The unmistakable sound of Journey’s power ballads rose like waves of summer heat from Blair Field Friday, bringing an end to Long Beach’s 100 Days of Summer concert series.
The Journey tribute band Don’t Stop Believin’ (DSB) provided the main attraction from second base.
Fans ranging from young to old occupied the stadium seats while others took advantage of the grassy infield and lounged on blankets or just the grass. Dogs ran freely on the field, where the group danced and sang.
DSB was formed by the fusion of two bands.
“Three of the guys were already in a band called Sandbox, and I was in another Journey tribute band,” lead vocalist for DSB Juan Del Castillo said. “When we met up, we thought it would be a great idea to combine both of those bands.”
Castillo began his performing career on television shows and commercials at the age of 12. According to Castillo, his singing was often compared to that of Journey’s lead singer, Steven Perry, and he was encouraged to perform in tribute of the well-known ‘80s band.
“I’ve always been told I sound like Steve Perry,” Castillo said. “After making many runs at it in karaoke, [I] decided to put a band together and do it more full-time.”
The members of Sandbox — Scotty Kormos, Roger Cain and Tony Love — blended their drums, guitar and bass with Castillo’s voice to create DSB. Henry O’Neill on the keyboard completed the band that has been touring across the nation for more than five years.
Getting off the ground was not too difficult for the band, according to Castillo.
“We hit it in stride. You already had a great repertoire of music by great musicians in Journey,” Castillo said. “I felt like all I had to do was find strong [contributors] who could play the [music]. It’s not as simple as people think it is. It’s actually pretty complex.”
Any band needs the right combination of members and a skill set that flows well together, and Castillo said DSB hit the jackpot.
“We got lucky. That chemistry was immediate, and we hit the ground running,” Castillo said.
The band’s performance put the crowd on a rollercoaster of emotion as hit songs like “Separate Ways” and “Anyway You Want It” threw dancers, young and old, into a wild frenzy. Other songs like “Faithfully” and “Open Arms” transformed the chaos at Blair Field into a ballroom of slow dancing, with arms waving like fields of wheat in the breeze.
Aside from DSB being widely popular and strikingly similar to the sounds of Steven Perry, the band chose to pay tribute to Journey because of the mark that the band has left on multiple generations.
“They’re so relevant now, and not only that, but we all kind of grew up listening to it,” Castillo said.
DSB has had a long relationship with Long Beach and has coordinated events since the band surfaced more than five years ago. Long Beach’s 100 Days of Summer program is geared to offer the public summer activities and outings that are child-friendly and, for the most part, free.
As the blazing wheel in the sky ducked down behind the city, the energy ramped up as more of the audience joined in with those who had been dancing under the sun. The band threw T-shirts and other merchandise in between sets and received a few drinks and a bag of kettle corn in return.
Once the party was over, everyone went their separate ways, stumbling out of the event. Nearly four generations had celebrated the summer feeling as the lights went down in the city, and Long Beach locals made it clear that they had not stopped believing.
