New Rolling Stone Article: Sad 'Journey' For New Singer

[jrnyman28]

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23088297/sad_journey_for_new_singer

[Saint John]

Wow...I didn't realize Arnel was struggling that much missing home. I hope he finds consolation and peace in the fact that he'll be home with his family at this very time in less than 3 weeks. You've done well, Arnel...very well. Salamat, friend. Ingat.

[Rhiannon]

A Journey article from Rolling Stone? Well done piece too. So much respect for Arnel.
Homesickness for the family can be life's ultimate bitch. So glad he's there though.

[RossValoryRocks]

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23088297/sad_journey_for_new_singer

I know when I talked with Arnel he is definately finding the road to be rough and yes he misses his family. I think more than once this has been brought up right here. I think they are taking a break after the tour for a bit, so hopefully he will get the down time he needs!

Hang tough Arnel a LOT of people are rooting for you!

[Greg]

That's an extremely interesting article! Makes you wonder if Arnel is willing to continue this for years to come. The impression I get from this article is I think not! If he decides enough is enough in a year or so, you think Journey calls it quits, or do they head back to you tube to find another guy?

[Saint John]

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23088297/sad_journey_for_new_singer

I know when I talked with Arnel he is definately finding the road to be rough and yes he misses his family. I think more than once this has been brought up right here. I think they are taking a break after the tour for a bit, so hopefully he will get the down time he needs!

Hang tough Arnel a LOT of people are rooting for you!

It was the first thing I noticed when he walked into the room at the meet and greet, Stu. You can smile and play happy, but his eyes showed a guy really longing for home. I sure hope these last 3 weeks fly by for the guy. He's earned my respect from a personal and professional standpoint. He's just a great human being.

[conversationpc]

Hmmmm....Almost sounds like he may not be long for Journey even if he doesn't develop any vocal problems.

[Saint John]

Hmmmm....Almost sounds like he may not be long for Journey even if he doesn't develop any vocal problems.

I doubt that, Dave. They're coming back and doing a makeup show on December 2nd and I doubt they'd do one makeup show without others wrapped around it. They'd simply issue refunds. That said, I think they'll do a 30-40 gig winter tour, take a break and then start their much anticipated Asian tour. I think the thought of that alone will keep Arnel energized. At least I hope it will. I plan on being in Manila to see them if I have to swim there.

[bru87tr]

maybe the coin isnt good enough.


seriously, he is doing this for family ? he should be doing it for himself, isnt this what he dreamed of ?


I try not to figure people out.

[Enigma869]

Interesting read. I can't believe the tone of that article is going to please Schon and Co. Sounds like Neal better get his ass back on youtube for that "singer to be named later"


John from Boston

[yogi]

Anyway to post that article here?

No internet at home, and rollingstone is blocked here at work.

[ProgRocker53]

Wow, an article from RS without totally ragging Journey, its music, or members?

Amazing that such a great singer could also be so humble, thankful, and have his mind in the right places. Arnel's a good dude. I hope everything works out for him for the best, no matter what that may be.

[T-Bone]

It's hard read that. The guy seems genuinly thankful for his new found fame and fortune, but still wants to go home. Not a struggle I'd wish on anyone. Hopefully Neal & co. don't push him too far. Give the guy a few month break after this leg of the tour. Second, Why not just send a car and plane to go get his wife and child for a couple weeks of shows so they can see what he's been up to?

[Saint John]

Two minutes before Journey kicked off their world tour in February, with new singer Arnel Pineda, the whole thing nearly fell apart. "I told them I wanted to back out," says the 41-year-old Filipino vocalist, whom the band discovered on YouTube. "[Journey guitarist] Neal Schon told me, 'It's too late now.' He pushed me a little and said, 'Go. Go sing for us.'" Pineda overcame his butterflies and took the stage in front of 20,000 fans in Chile, singing an hour of hits in a soaring voice incredibly similar to former Journey frontman Steve Perry. Since then, Pineda has played more than 63 concerts with Journey, including a current three-month trip through American amphitheaters, which has been averaging 13,000 people a night. The tour is the sixth-highest-grossing of the summer, and the band's performances are as high-energy as they were during Journey's heyday.

