ARNEL COMMENTS ON SUPERBOWL

[alesson]

If Arnel and the band remember anything about history, which they probably don't, there maybe some concern that this was a chance to be seen by a lot people and they didn't sound or do their best to Dean's point, not to mention, it looked like they could have cared less and didn't prepare. Some have attributed the same thing to potentially hindering the success of the Augeri led era because they didn't come off sounding that good on GMA when they started doing promotion for Arrival. Granted, I am aware that the audience for the Super Bowl pregame was far greater then those who were watching GMA, but nonetheless that performance did not do anything to help that incarnation of the band either. Bottom line is everyone has a bad day/night, whatever, Arnel has a good voice, and while he couldn't sing the catalog for long, so did Augeri, you just hope your bad day it isn't in front of a few million people on TV.

What I don't understand is why Arnel or his manager keep on accepting offers to do side shows? I believed that days prior to the Superbowl gig, he was on a series of mini concerts with some Filipino talents.
I agreed that his approach to this was a case of carelessness or maybe un-professionalism. He should have kept his voice pristine and ready for the big gig. Obviously, he or his manager do not know the importance of being in this event. Case of being not in the American mainstream? Maybe yes or do I see some greediness in his management here?
Arnel could, if he really knows how important for the band is this gig should prevail with his manager.
In anyways, a HARD lesson for them to learn and for the Journey management, look out for the new kid in town and keep the leash reachable.

My problem is the bands health. Most Acts start hitting the road in January. With Ross and Jon nearing social security age and Arnel having problems with cold weather there window for touring seems to be shortening. Groups today make most of their money off of touring. Royalties from the older records are great for Neal, Jon and Ross but that doesn't help Arnel or Deen, who still need to earn their living from this job,especially without songwriting royalties to live off. They have got to find a way to get back on the road, with out these long breaks in between. Revelation has fallen off the map already. Just space the dates so there aren't that many back to back shows but keep in rotation so The radio will keep mentioning your name.

Arnel is not young by all means and his 25 years of belting out improbable pitch might be nearing its peak. Healthwise, being accustomed to the tropics all those years is a big drawback. He can't just get used easily to this American climate faster than a 19 years teen can.
He must be taking the advantage of making hay while the sunshine is still on by doing some extra gigs on the side. You're right, with no royalties to fall back on, AP & Deen must take advantage of the situation with or without the band.
But with a gig that big as the Superbowl? They should whoop their ass in practice and rehearsals instead of getting some penny and dimes in those small gigs.
Bottom line is..They lack the preparation that is necessarily needed.

[mdaemon]

If Arnel and the band remember anything about history, which they probably don't, there maybe some concern that this was a chance to be seen by a lot people and they didn't sound or do their best to Dean's point, not to mention, it looked like they could have cared less and didn't prepare. Some have attributed the same thing to potentially hindering the success of the Augeri led era because they didn't come off sounding that good on GMA when they started doing promotion for Arrival. Granted, I am aware that the audience for the Super Bowl pregame was far greater then those who were watching GMA, but nonetheless that performance did not do anything to help that incarnation of the band either. Bottom line is everyone has a bad day/night, whatever, Arnel has a good voice, and while he couldn't sing the catalog for long, so did Augeri, you just hope your bad day it isn't in front of a few million people on TV.

What I don't understand is why Arnel or his manager keep on accepting offers to do side shows? I believed that days prior to the Superbowl gig, he was on a series of mini concerts with some Filipino talents.
I agreed that his approach to this was a case of carelessness or maybe un-professionalism. He should have kept his voice pristine and ready for the big gig. Obviously, he or his manager do not know the importance of being in this event. Case of being not in the American mainstream? Maybe yes or do I see some greediness in his management here?
Arnel could, if he really knows how important for the band is this gig should prevail with his manager.
In anyways, a HARD lesson for them to learn and for the Journey management, look out for the new kid in town and keep the leash reachable.

Given Journey's history with its lead singers, Arnel's Pinoy manager is probably just preparing his career in the Philippines when he leaves (or get booted out of) Journey. I was in agreement with him a while back but seeing Arnel looking tired at the Superbowl show, then I think his side appearances should be cut. It would also do him good if he stays in America most of the time so he can acclimatize himself. Contrary to what Deano said, it takes some time before a person gets used to the weather and strain of flu/cold virus in another country. I moved to the UK 5 years ago and I got the worst cold and flu I have ever experienced in my life for 3 straight winters.

