MR

I've been listening to some live stuff from Arnel's era with Journey and this guy is just flat out amazing. Think about this, the guy performed non stop with Journey for 10 years straight, singing a brutally hard catalog. He outlasted Steve Perry and Steve Augeri and it's surreal. I know there were various points where he sang at a lower key but there was NEVER a point where Arnel sounded bad. The dude gave 110% every tour.

Not sure when or if Journey are ever coming back to perform again but if it's not with Arnel, I'm not interested.

RonaldDupris wrote:Not sure when or if Journey are ever coming back to perform again but if it's not with Arnel, I'm not interested.

They have 2019 dates lined up with Arnel.

As for the attitude of "No Arnel, No Journey"....fans have said this every time there has been a lead singer chance. When SP was replaced, the band lost fans. Same with SA and JSS. I think Arnel would be one of the first people to tell you that he is replaceable.

Fans have a special connection with Arnel that they simply didn't have with Augeri. Steve Augeri looked like something straight out of a Journey tribute band (great singer and great guy though) Arnel is a really inspiring individual. I love his story and what he's done to get to where he is today. When I saw Journey in 2016, I was just as excited to see Arnel as I was to see the rest of the band. I would hope they call it quits if Arnel ever decided to give it up.

I'm just as big of a fan of Arnel as I am of Steve Perry.

RonaldDupris wrote:Fans have a special connection with Arnel that they simply didn't have with Augeri."

Have to disagree. I remember the class and grace that Augeri had when accepting the challenge of replacing the "irreplaceable." Prior to that, I never would have even entertained the idea of a Steve Perry-less Journey. I still have a fondness for Augeri, and loved going to see them live during the time he fronted the band. He may not have had the pipes Arnel has, but Augeri was an excellent choice to bring Journey back.

Arnel is a great vocalist who deserved to be heard, and I am glad Journey has been able to do that for him.

RonaldDupris wrote:Fans have a special connection with Arnel that they simply didn't have with Augeri. Steve Augeri looked like something straight out of a Journey tribute band (great singer and great guy though) Arnel is a really inspiring individual. I love his story and what he's done to get to where he is today. When I saw Journey in 2016, I was just as excited to see Arnel as I was to see the rest of the band. I would hope they call it quits if Arnel ever decided to give it up.

I'm just as big of a fan of Arnel as I am of Steve Perry.

I've seen both. Arnel is the more technical singer. Augeri is the superior frontman by far.

Rewatched the doc last night. 2008+ was a fun time to be a Journey fan

With regards to tenure....Perry was in control and when he didn't want to work, he made the decision and the band moved on....They learned their lesson with Augeri's vocal issues, and while Arnel has lasted longer than SA, they simply do not tour as constantly as they did with SA, which certainly contributed to Augeri's demise. Arnel is a good fit for them, but after all these years, I still think people get too wrapped up in his rags to riches story, and being found on YT, and allow it to artificially propel his status. I mean, still to this day, management uses it as a PR tool. I have seen both versions of Journey with Augeri and Arnel, and as good as Arnel is, I'd still take SA fronted Journey any day over the current lineup, but that's just my opinion. If Arnel left or NS wanted to move on without him, people would still show up. They have had multiple post-Perry singers and it hasn't slowed them down. Sure, diehards want a Perry reunion, but the casual fan wants to hear DBS, and as long as it's close, they don't care, and fork over the $.

RonaldDupris wrote:...I KNOW there were various points where he sang at a lower key but there was NEVER a point where Arnel sounded bad. The dude gave 110% every tour.

Umm...hate to break it to you but...he has sounded bad. I went to the Classic East 7/31/17 and he cracked every single song. Like SP himself said the voice is fickle and does what it wants. Even SP has at times sounded horrible...but he was sick if that happened.

The band never sounded as good (post Perry) as it did when they'd have Deen sing a few songs. He killed every single time. Understand why he only did certain songs, but I'd take him over just about any other singer for Journey not named Steve Perry.

How can any of y'all even hear if Arnel's voice is cracking? The band's mix is so muddy and loud these days, I can't hear the vocal at all.

FamilyMan wrote:How can any of y'all even hear if Arnel's voice is cracking? The band's mix is so muddy and loud these days, I can't hear the vocal at all.

Agreed. And after all these years, I have to assume Neal wants it this way.