Liam wrote:Gunbot wrote:A the end of the day, Arnel has a gig that he could have never had even thought possible in his wildest dreams. Jeremey get's the chance to step out of someone else's legacy and be known for his own music, hopefully in the not too distant future. Win/win as far as I see it.
I'm not saying anything bad about Arnel. GOOD FOR HIM. (and I believe I've said that from the very beginning) All I'm saying is Jeremey was the better choice. Whether people on here like it or not.
Depends on what your criteria is...
If you are looking to see simply who is the closest to Perry as far as covering the old material.....maybe Jeremey has the edge. If you are trying to move forward as a band and not simply trying to become a tribute to yourself, I would value the point, but there are definitely other factors. In other words...you can't hire someone who can't cover the material (especially on a band like Journey which was vocally-driven), but once you get to a certain point, it doesn't matter. Both Jeremey and Arnel are better at covering Perry than Augeri was, and I don't think Augeri hurt concert attendance as far as not being able to sing the catalogue. So, both Jeremey AND Arnel have passed the go/no-go point unless you are trying for the absolute best. To me, it's a non-issue that would be at the low end of the criteria ranking. Important? Sure, but there are a LOT of things that would be more important--chemistry, writing, showmanship, marketability, etc.
On a side note, I seriously doubt Jeremey would have fared any better on Arnel on the re-recording of the Greatest Hits. You are making a singer stand up to a point that for many people is unreachable, made only further away if you are intentionally trying to re-record the hits to a point that for the purposes of advertising that someone couldn't tell the difference. ANYBODY in that position, including Perry circa 2008, would be crucified.
If you are looking to see who is the better fit for the band....unknown. I figure 2 albums with a singer before you can really tell whether the band gells or not. The band would know this, we don't.
If you are looking to who is going to give you more publicity....I think it's safe to say Arnel has a definite edge here. He brings a new demographic (Filipinos) to the concert and gives Journey a VERY good possibility in doing well in Asia. From a financial standpoint, this is a BIG deal--and I doubt the management didn't see this one. If you have 2 options that are close and each has their own strengths/weaknesses, but one gives a much higher chance of publicity (and therefore $$$), the decision is a no-brainer.
So back to the question...there is no "better" choice unless you know the band's criteria for hiring a singer. Pick different criteria and ranking, and either of them could be better.
