Stone in Love Takes Journey to O'Fallon

The classic rock music of Journey will be heard in Tuesday when Stone in Love takes the stage as this week's performers in the O'Fallon Jammin' summer concert series.

This is Stone in Love's second O'Fallon Jammin' appearance. The Journey tribute band also performed last year.

"They really put on a great show," said Marsha Seymour, manager of tourism and festivals for the city. "It's all Journey music, and a lot of it is spot on. They do a phenomenal job of giving the audience that experience of a Journey concert."

The outdoor performance runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Civic Park, 308 Civic Park Drive, O'Fallon. Bring blankets or chairs for seating on the lawn around the bandstand. Admission and parking is free. Concessions will be available for purchase.

In the event of extreme heat, the concert start time might be delayed. "My suggestion, if you don't want to come early and wait in the heat, is to call the O'Fallon Event Hotline at 636-379-5614 for the latest update," Seymour said.

The band Journey formed in 1973 and charted several hits in the '70s and '80s, including "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Any Way You Want It" and "Faithfully."

The band Stone in Love (named after a song from Journey's 1881 album Escape) formed in 2007 and currently consists of Mark Crowell on guitar, Tony Ingraciaon on lead vocals, Ken Schlereth on keyboards, Rob Sherman on bass and Chad Smith on drums.

"Mark called me and asked if I'd like to be in a Journey tribute band," Smith said. "Tony had done a previous Journey tribute, and he was interested. We started rehearsing and decided to go with it. We started playing shows that summer."

A key element in Journey's success was the unique vocal talents of Steve Perry, lead singer for the band during its glory years. "It's very difficult to find a vocalist who can handle the material. Look at how long it took Journey when Perry left," Smith said.

"I would not try to start a band like this without having the vocalist first. Tony had already proved he could do it. It's very challenging."

The band has maintained a stable lineup despite its members having other commitments. "We had a different bass player in the beginning, but Rob came in very early," Smith said. "It's hard to get together and perform, but everyone's very irreplaceable. They're a good bunch of guys, and we have pretty good chemistry."

What drew Smith to a Journey tribute band?

"My wife really enjoyed the band and she was interested in my joining," he said. "It's interesting music to play, not cheeseball. The music's clean—it's good stuff." 

The band performs six to eight shows a year and has more than 30 Journey tunes in their repertoire. "We push two-and-a-half-to-three-hour shows, and that's not close to their whole catalog," Smith said.

Another positive aspect of Journey is its all-ages appeal, Smith said. "The demographics are so wide. It's family-friendly, you don't have to worry about language or behavior. If you're a retired couple with an 8-year-old grandson you'll enjoy it equally." 

The O'Fallon Jammin' series runs most Tuesdays through August and continues with Rough Grooves Blues Band on July 19, The Younger Brothers on July 26, O'Fallon Jazz Band and O'Fallon Community Concert Band  on Aug. 2, Laytham and Holmes Duo on Aug. 9, Fanfare on Aug. 16 and Trixie Delight on Aug. 23.