CalJams wrote:Hello Everyone,
Well, this is my first post so I would like to say Nice to meet you all. Is anyone here on this board a professional musician and if so, to what degree do some of you get involved with music?
So tell me, what are the general opinions here with Arnel joining up with Journey? I've been reading some things and it's a bit overwhelming to take all of it in. To narrow it down some, do most people not like Arnel or just waiting to see how he does singing in Journey?
I read in a forum some place, not sure if it was this one, but someone mentioned that Journey is going to "show case" Arnel while doing the gigs in Chile and Vegas. Someone also mentioned that Journey will be doing these small time gigs simply to work Arnel into the mind set of performing in big places. Another person mentioned that Arnel would behave more like a squirre crapping out peach pits because he will be scared in front of a such a large crowd as the ones that Journey would be playing for, Arnel will not be accustomed to such large venues.
I think the guy who said that stuff above got it half right. I do not think Arnel is going to be scared performing in front of thousands, he's got so much experience being up in front of thousands already. I believe Arnel will actually perform even better because of the numbers in the audience and how large the place he will be performing will be. It will be like a complete rush to him to be up on such a stage with one of the great bands that he's been covering for 25 or so years. It will be a total psychological reality check for him, I believe that will push him beyond much of his limits. But I do believe that Journey is working with Arnel and doing these smaller gigs not to showcase him as much as to make sure that Arnel does not do something that will look bad or not go over well on stage during the more larger and more important concerts in the near future.
That's all I got for right now, just my opinion on it. Thanks and look forward to reading the responses.
First of all, welcome. Glad you're here.
Second of all, this board is predominately upset at Journey for letting JSS go, so the reception of Arnel is weak at best.
While you might think Arnel has all the goods, there is a huge contingency here that thinks he's not right for the job.
There is another variable that factors in here. Jeremey Hunsicker was considered for the job, and there is another contingency that wanted him to do the job. That didn't pan out however.
This board is very fragmented in it's opinion on what Journey's next course of action should be.
If you over push one over the other, you'll meet with resistance, and it may not be pleasant. So armor yourself with thick skin when discussing such matters because if you don't you might not get the response you hoped you would.
This is a Journey forum, but at this time it can be explosive because of all of the different aforementioned variables that are in place.
Have fun!

I like to sit out on the front porch, where the birds can see me, eating a plate of scrambled eggs, just so they know what I'm capable of.