Arnel Pineda...So Far So Good?

[Lula]

i'd go back to vegas! it's easy cuz we can drive. all i have to do is get you to hang out in a baby friendly environment a little more . i don't care if there's a show or not.

[Rick]

Eloquently said. If it wasn't for your MR shirt...I wouldn't have known to stop at that section of Heart Bar where I ran into Rip, The Brothers from PITT, and the East Coast Honeys. To me, meeting you guys was a BONUS. The concert was amazing even if no longer Perry-led, and oh yeah St. John is cool peeps. I still owe you a double shot.

I'm glad you saw the shirt then. I wanted to represent the Wombat and this site. He deserves it.

[strangegrey]

I REALLY WISH PEOPLE COULD SEPERATE THE POLITICS FROM THE MUSIC.

I actually had responded to this thread becfore you said this, but my internet connection shat out while I submitted, so it never went through. I said 'fuck it' and went back to home improvements...

anyhoo, here's thing with respect to this. Some cant. If you can detatch yourself from the politics surrounding this band and the music...well, more power to you. You need to respect the fact that some either can't or wont. Perhaps, its because you haven't been a fan from the early days. Perhaps you didn't bleed this band for generations before being witness to whats going on with it now. I dunno. Hey, if you like Arnel. That's great.

But the fact still remains that the politics surrounding this band have ruined it for a great deal of folks...and I will submit that those folks that can't swallow this anymore, are long time fans. That grew up with this band. That lived every ounce of their life with the music as a backdrop....and what they currently feel is a large amount of emptiness as their band has been cheapened 3 times over by a few guys that would fuck up a cup of instant coffee. It's too bad.

Like I said, I'm glad you can find something to draw from with the current incarnation of Journey....but recognize that the same incarnation leaves alot of empty hearts because the fact remains that it's an embarassment to those that witnessed the true grandeur of this band when they were actually something in the early 80s.

Arnel wasn't tabbed because Neal is taller than him....

No, but don't kid yourself that he was selected for the gig because he was just a green, awe'schucks,happy-go-lucky guy with the voice that might be able to pull it off. What they feel they could subject arnel to is a very large part of it. If you actually knew how this band's machine operated, you'd recognize that right off the bat. This isn't a pure thing....far from it. There's alot of ugliness in this and that's a fact. The people that aren't on board with this band's incarnation see that. Arnel was willing to dance and eat where 'others' weren't....simple as that. If Arnel was *the* guy, he would have been *the* guy from the get go...not second or third fiddle to a few other singers that wouldn't agree to the rather disrespectful terms laid out by Journey.

[nutz4Neal]

i'd go back to vegas! it's easy cuz we can drive. all i have to do is get you to hang out in a baby friendly environment a little more . i don't care if there's a show or not.

I would be up for that, Lu! It was such a pleasure seeing you again and getting to meet sweet baby, Wyatt...what an adorable baby he is. And he's so alert too, when I called his name from beside his stroller but a bit behind his head, he turned to look me in the eye with a big grin..I loved him before I knew him, but that stole my heart.

[stevew2]

Eloquently said. If it wasn't for your MR shirt...I wouldn't have known to stop at that section of Heart Bar where I ran into Rip, The Brothers from PITT, and the East Coast Honeys. To me, meeting you guys was a BONUS. The concert was amazing even if no longer Perry-led, and oh yeah St. John is cool peeps. I still owe you a double shot.

I'm glad you saw the shirt then. I wanted to represent the Wombat and this site. He deserves it.

No offense Rick, but its not cool to tuck your shirt in and wear your pants up high.

[Monstrock]

I say,"Yes!." What says you? Discuss.

Yes!Yes! Imagine his first appearance was in Chile before 18,000 crowd and was broadcast on national TV to be seen by 25 million people. And the Vegas show was a blast. So after only 4 shows and with the new materials, So Far So Good.

[Lula]

i'd go back to vegas! it's easy cuz we can drive. all i have to do is get you to hang out in a baby friendly environment a little more . i don't care if there's a show or not.

I would be up for that, Lu! It was such a pleasure seeing you again and getting to meet sweet baby, Wyatt...what an adorable baby he is. And he's so alert too, when I called his name from beside his stroller but a bit behind his head, he turned to look me in the eye with a big grin..I loved him before I knew him, but that stole my heart.

aww thanks bon-bon. it gave me great pleasure sharing wyatt. he will be kind with your heart

[Journey69]

So far, so good, but there's work that needs be done, IMO.

He BADLY needs a diction/accent coach.
Not so mch for when he sings, but for when he talks up the crowd.
The Filipino accent distracts me, and I'm a Filipino.

If there's no time for him to take care of that while on U.S. soil,
he can do it on his off-time while home here in Quezon City, which is
chock full of call centers which employ in-house English-diction coaches
who'd be more than happy for some sideline work.

Also, a minor issue, selecting a lower 'pitch' with which to yell out to the crowd,
mid song, might be easier to match to the current pitch of any melody he's singing.

The so-called "best" singers in the Philippines, as adjudged in competitions, tend to be power belters.
Arnel needs to move a little bit away from that mindset; and enjoy singing parts of the slower numbers
with less wattage behind a pefect pitch.

I'm not so worried about his voice holding up (he's been at this thing for some time),
but I think he needs a coach for breathing.

Whoever made 'nel pluck his eyebrows should be hanged.
His new brows make him look goofy.



JM2pesos,
wech.

*Not an issue over on this side of the giant urinal, where cover bands and thick accents are par for the course...
But if pay to enjoy a Journey concert, I want both song and speech as close to the familiar sound as possible.

