I'm a bit embarrassed as I should already be a Journey fan. I wasn't. Sure, I recognized the group's songs thru their famous lead singer, Steve Perry. Who wouldn't? But I had no idea that Perry left the group in the nineties, for some unknown reason.
The band continued with out him using unknown Steve Augeri to openly hostile radio and the Journey fan community who boycotted the group. "How dare you continue touring and cutting albums without Steve Perry!" was the thought.
Auderi gave the band his all for seven years, until one night he could sing no longer. His voice just gave out. Not surprising when you consider the tremendous wear and tear a touring singer's voice goes thru especially if they are a more "throaty" singer vs from the diaphragm. For a comparison look at singers like Harry Belfonte or Joe Cocker who burned out their vocal cords a few years into their careers because they really were never properly trained, or maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
Then you have singers like Little Richard, James Brown and Ray Charles where the voice seems to mellow and get stronger with age.
Turn now to the search for a new singer for Journey. It's 2007 and the band is planning a new album and new tour, but they have no singer! Steve Perry isn't interested. So what do you do?
Neil Schon, the band lead guitarist and charter member of the group decides to start "trolling" the internet into the wee hours of the morning for a lead singer.
Over a period of several days, he realizes that there are tons of Journey Tribute bands out there with great singers, who could easily fit in for a Journey tour, but Neil wanted someone special, and there was no one out there.
Then in the eleventh hour of his online search he finds several youtube videos of Arnel Pineda, a vitually unknown Filipino night club singer. Pineda's range and ability to sing just about everything blew Schon away, but he had to convince the rest of the band that his discovery was special.
They were impressed also after viewing the videos of Pineda, but immediately skeptical. Who is this "third World" guy? How is he going to react to the "Circus" of touring with one of the biggest bands of all time? "Does he even speak English?"
They decide to give Pineda a chance. Schon emails Pineda's friend, who has uploaded over 60 videos slowly and painstakingly after his night club shows, (because he believed in his friend's talent). Schon asks the friend to have Pineda contact him. He does, and it's arranged for Arnel to audition in the states.
I don't want to spoil your ultimate "journey" because seeing the video, which takes you first to Manila and then to Arnel's audition, will truly pull on your heartstrings.
I will say that Journey is now, with Arnel Pineda, an International Band. The group is booked at venues where they were never before welcomed. The sound is vintage and legacy Journey, but also "new rock" as well..
Then there's the inpact on me. In short, better late than never, I'm now a Journey fan too.
There were two completely different Journey bands.
The first one was before Steve Perry. It made the first three Journey albums. It was some of the the finest pure rock music every made. It was beyond fantastic - it was incredible.
Then it changed. It went rock-pop with Perry and became Platinum, etc. And yeah, I like the second Journey okay, and millions of people love them like that.
But the first Journey was something irreplaceable, and I still miss it all these years later.
Journey played for two hours solid and each tune segued right into the next. It was one continuous playlist.
Their new singer, Arnel, is awesome.
Dang, is the video on Youtube?
I’m not going to Examiner to get it.
Psssst... Niko and Rainne... his name is Neal Schon.
bttt
Going to see them in Atlanta on May 30th. Can’t wait!
Yes Perry was an employee of the band NOT a member!
Yah that was a great documentary and would have been almost unbelievable if it didn’t’ happen.
I watched journey live in Manila just yesterday on AXs tv
This new singer is head and shoulders above Steve perry in the talent department
Listening now an he’s GREAT! Thanks for posting this story!
Is Arnel Pineda still considered a “new” lead singer? He’s been with the band since 2007 and even made two hit records with them — Revelation in 2008 and Eclipse in 2011.
I’d say this for Pineda, he’s a worthy successor to Steve Perry and a more energetic performer IMHO.
Arnel is amazing, but he is still “channelling” Steve Perrry. I think he will come into his own. Steve Perry is one in a zillion.
Saw the original Journey (first 3 albums) numerous times. Saw them with Robert Fleischman as the lead singer. That was in Stockton, Ca. at the War Memotial Theater. Kansas was the opening act.
Their fourth album was going to be titled Wheel In The Sky. My buddy bought a T shirt that touted the WITS tour. Several months later, Fleischman was out and Perry was in.
Their popularity soared with Perry, he was good, but they soon stopped playing anything from their original 3 albums. They had become a “chick band “ as far as we were concerned. That is a group you’d take your girlfriend to go see but they were no longer a rock band.
When we saw them with Kansas (whom we had never heard of or seen before), early that afternoon we saw some “hippies “ tossing a football
in a park near the concert venue. We debated about going to challenge them to a friendly game. We opted not too. Later that evening to our surprise as Kansas took the stage we realized they were the “hippies “ we had seen in the park. Kansas fwiw rocked.
I saw them in concert on tv a couple of years ago. The guy sounds just like Steve Perry, but it was strange because he’s a young Philipino jumping around the stage with a bunch of old guys.
It seems like this guy has been the singer forever. He probably has been singer longer than Perry was.