Watch: Journey’s Final Concert with Steve Perry, a Three-Song Set During a Tribute For Late Concert Promoter Bill Graham in 1991

By November of 1991, Journey hadn’t performed together in four years but reunited to perform at a tribute for late concert promoter Bill Graham, who died at age 60 less than two weeks earlier in a helicopter crash in California. Graham helped launch the careers of Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, and helped bring The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Santana to wider audiences,

Shortly after Graham’s death on October 25, the San Francisco Civic Auditorium was renamed the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and held a free concert in tribute to Graham and the others lost on the flight at Golden Gate Park called “Laughter, Love and Music” on November 3, 1991.

The concert featured many of the artists Graham supported in the early days, including the Grateful Dead and Santana, along with Robin Williams, John Fogerty, and a reunited Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Journey.

‘Raised on Radio’

Following the release of Journey’s ninth album Raised on Radio, the band went on hiatus in 1987 with Perry retreating from the public, Schon and Cain forming Bad English, and drummer Steve Smith forming The Storm. The band last toured with Perry on their Raised on Radio Tour and played their final full concert together on February 1, 1987, at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska.

During the tribute concert, Journey performed as a trio without a drummer or bassist, with Perry, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, and guitarist Neal Schon playing through a short three-song set in a lower key than usual. They opened with their 1983 hit “Faithfully” and “Lonely Road Without You,” before closing on an acoustic version of “Lights” from their 1978 album Infinity.

Perry later reunited with Journey in 1996 for the album Trial by Fire but couldn’t tour due to a hip injury and later parted ways with the band. Trial by Fire was the last Journey album to feature Perry and Smith, who also left the band soon after its release.

“31-91”

A year after Journey’s final show with Perry, Schon wrote the song “31–91” as a tribute to Graham and recorded it with the band Hardline.

Setlist: Journey Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, November 3, 1991

“Faithfully”

“Lonely Road Without You”

“Lights”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images