Unfortunately, Pineda isn't finding the tour nearly as fulfilling as his bandmates are. He misses his girlfriend and son, and the grueling pace is grinding him down. "It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting." Traveling around America isn't what he expected. "It's all buses, stage, microphone," he says. "I never really get to go around and walk. They wake me up for soundcheck, then I wait until the show at nine. It's a fantastic job, but at the same time it's a curse. . . . I told Neal that the only thing that will make me quit this is if I get sick. I guess that's the same reason Steve Perry bailed out."

Just last summer, Pineda was fronting the Zoo, a band specializing in Eighties rock covers. YouTube clips of Pineda singing "Don't Stop Believin' " and "Faithfully" came to the attention of Schon, who had recently parted ways with Journey's fourth lead singer, Jeff Scott Soto. "I told him, 'You have to show your face so I can believe you,' " Pineda recalls of his first conversation with Schon. "I challenged him to talk to me on a Webcam."

Within weeks, Pineda took his first trip to the U.S. and auditioned for the band in San Francisco. A few days later, he was hired. "Mr. Neal Schon picked me up and told me, 'You got the job,' " Pineda says. "For a guy like me, it's surreal — like some sort of miracle." Quickly, the band cut two discs worth of material: one of new songs and another of rerecorded hits. "It was spooky, sitting behind the desk watching Arnel record these songs," says keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "It was like going back in a time machine." Since coming out in June, the album has sold 441,000 copies; it's the band's biggest hit since Perry left the group.

This all comes at a time when Journey's work has re-entered the pop-culture landscape in surprising ways: Their 1981 smash "Don't Stop Believin' " has made memorable appearances on The Sopranos and Laguna Beach, and Kanye West performed it nightly on his 2008 tour. "When you work at something long enough, things just sort of turn around," Schon says. "I'm ear-to-ear smile every night." But is he worried about his frontman? "He's missing his family, missing his homeland, you know?" says Schon. "But he's having a lot of fun, too."

[fightingilliniJRNY]

They're coming back and doing a makeup show on December 2nd and I doubt they'd do one makeup show without others wrapped around it. They'd simply issue refunds. That said, I think they'll do a 30-40 gig winter tour, take a break and then start their much anticipated Asian tour.

I think you're right about that. They certainly did not just pick December 2 out of thin air to make up the New Hampshire show. If they weren't going to be doing a winter tour, they would just tack on the New Hampshire date right at the end of this current tour. I say they'll be back at it from early/mid-November until Christmas, much like the Generations Tour, and then start the Asian Tour in February.

[Deb]

Unfortunately, Pineda isn't finding the tour nearly as fulfilling as his bandmates are. He misses his girlfriend and son, and the grueling pace is grinding him down. "It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting." Traveling around America isn't what he expected. "It's all buses, stage, microphone," he says. "I never really get to go around and walk. They wake me up for soundcheck, then I wait until the show at nine. It's a fantastic job, but at the same time it's a curse. . . . I told Neal that the only thing that will make me quit this is if I get sick. I guess that's the same reason Steve Perry bailed out."

Pineda is already feeling what it took Perry years to feel. Sad.

[yogi]

Thank you for printing the article here.

[epresley]

MAN, great interview/article, especially from Rolling Stone, but that scares the hell out of me! I hope they'll nurture Arnel and allow him to have to time to see his people. In a way, it's not unlike Jeremey's deal, the band was forcing him to choose between them and his family. Most of us would KILL to be the singer for Journey, but if it meant giving up our families, it would never happen.

[StoneCold]

Once in a lifetime chance for Arnel (and the band too). They need to find a way to keep it working. Why can't his girlfriend and children tour with him? Too late now but for next time they should make arragements.

Funny that he really tried to back out at Chile, I thought he was joking in that interview.

Good work Arnel, hang in there.

[brywool]

Wow, an article from RS without totally ragging Journey, its music, or members?

Did HELL freeze over? Crap, I didn't get the memo!!

