Feels Like the Umpteenth Time

Why not? Here's why not: Journey. If you bring binoculars to the band's July 7 show at Coral Sky Amphitheatre, you'll be able to tell that the man standing on stage and belting "Don't Stop Believin'" isn't Perry, who was last seen assaulting the microphone for 1996's reunion disc, Trial by Fire. Rather, it's Steve Augeri, whom Schon selected as a replacement to record "Remember Me," the hit from last summer's dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks blockbuster Armageddon. Perry's absence is rumored to be the result of tension within the band. It's also rumored to be the result of an illness. Whatever the case, he's not along for the Journey this time, and Augeri, who used to front Tall Stories, is attempting to fill his shoes. From top-secret reports submitted to me by spies across the country, I have managed to learn that Augeri is, in fact, filling the aforementioned shoes. He hits the high notes. He hits the low notes. He hits the notes in between. Still, though, they're notes that are arranged in the service of miserable tripe like "Faithfully" and "Open Arms," which means, technically, that they're criminal notes.

Would a world without Journey and Foreigner be a better world? I'll answer the question with a question: Would a world without Sam Cooke or Phil Ochs be a better world? Of course. You don't have to be wearing a lead-lined helmet, huddling in your darkened bathroom, and humming the chorus to "Rehearsals For Retirement" to see that.

Foreigner and Journey appear at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, at Coral Sky Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury's Way, West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $15.75 to $32.75. Call 561-793-0445.