Friday, December 26, 2008

Rarest of Rare Journey Shirts - Japan Tour 2





This is the final Escape Tour shirt, and its by far the rarest. I never knew it existed until the revered Terry Brennan shared it with us ebayers. It just blew me away when i saw it listed. I mean, i had the one scarab shirt, which is pictured above, so for me that was a grand accomplishment to get. But this? Nuts. He sold a small first that i got, which didnt get any bigger after a wash and hours of wet stretching. I sent him an email asking if he had a larger version and he said he didnt know. But lo and beholding the XL you see here was found and i got it.

I am very happy with my Journey Escape Tour t-shirts, concert jerseys, and jacket. Its taken a long time to get this set of items together. It was a big time for vintage shirts in the early 2000s, and it was the ideal time to be buying and selling. Sorta seems to be losing its steam though. Maybe everything got sold off? I am sure there are more closets and unopened drawers to rifle through - and i keep looking for sure. Next i will move onto the shirts from 1980 - 1977 that i have. Some really really rare stuff in there, you just wait.

The Sole Journey COAT or JACKET!



Yet another tremendous score from the Terry Brennan collection. From a Bill Graham show of which i have no details whatsoever. I have never seen this anywhere ever. Terry also sold his leather bomber roadie jacket from the Escape tour but i missed out with much remorse. I am very fortunate to have this here flannel lined coat though.

The Coolest Looking Journey Shirt Ever



This shirt simply kicks asses. Its from the Escape tour shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. On the front is the artwork from the stage backdrop. It is buff and manly. It is also the only shirt that has the guys posing as they are on the Escape LP sleeve. I see these here and there, but they are pretty unique, especially with the way they bring different album artwork together - a practice usually reserved for the parking lot shirt makers. This one was always a must have for me.

Texas World Music Festival Journey Shirt


This is pretty rare one too. I seen maybe 5 or 6 of them since 2001. Its not that exciting of a design, but there is a subtle explosiveness about it. Doesnt really fit into any motif that Stanley Mouse had going. Pretty rockin lineup on those hot days in June, 1982. That's my take.

More Journey Escape Tour Rarities - Staff Sweatshirt

I was really excited to see this being offered by a vintage clothing store in Oakland via eBay - i had gone to the store previously after asking them about all the shirts they were selling online - she said to come on by and go through all the shirts that a roadie had sold to them. There were dozens of them in a big barrel that she hadnt priced or seen yet. It was the most exciting time of discovery. I came away with several rare ones, including the Carrier Dome show and another from the Derby Days which i will post later. She got this one later and I won it via ebay and am very glad to have it. Saw only one other and that was on the Herbie Herbert auction. (i'll try to post all the stuff i missed out on later from that auction.

Logo on the front is same as the one on the back of the standard issue shirts. There is also an exceedingly rare shirt with this design covering the entire front of the shirt which i want bad but saw only once on ebay and it was too small anyhow. Here is a picture of Neal Schon wearing it by the lake.

Halfway there with these Special Journey Escape Tour Show Shirts

Hi. here are the two shirts i have with the Journey Escape logo laying upon its side, as if resting in wait for its friends. I hope to one day post an update to this entry with the two others: Florida show with the bug swooping in and blasting the state, and the Seattle show with the bug blazing over the city skyline and blasting the Space Needle. I will give them a good home if you would like me to take care of them and reunite them with their brethren.

Journey Shirt from the 1981 Texas Escape Tour Shows



Here is the other example of the shirt with the tilted Journey font. Like I said in the other post, i am missing the Seattle show and the Florida show in this style. If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call the nearest authorities - they will know where to find me.

Blasting the Roof Off the Carrier Dome



This is one of four Journey special concert shirts that are very hard to come by. And they are ones that people dont know are Journey shirts. I had one person tell me that they thought the words on the front, since they are tilted on their side, looked like Russian writing. Ha! i said. I agree though that it dont jump out at you. There are three others done this way - one from the Texas shows in 1981, one from a Florida gig, and the other of the Seattle skyline. All feature the Journey escape font from the album cover laying on its side above the beetle swooping in and blasting stuff. This one and the Texas one come up once a year at best, but the others i have only seen one other time and it kills me that i dont have them. Help a guy out and let me complete this collection so i can finally share it with the Smithsonian.

