JourneyA Full-Circle Night

Journey took the stage at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center here in Sioux Falls, and it carried a different kind of weight. The setlist leaned into exactly what you’d hope for—hit after hit, no filler—songs that have held up for decades and still land the same way. Being in the pit for it, hearing those songs live and working in that space at the same time, was surreal—especially knowing how many times I’d heard them growing up.

One thing that makes a band like Journey interesting all these years later is how it evolves. Neal Schon has been there since the beginning, still driving the sound and identity of the band, alongside longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain—who even threw on a Sioux Falls Canaries jersey for part of the second half, a subtle nod to the city that didn’t go unnoticed. At the same time, the lineup has naturally shifted over the years—most notably with Arnel Pineda stepping in as lead vocalist and carrying those iconic songs in his own way. It’s a mix of legacy and continuation, and last night it worked. The sound, the feel, the intention—it’s still there.

And then the closing stretch hit - Faithfully, Any Way You Want It, and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)—the kind of ending that lifts the entire building without trying too hard. Pyro firing, confetti falling, the crowd fully in it. Those final moments felt like a payoff not just for the night, but for years of music that’s been part of people’s lives in different ways. For me, it was one of those rare full-circle experiences—finally getting the chance to photograph a band I never thought I would, and watching them deliver exactly what made them legendary in the first place.