On This Day in 1977: Steve Perry Joined Journey Onstage for the First Time and Began a Decade of Hit Records
via ForeverStevePerry / YouTube
A New Frontman Debuts
On October 28, 1977, Steve Perry made his live debut as the lead singer of Journey, performing at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco. This show marked the first public appearance of Perry with the band and set the stage for their rise into pop-rock stardom.
According to guitarist and co-founder Neal Schon, the audience was unsure how to react. “I remember the first night that Steve Perry came onstage with us … the audience was like, ‘I don’t know about that,’” Schon recalled in an interview. Journey introduced him gradually—performing their full set first, and then bringing him on for the encore. This cautious approach gave fans time to adapt to the change.
The Shift in Sound
At the time of Perry’s arrival, Journey’s style leaned toward instrumental and jazz-fusion roots. Perry’s strong lead vocals brought a new direction. He admitted, “I had some problems when I first joined … all of the sudden there was this singer up there with the range of a soprano. They were going, ‘What the hell is this?’”
When Perry joined, the band had released three albums without breaking into major commercial success. His arrival coincided with a new producer, Roy Thomas Baker, who helped refine their sound for mainstream appeal. Their next album, Infinity (January 1978), became their first with Perry and marked a turning point.
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Beginning of a Decade of Hits
With Perry as frontman, Journey achieved remarkable success—seventeen Billboard Top 40 hits over the following ten years. These included iconic songs like “Lights,” “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” His smooth voice and the band’s accessible rock sound struck a chord with a wide audience.
Longtime fans and critics acknowledge that while Perry’s arrival met resistance, the subsequent era defined the band’s legacy. Schon described the writing chemistry:
“Immediately when Steve and I got together, I knew that we had chemistry … within, I’d say, 45 minutes we had that song.”
Reflecting on That Night
Despite the strong vocal shift, there were early critics. One review from the Stanford Daily in 1977 described Perry as “crooning through his beak” and called him “nose hose.” But others saw promise from the start. Schon said of his reaction:
“It dawned on me right then that this could really be great.”
That appearance at the Old Waldorf was the beginning of a new era for Journey. It signaled a move away from their progressive roots toward a rock sound with broader appeal—and laid the groundwork for some of the biggest songs of the early ’80s. With that show, Steve Perry entered the stage and changed the band’s course forever.
