks, the nose bleed seats are $72!

There's a lot of better ways you can spend that $72.  Go see a movie, buy a couple of CDs, visit Colin's Coffee (shameless plug for Colin's shop), come to my book signing at Colin's Coffee on Aug 16 from 10 am to Noon (shameless plug for my new book Revolution 1990), or even donate it to a homeless shelter.

But for the love of God, please don't feed Neal Schon's ego with it.

Wal Ozello is  a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989: The Time Travel Wars  and Revolution 1990. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio, a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee, and a long-time Steve Perry fan.

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