Only the sound engineer stopped believin' in Journey as they roused a crowd in St. Paul

Tony Soprano made sure we'd never fuhgeddabout Journey.

Literally overnight, the San Francisco rockers became massive stars again in 2007 when their song "Don't Stop Believin'" aired at the conclusion of HBO's "The Sopranos," nearly 20 years after the band's last hit.

That 1981 smash went from an oldie to karaoke gold, a favorite on TV's "Glee," the closing number in the hair-band Broadway musical "Rock of Ages" and a sports venue standard.

As the band approaches its 50th anniversary next year, Journey is so confident that in concert, it no longer waits for the encore to deliver its signature song. On Monday at Xcel Energy Center, after two plodding 1980s pieces, it was time for the knock-out punch only 13 minutes into the show.

With Jonathan Cain's jaunty piano intro and Arnel Pineda's soaring vocals, "Believin'" became a gigantic kumbaya singalong like "Sweet Caroline." Everyone feels so good, so good, so good singin' about that small-town girl taking the midnight train to anywhere.

It was the emotional high point of the evening — and maybe the musical pinnacle, too, because the rest of the concert was problematic. In short, Deen Castronovo's kick drum was so loud that it drowned out many of Neal Schon's guitar solos, which is one of the attractions of a Journey concert.

Power ballads, including "Lights," "Faithfully" and "Lovin,' Touchin,' Squeezin'" fared more auspiciously. But still, the bass drum put more power than necessary in these quieter, more sensitive selections.

For a band that has had more personnel changes than the Minnesota Twins experienced this weekend, Journey probably needs to make one more — replace the sound engineer. Maybe a fixer from the Soprano family could, um, make arrangements.

Fans — all 14,000 in St. Paul — continue to believe in Journey even though the group hasn't released an album in 11 years.

A concertgoer needs a program to keep track of who's in this Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. Of course, there is Schon, 68, who started the group in 1973 with other former members of Santana. On Monday, he managed to sparkle with passages that were alternately speedy and soulful on "Lights," jazz-fusion-flavored on "Who's Crying Now" and triumphantly soaring on "Any Way You Want It."

Cain has been on board since 1980. But there was an acrimonious split recently, leaving cofounding bassist Ross Valory and longtime drummer Steve Smith on the outside. Castronovo, a former replacement who did a 17-year stint with Journey, has rejoined on drums while Todd Jensen (Ozzy Osbourne, David Lee Roth) is filling in for bassist Randy Jackson, the former "American Idol" judge who had back surgery. Jason Derlatka joins on keyboards and occasional vocals.

Then there's Pineda — lead singer No. 4 — who was discovered in 2007 on YouTube singing in a Filipino Journey tribute band. Heyday singer Steve Perry, 73, who left Journey for a second time in 1998, is semiretired, though he put out a solo album in 2018 and a Christmas record last year.

Pineda, 54, has a similarly adenoidal voice, but way more energy and moves than Perry. On Monday, he was jumping, punching, clapping, cheerleading, air-guitaring, rarely standing still. And he has the right voice for Journey, perfectly evoking Perry with a hint of smokiness on "Lights" and "Open Arms."

The newest song Monday came from 1986, which was the end of Journey's heyday. But hits like "Wheel in the Sky" and "Any Way You Want It" kept on coming for 95 minutes.

Post-"Sopranos," Journey has smartly toured with other classic rock hitmakers, including Def Leppard, Santana and the Doobie Brothers. This time it was Toto, offering such yacht-rock staples as "Rosanna" and "Africa." Steve Lukather, the only original member, showed off his considerable guitar skills but when it came to lead vocals, he was the fifth best singer onstage. (The band is also on its fourth lead singer, Joseph Williams.)

Billy Idol was the previously announced opening act but he bowed out because of sinus problems. The Journey/Toto pairing might make sense because Lukather's son is engaged to Cain's daughter.