Seriously, It seems like Journey could make it a bit easier on him by letting him bring some family along or letting breaking up the tour a bit so he can head back home. I haven't read the article yet, I'll do it now.
I know that Rick Springfield breaks up his tour and other bands fly home after many of their shows (yeah, the Philippines is quite a distance). Seriously, they need to do something to keep him happy. It's the least they can do for him for saving Journey.

[Rick]

Hmmmm....Almost sounds like he may not be long for Journey even if he doesn't develop any vocal problems.

I doubt that, Dave. They're coming back and doing a makeup show on December 2nd and I doubt they'd do one makeup show without others wrapped around it. They'd simply issue refunds. That said, I think they'll do a 30-40 gig winter tour, take a break and then start their much anticipated Asian tour. I think the thought of that alone will keep Arnel energized. At least I hope it will. I plan on being in Manila to see them if I have to swim there.

One suggestion. Eva Air. They fly out of L.A. and have some scorching hot flight attendants.

[Gin and Tonic Sky]

The band need to take care of this guy.

Arnel with Journey for 6 months with Arnel back home for six months a year is better than Arnel in Manila for 12 months a year and no Journey.

This guy clearly doesnt have fit the stereotyped rock n roll caricature of a front man who drowns his pain with 4 bottles of jack and 8 groupies a night. He certainly is one hell of a rock and roller though , and the band better protect that asset if they want one more album. [/u]

[Rick]

MAN, great interview/article, especially from Rolling Stone, but that scares the hell out of me! I hope they'll nurture Arnel and allow him to have to time to see his people. In a way, it's not unlike Jeremey's deal, the band was forcing him to choose between them and his family. Most of us would KILL to be the singer for Journey, but if it meant giving up our families, it would never happen.

Man that's so true. I'm sure Jeremey wouldn't have been able to imagine being away from his newborn as much as that job requires. I'll bet he feels like he made the right decision in that respect for sure.

[Don]

Hmmmm....Almost sounds like he may not be long for Journey even if he doesn't develop any vocal problems.

I doubt that, Dave. They're coming back and doing a makeup show on December 2nd and I doubt they'd do one makeup show without others wrapped around it. They'd simply issue refunds. That said, I think they'll do a 30-40 gig winter tour, take a break and then start their much anticipated Asian tour. I think the thought of that alone will keep Arnel energized. At least I hope it will. I plan on being in Manila to see them if I have to swim there.

One suggestion. Eva Air. They fly out of L.A. and have some scorching hot flight attendants.

Try Cathay Pacific. There is a four hour layover in HongKong but it's a few hundred bucks cheaper and you could spend a few days at Disneyland if you're not in a rush before going to Manila for the Show. PAL (Philippine Airlines are hit or miss) They always seem to have a delay somewhere along the line, which ends up balancing out with the layover that Cathay has except you just spent more for it.

[Marabelle]

I think it's a carefully crafted article and appeals to the heart strings of the new and old Journey fans. It's another article which is directed at you; to those who need to feel a connection with this lonely man who is so far away from his country and family. Not only will it sell lots of magazines it will grab you; hook, line and sinker. Will Arnel give up fame and fortune to return to his band, the Zoo; will he fortake his possible million dollar bounty cause of being homesick; will Journey again be without a lead singer? These are the questions that I dare to ask as I read this article. Was it written without any concern for the other band members of Journey? What will Neal say? The story continues!!!

[brywool]

I think it's a carefully crafted article and appeals to the heart strings of the new and old Journey fans. It's another article which is directed at you; to those who need to feel a connection with this lonely man who is so far away from his country and family. Not only will it sell lots of magazines it will grab you; hook, line and sinker. Will Arnel give up fame and fortune to return to his band, the Zoo; will he fortake his possible million dollar bounty cause of being homesick; will Journey again be without a lead singer? These are the questions that I dare to ask as I read this article. Was it written without any concern for the other band members of Journey? What will Neal say? The story continues!!!

Possibly, but the stories of how it's been tough on Arnel have been out there a while. Weird article for RS to write though.

