By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
One of the most popular bands to play Decatur’s Madison St. Plaza stage proved it again Thursday night.
Performing the numerous giant hits of the original Journey band, E5C4P3 (pronounced “Escape”) brought what may have been the biggest turnout ever on the plaza.
But that’s not unusual, the five-man band always draws extremely well in Decatur, including a year earlier when the temperature was in the low 90s.
Thursday’s appearance was the band’s fourth in a row and sixth in eight years on the plaza.
The weather this time around was near perfect and no one left disappointed.
For over two hours, band founder Jason Kelty, 55, brought the voice of Steve Perry – now-retired lead singer of the original Journey band – to the stage. Kelty not only looks like Perry, he sounds exactly like him!
The Cleveland native has been performing professionally since 1992 and founded the E5C4P3 band in 1993 –33 years ago!
As noted, all the numerous Journey hits blared over the plaza and the huge crowd, and Kelty wound up the night with a rousing rendition of “Wheel in the Sky.”
Ironically, while the tribute band was performing in Decatur the touring Journey band – of which there remains only one of he original members, guitarist Neal Schon – was playing some 30 miles away at the Coliseum in Fort Wayne.
E5C4P3 uses the original spelling from the legendary album that included the biggest Journey hits of all-time.
With a bow to the tribute band’s popularity in the Decatur area, Craig Coshow, executive director of the Decatur Chamber, which puts the summer concert series together each year, wound up the evening by saying to the crowd: “Yes, we’ll bring ’em back next year!”
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