“Don’t Stop Believin’”: Move Over, Steve Perry

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“Don’t Stop Believin’”: Move Over, Steve Perry

by James T. Sheridan


March 7th, 2013

http://cinespect.com/2013/03/dont-stop- ... eve-perry/

Ramona S. Diaz’s documentary “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” traces the rise of Journey’s new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, a YouTube sensation from the Philippines who received a phone call that changed his life. Diaz’s film focuses on Pineda, an incredibly driven and talented performer, as he joins the band, embarks on his first commercial tour, and deals with fame and audience expectations. Except for a few fleeting shots in old concert footage, former lead singer Steve Perry is conspicuously absent in this documentary, though he casts a shadow over everything. Over the course of Pineda’s self-described “roller coaster life,” he has gone from being homeless to being the breadwinner for his siblings, and now, to singing onstage in front of thousands of screaming fans. The story of his journey to the United States and then back home to the Philippines is moving and powerful.

Depicting Pineda’s life in a rock and roll band as both a craft and a job, Diaz captures the intimacy of rehearsal, the care Pineda takes to soothe and protect his vocal chords, and the exhaustion of performing dozens of shows around the country. The film juxtaposes flashbacks of Journey’s rise to popularity in the ’70s and ’80s with Pineda’s haunting descriptions of living in poverty during the same years. As the Journey tour gains popularity, Diaz interviews the throngs of Filipino fans, including some wonderful older women who design their own t-shirts and banners emblazoned with Pineda’s face. Their presence brings to the subject an outside perspective—something the film could have used more of.

Diaz could have probed deeper, especially into the xenophobic comments some people have made about Pineda. “I think he should be from here,” offers one fan. And one of the band members openly worries about bringing someone “from the third world” into the fold. However, concert stadiums fill up, and Pineda’s rich singing voice echoes Steve Perry’s in its range, winning over fans and the band.

At times, however, the band members’ treatment of Pineda seems slightly patronizing and paternalistic, and I wondered how much Pineda is involved in the band’s business and artistic decisions. In one difficult moment, Pineda articulates his desire to craft original songs, yet he seems limited to covering Journey’s greatest hits on this tour. He never articulates his desire in front of the other members of the band, only in a private moment with the camera.

Despite those limitations, the film is powerful. Diaz saves a final full-length rendition of the hit song “Don’t Stop Believin’” (the most downloaded song of the 20th century, according to an end title credit) performed as part of Pineda’s homecoming concert in the Philippines. Pineda’s wife and child dance to the music as the crowd erupts. Especially considering that he has battled addictions to drugs and alcohol, as well as experienced intense poverty, Pineda’s success on the worldwide stage affected me deeply. The loneliness, searching, and hope evoked in the lyrics of “Don’t Stop Believin’” resonate with the life of this extraordinary young man. Journey may be a nostalgia act, but seeing Pineda deliver song after song about a past, about an America, and about a life that were not his helps this film transcend itself. Pineda’s ability to claim some aspect of that past shows the power of art. Pineda grew up loving and feeling inspired by Journey’s songs, triggering his musical breakthrough in the Philippines and now the world. The emotional landscape of those songs belongs to him, and in this documentary, Diaz has effectively crafted a wonderful 21st century story of discovery and artistry.