Cow Palace 1981 Journey Escape Tour Show Shirt




Got this jersey at a vintage clothing store on the Haight. Its in excellent condition for its elderlyness. The full cityscape idea here is repeated on a Seattle show shirt that i have had only two other opportunities to buy, and screwed them up by unattentive bidding. Journey is from San Francisco and was very popular there back in the era.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Day on the Green 1982 Journey Shirt



This one accompanies the Rose Bowl shirt as special stadium show editions - this one for the long running Bill Graham Day on the Green concert series in Oakland Stadium. Love the explosiveness of the bugs over the Bay Area on this. This one was only made as a jersey, and i found out the hard way when a ringer came up and i thought it would be cool to have but it was a fake and the dickhead on ebay i bought it from wouldnt send me a refund and i gave him negative points and he made up some bullshit about how he never got my emails and then he retorted with negative feedback on me and i never got my money back. it was the only bad ebay experience i have had. In the end i win because this shirt is real cool, though i do wish it were a tad bigger and that i hadnt gained 15 pounds in the last year and a half.

Rose Bowl 1982 Journey Concert Shirt



Hot summer concert in Los Angeles in the Rose Bowl Deserved a sweet new design. This one has a double-barreled beetle attack coming at you in stereo. The back lists the lineup and some patriotic stars and stripes. There was one other show that this sort of design was created for, and comes up in the next post. There are usually a few of these a year. It a good one.

Escape Album Art Journey Concert Shirts





Hey, here are the t-shirt and jersey versions featuring the actual album art from Journey's hot selling Escape album. Same designs are on both, so this is a combo entry for these, just so you can see them. These were sold as-is and not jazzed up for certain cities. They come up, but not as many times as one might think.

Alternate Artwork Escape Tour Shirt


Check it out, the beetle is coming right at you! Duck or be pummeled by 80s stadium rock. This black t-shirt only came in short sleeves and is never altered for a certain city or show. Its vibrant and colorful. There is something on the back in green glowing lettering denoting the Escape tour. Its a good one, its common and i do hope you enjoy looking at it.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

All Landing Beetle Journey Escape Tour Shirts


Here is the summary view of the range of versions of this here design. Its real pretty and makes for great fanfare when worn to parties and outdoor picnics. Rock in them all.

Special LA Show Landing Beetle Journey Shirt




This one is neato, from the 1981 LA Forum shows. Gots the landing beetle in front of the venue. I see this one quite a bit, but its still a nice one to have snagged. They get pricey. Its very colorful and a great example of how great it was taken care of, or hardly worn all these years. I dont see how that is possible, seeing as how cool it is. Though the neckhole is a little tight on my throax, and perhaps that was the problem with the previous owner. Or, maybe someone died in it, as is the risk in buying any piece of vintage clothing. I try not to think about it.

My One Cheap Facimile Journey Shirt


Saw this one on ebay and no one was bidding on it so i got it for just a few bucks. I usually dont buy the parking lot shirts since they are extra cheap and get all warped after a washing, but it was there and i took it. Notice there is no copyright or artist signature. a dead giveaway. Sometimes these kinds of shirts have "Live in Concert" in some dumb scrolly font, and some mishmash of other logos plastered on them.

Record Store Landing Beetle


I am pretty sure this Journey shirt was available at record stores and head shops and such, but i could be wrong. There are several available on ebay a year, so they must have been pretty mass produced. There is nothing on the back of this here one but sweet, soft cotton. The foggy mist is quite mysterious. Its a Stanley Mouse classic

Another Landing Beetle Shirt From Shows


Love this classic, standard issue concert jersey from the Escape tour of 1982. Mostly see this one with red sleeves, but some come up with black or navy blue. The back image also appears on backstage passes of the era. Thank you.

Landing Beetle Shirt - Version A




This one is the first example i am sharing of what i like to call the Journey "landing beetle" shirts. The artwork appears on the cover of the Escape tour souvenir book and this cool picture disc i have and a couple other shirts forthcoming. To me it means that Journey is otherworldly and is gracing us with their hard rockin presence as a special treat.

This one has the stadium scene that was also used by the Rolling Stones - but instead of the beetle it has some dragon sitting in there. The two bands toured together once, so i assume that is how such a dubious partnership arose. These shirts were made for several shows, and only the town name and venue is different among them. Its a common shirt.