The 1980 Departure Album Tour Artwork is so Journey, with infinity circling the globe with the Scarab wings embracing the earth. This rock graphic t-shirt is so symbolic of the edgy rock from the 70’s and 80’s and it can be worn anywhere. This shirt is so cool and was our #1 Bestseller 2019 it’s the obvious choice for our third inductee to TheSocietees Rock T-Shirt Hall of Fame™. So why is this shirt so popular?
So first and foremost, THIS album! It was an underrated masterpiece (IMHO). The first song is “Any Way You Want It” – the lead single released in February 1980, an underrated song peaking at 23 on the Billboard 100. This album also included “Walks Like a Lady” and “Good Morning Girl/Stay Awhile”. The Departure album featured an edgier sound, thanks partly to the “live in studio” way the songs were recorded. Random Fact: This album also marked the “Departure” of founding member Gregg Rolie; this was his last full-time studio album appearance.
Plus the Album Cover Artwork was created by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse – 2 globally renowned American artists who specialised in psychedelic art designs for 1960s rock concert posters and album covers. They collaborated with the Grateful Dead, basically created the Deadhead look. Then together they focused on Journey, creating the distinct scarab beetles and wings in space that feature heavily on most Journey albums.
Then the tour itself! In 1980, Journey played 105 gigs, that’s an insane concert every 3 days (almost). Playing 89 in the US, followed by 9 in Germany, with 1 in London but the most memorable were the last 4 – sell-out gigs in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. The rare video footage of the Journey Departure Live 1980 Tour gig in Osaka with Steve Perry fronting is known in some circles as about the best set list in their catalog. Do you agree?
This awesome graphic t-shirt has our signature vintage-style print so that it looks like it came from a concert in the summer of ’80. Featuring the awesome psychedelic album cover art with the winged beetle embracing the earth is simply epic.
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