Good post..A Filipino saying that Arnel needs to work on his diction..WoW..impressive,it doesn't really bother me...What bothers me is that he always says c'mon..he needs to learn to mix stuff up..

[Rick]

Eloquently said. If it wasn't for your MR shirt...I wouldn't have known to stop at that section of Heart Bar where I ran into Rip, The Brothers from PITT, and the East Coast Honeys. To me, meeting you guys was a BONUS. The concert was amazing even if no longer Perry-led, and oh yeah St. John is cool peeps. I still owe you a double shot.

I'm glad you saw the shirt then. I wanted to represent the Wombat and this site. He deserves it.

No offense Rick, but its not cool to tuck your shirt in and wear your pants up high.

I'm not the king of cool. I am what I am. Thanks for the advice though.

[Deb]

Eloquently said. If it wasn't for your MR shirt...I wouldn't have known to stop at that section of Heart Bar where I ran into Rip, The Brothers from PITT, and the East Coast Honeys. To me, meeting you guys was a BONUS. The concert was amazing even if no longer Perry-led, and oh yeah St. John is cool peeps. I still owe you a double shot.

I'm glad you saw the shirt then. I wanted to represent the Wombat and this site. He deserves it.

No offense Rick, but its not cool to tuck your shirt in and wear your pants up high.

I'm not the king of cool. I am what I am. Thanks for the advice though.

Au contraire, me thinks you're pretty darn cool Rick.

[Rick]

Eloquently said. If it wasn't for your MR shirt...I wouldn't have known to stop at that section of Heart Bar where I ran into Rip, The Brothers from PITT, and the East Coast Honeys. To me, meeting you guys was a BONUS. The concert was amazing even if no longer Perry-led, and oh yeah St. John is cool peeps. I still owe you a double shot.

I'm glad you saw the shirt then. I wanted to represent the Wombat and this site. He deserves it.

No offense Rick, but its not cool to tuck your shirt in and wear your pants up high.

I'm not the king of cool. I am what I am. Thanks for the advice though.

Au contraire, me thinks you're pretty darn cool Rick.

[The_Noble_Cause]

All things considered, Arnel has done an admirable job.

I think people have lost perspective of just how dire things were looking for this band.
They were touring without a singer.
Oh sure, physically, a guy had been up there, but for the last couple years he wasn't really there, if you know what I mean.

After that, anything is a step up.

[stoliddrummer]

I think Arnel is great. He isn't Steve Perry, but lets face it folks, Perry isn't coming back. I wish that wasn't true but that is the case. I think Arnel is pretty darn close to Perry, and as much as I enjoyed Augeri, Arnel is a better singer for Journey songs. IMO Arnel will be really good for this band. I could see this new package with the new songs doing a little something on the charts, and possibly being nominated for an award. Even though it won't go gold, I think it may generate enough interest to cause these guys to play bigger shows here in the states.

[Vladan]

I could see this new package with the new songs doing a little something on the charts, and possibly being nominated for an award.

The only award this band will get, is probably a "who can dispatch their lead singers in the shortest period of time" award, period.

[ttango1]

I REALLY WISH PEOPLE COULD SEPERATE THE POLITICS FROM THE MUSIC.

I actually had responded to this thread becfore you said this, but my internet connection shat out while I submitted, so it never went through. I said 'fuck it' and went back to home improvements...

anyhoo, here's thing with respect to this. Some cant. If you can detatch yourself from the politics surrounding this band and the music...well, more power to you. You need to respect the fact that some either can't or wont. Perhaps, its because you haven't been a fan from the early days. Perhaps you didn't bleed this band for generations before being witness to whats going on with it now. I dunno. Hey, if you like Arnel. That's great.

But the fact still remains that the politics surrounding this band have ruined it for a great deal of folks...and I will submit that those folks that can't swallow this anymore, are long time fans. That grew up with this band. That lived every ounce of their life with the music as a backdrop....and what they currently feel is a large amount of emptiness as their band has been cheapened 3 times over by a few guys that would fuck up a cup of instant coffee. It's too bad.

Like I said, I'm glad you can find something to draw from with the current incarnation of Journey....but recognize that the same incarnation leaves alot of empty hearts because the fact remains that it's an embarassment to those that witnessed the true grandeur of this band when they were actually something in the early 80s.

Arnel wasn't tabbed because Neal is taller than him....

No, but don't kid yourself that he was selected for the gig because he was just a green, awe'schucks,happy-go-lucky guy with the voice that might be able to pull it off. What they feel they could subject arnel to is a very large part of it. If you actually knew how this band's machine operated, you'd recognize that right off the bat. This isn't a pure thing....far from it. There's alot of ugliness in this and that's a fact. The people that aren't on board with this band's incarnation see that. Arnel was willing to dance and eat where 'others' weren't....simple as that. If Arnel was *the* guy, he would have been *the* guy from the get go...not second or third fiddle to a few other singers that wouldn't agree to the rather disrespectful terms laid out by Journey.

Wow...that was emotive. Hey, I was around in the early 80's and I saw Perry. No one can compare. But like Rick...I can just appreciate that the band that rocked my High School years is stil here and besides playing the classics, they are still progresing and releasing new stuff...I'm cool with that. Arnel's innocence might make him fall prey to big bad record industry dynamics but I actually feel that as long as he concentrates on singing his ass off...he'll be just right. Considering the amount of money he's making compared to what he was before, just in Dollars to Peso coversion makes for a very comfortable existence in the Philippines.

SG...Thanks for the genuine input...It's refreshing to know that once we get past initial views, we both think that Journey is still worth talking about at least in varying degrees.