[annpea]

Two minutes before Journey kicked off their world tour in February, with new singer Arnel Pineda, the whole thing nearly fell apart. "I told them I wanted to back out," says the 41-year-old Filipino vocalist, whom the band discovered on YouTube. "[Journey guitarist] Neal Schon told me, 'It's too late now.' He pushed me a little and said, 'Go. Go sing for us.'" Pineda overcame his butterflies and took the stage in front of 20,000 fans in Chile, singing an hour of hits in a soaring voice incredibly similar to former Journey frontman Steve Perry. Since then, Pineda has played more than 63 concerts with Journey, including a current three-month trip through American amphitheaters, which has been averaging 13,000 people a night. The tour is the sixth-highest-grossing of the summer, and the band's performances are as high-energy as they were during Journey's heyday.

the grueling pace is grinding him down. "It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job Unfortunately, Pineda isn't finding the tour nearly as fulfilling as his bandmates are. He misses his girlfriend and son, and I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting." Traveling around America isn't what he expected. "It's all buses, stage, microphone," he says. "I never really get to go around and walk. They wake me up for soundcheck, then I wait until the show at nine. It's a fantastic job, but at the same time it's a curse. . . . I told Neal that the only thing that will make me quit this is if I get sick. I guess that's the same reason Steve Perry bailed out

."

Just last summer, Pineda was fronting the Zoo, a band specializing in Eighties rock covers. YouTube clips of Pineda singing "Don't Stop Believin' " and "Faithfully" came to the attention of Schon, who had recently parted ways with Journey's fourth lead singer, Jeff Scott Soto. "I told him, 'You have to show your face so I can believe you,' " Pineda recalls of his first conversation with Schon. "I challenged him to talk to me on a Webcam."

Within weeks, Pineda took his first trip to the U.S. and auditioned for the band in San Francisco. A few days later, he was hired. "Mr. Neal Schon picked me up and told me, 'You got the job,' " Pineda says. "For a guy like me, it's surreal — like some sort of miracle." Quickly, the band cut two discs worth of material: one of new songs and another of rerecorded hits. "It was spooky, sitting behind the desk watching Arnel record these songs," says keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "It was like going back in a time machine." Since coming out in June, the album has sold 441,000 copies; it's the band's biggest hit since Perry left the group.

This all comes at a time when Journey's work has re-entered the pop-culture landscape in surprising ways: Their 1981 smash "Don't Stop Believin' " has made memorable appearances on The Sopranos and Laguna Beach, and Kanye West performed it nightly on his 2008 tour. "When you work at something long enough, things just sort of turn around," Schon says. "I'm ear-to-ear smile every night." But is he worried about his frontman? "He's missing his family, missing his homeland, you know?" says Schon. "But he's having a lot of fun, too."

I guess that explains the meaning of BGTY.

[BeautifulJbaby]

He misses his family alright but I'm not thinking the unthinkable, meaning him leaving Journey. Filipinos are tough and resilient people. I do think however that what he misses aside from his family is his friends. He should get an assistant from his his home country, preferably his best friend whom he can talk to and who is familiar with him. He feels so alone. He needs somebody he can talk to in his language, someone he can interact with without being misinterpreted. I am pretty sure they're (Journey management) taking care of him , i.e. comfort, money, etc. but I'm so certain that he needs more than that. Filipinos are quite passionate and more often emotional (which is not a bad thing) and therefore he needs someone he can relate to.

I wish I can help the guy. Cheer up, Arnel. Pretty soon you'll be home but please come back.

[artist4perry]

Part of the problem of bringing his family along could be imigration papers. Arnel got lucky to come. People wait a long time from that country to get into the U.S. I hope he can visit his family soon, though I think it will make leaving them again even harder.

[alesson]

Arnel will hang tough because it is a Filipino culture to endure and sacrifice for family's good.
Besides that he loves what he is doing and it is for his children's future, he will endure.
He will use that desire to give his family a better life as an adrenaline booster to keep him going.
It is an ingrained attitude of most Filipino to not think of himself but family first.
Most of all, because of YOUR showed support and love, Arnel will continue to perform regardless.
He will even give you his own bed to sleep when you visit him home and will take the sofa instead just to
show you that he appreciate?
He will not disappoint anyone of you! Journey with Arnel will continue to rock.