KU Presents! Welcomes Journey Tribute Band to Berks County With “Open Arms”

By Susan L. Peña

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Audiences continue to be carried away by the music of the classic rock band Journey, and there are many bands around the country that specialize in those songs. But one that has emerged as a dead ringer for Journey during the Steve Perry years (1977-87) is E5C4P3 (Escape), based in Cleveland, Ohio. KU Presents! will bring this band to Schaeffer Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, for “a true ‘80s concert experience,” says bass player and manager Paul Soos.

Soos, a native Ohioan who lives in Canton, said, “When we started the band in 1993, there was no tribute band scene then like there is today – no big outdoor tribute band festivals or concerts in arenas and theaters. We were just playing in local bars for 200 or 300 people.”

Fast-forward to today and the band is selling out big arenas, performing about 75 times a year and has built up a following in Ohio and beyond. Their lead singer, Jason Kelty, is known for his uncanny ability to channel Steve Perry in iconic songs like “Open Arms” and “Don’t Stop Believing,” as well as the rest of the material on Journey’s seven albums during the 10-year period when Perry was their renowned lead vocalist.

“It’s fun to see new audience members in the front row,” Soos said. “As soon as Jason starts singing, their jaws hit the floor.”

For those not in the know, Journey was started in 1973 by former Santana members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie, along with former Frumious Bandersnatch members Ross Valory and George Tickner and drummer Prairie Prince (quickly replaced by Aynsley Dunbar, of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention).

They performed then-experimental jazz fusion in San Francisco’s Bay Area and released an eponymous album in 1974. By 1977, they were changing direction to a more audience-friendly, rock-based sound, and after Perry joined the band as lead vocalist, they became a sensation with their landmark 1981 album, “Escape.” They went on to become one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.

Years later, during the first year of the Covid pandemic in 2020, “Don’t Stop Believing” was used as an anthem for Covid patients being discharged from New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital and the Henry Ford Health System. The following year, Journey played at New York City’s celebration of the emergence from the pandemic. Journey is still performing, with one original member, Neal Schon, and lead singer Arnel Pineda.

Soos became a fan of Journey during the height of their popularity, while at college in the early 80s. But before that, he learned to love bands from the 50s and 60s from his grandmother’s collection of 45s. “From the time I was small,” he said, “my record player was my favorite toy.” He would listen to Buddy Holly and Danny and the Juniors (“At the Hop”), learning to harmonize along with the singers.

He played French horn with his school bands from fifth grade to graduation. When his best friend wanted to start a garage band during their sophomore year, Soos learned to play the bass and soon they were playing Top 40 songs in local bars. They became roommates at the University of Akron, where Soos majored in everything but music, and they continued to perform for a few more years.

After the breakup, Soos played for the worship team at his church and in the late 1980s, he performed in a fairly successful Christian heavy-metal band called Catalyst. And then, with some fits and starts, he and some friends created Escape.

Throughout the years, band members have come and gone, including Soos (who returned in 2016), but Kelty has been there since the beginning. For the past three years, the lineup has remained steady: Kelty, Soos, George McGrew on guitar, Billy Jones on drums and Erney Chaney on keyboards/synth.

“Jason has studied this music for a long time; he has all the moves, the gestures,” Soos said. “I still get goosebumps when I hear him. And he can play any instrument – bass, drums, keyboards, guitar.” Kelty also leads two cover bands in the Cleveland area: Jukebox Heroes and Rubix Cubed.

Soos, who also has another band, Best of Times, said he finds being in a tribute band rewarding because the audiences are loyal and enjoy the experience so much. The repertoire consists of songs from all seven Perry albums and a few from movie soundtracks – 35 to 40 in all – and they perform about 25 in each concert. They rotate them to keep it fresh for the fans who follow them to multiple concerts. Of course, he said, “we have to do ‘Open Arms’ and ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ every time.

“We’re looking forward to coming to Kutztown. We haven’t been to that part of Pennsylvania. It should be a lot of fun.”

Tickets for “E5C4P3” are $35; $31 for students and seniors and can be purchased at www.KutztownPresents.org or by calling the KU Presents! Box Office 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, at 610-683-4092. Established to be the center of cultural life at Kutztown University, KU Presents! serves the campus and community by bringing world-class live arts that entertain, educate and enrich.