[Voyager]

As much as I love all my AP site pals, I've never been in favor of posting transcripts of everything Arnel says in the Shout Box. He comes in to unwind with us, and is just a very down to earth and humble guy. I believe he felt his performance suffered against some other acts, but hadn't realized some he mentioned weren't using live vocals. First show back with the band after a few months of breaks, I think he did fine. He'll get back into the swing of things for sure.

I think so too. We're all allowed to have off day here and there.

Yeah, but we're all not trying to walk in Steve Perry's shoes either. It's a big responsibility, and America probably had big expectations due to all the buzz about the new Journey singer. Wouldn't you? If you never heard about Arnel before (as many Americans haven't), what would your first impression be if this was the first time you saw and heard him?

I'm not dismissing Arnel's disappointment in his performance. But we have all heard him do so much better. It was some bad luck for him for sure.

[Voyager]

It would also do him good if he stays in America most of the time so he can acclimatize himself. Contrary to what Deano said, it takes some time before a person gets used to the weather and strain of flu/cold virus in another country. I moved to the UK 5 years ago and I got the worst cold and flu I have ever experienced in my life for 3 straight winters.

Not to mention the diction issues. His accent seemed much thicker after being away from English-speaking people for several months. I'm not being bigoted in any way, it just doesn't sound like classic Journey when the accent is heavy.

[Enigma869]

For me, Arnel's Super Bowl performance wasn't great but he still hit some notes I never heard Augeri hit on his best nights with Journey. For that reason alone, I'll cut the guy some slack.

[Aaron]

As much as it kills me to say it , Deano is right on in his analysis. Arnel pretty well sucked on what I heard at the Super Bowl. I know he can sound great as I heard him in Indy last year. Arnel was off pitch and was back to doing vibrato on every note again. That is clearly lack of preparation in my book. As a professional, that's unacceptable and just lazy. If I pulled the same where I work, I'd be shown the door. The dude is in a big gig and gets paid well. He needs to prep in order to be on as much as possible. If he's sick and can't hit the the notes that's one thing, but lack of preparation is unacceptable.

Why can't people accept that the man was sick and had to commit to an obligation?

That's the problem right there. Obligations? Dude, your obligation is to your primary employer. You know, the one who pays you 10K a night to sing live. Fundraisers are great and just, but the Super Bowl is well, tops. He should have rescheduled those other paltry obligations and for God's sake don't expect to fly overnight into Florida and expect to hit the switch. He isn't that good enough to pull that shit off.

As much as I love all my AP site pals, I've never been in favor of posting transcripts of everything Arnel says in the Shout Box. He comes in to unwind with us, and is just a very down to earth and humble guy.

That's understandable Rip, but that site hardly is a fair assessment of reality. It's a pep talk site and MR is the real barometer of actuality. I bet you 50-1 that Pineda is not allowed to post here by Journey Management, or Neal and Friga. Having said that, it suits the cause, but the folks over there are myopic. They can't see history and certainly don't respect history, with regards to Journey or music in general. Their comments on a public forum such as Youtube about Steve perry and Bruce Springsteen are just fucking retarded. They are doing their guy no favours whatsoever, and the fans of the two guys they slam are pretty numerous don't you think? That is not a smart move by an Arnel Only if you ask me. In fact, they need to be bitch slapped for some of the crap they spewed.

I believe he felt his performance suffered against some other acts, but hadn't realized some he mentioned weren't using live vocals.

What acts are you commenting about? There were a total of four; Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson and Springsteen. 2 of those three lipped. It's really unfair to compare Journey to E Street, when Journey played to a bunch of folks killing time in the food court/beer garden, and Bruce had the most expensive stage set up and pyrotechnics show ever. I get that. However, having said that, would it not be easier to get it right, with less nerves performing your set in Journey's setting, versus 300 million at Halftime?

First show back with the band after a few months of breaks, I think he did fine. He'll get back into the swing of things for sure.

This is what I have a problem with. This is just lazy, and unprofessional on both Pineda and Journey's part. Lazy that Pineda should have A) came back to the US much earlier and practiced and B) why the fuck didn't Journey rehearse a few hundred more times? They looked they walked out of the hotel room and plugged in. Have some fucking pride. I know they know DSB in their sleep, but practice sharpens the knife. I guarantee you E Street practiced heavily on their 4 song set..over and over and over again, and it showed. When I see Friga playing guitar on DSB and the sound is definitely off, not to mention Pineda, then I am pissed. These guys have lost all respect for themselves and their history. It's sad to me. I expected more. And lest the fans who started the online petition to have them play the Super Bowl think this performance helped their cause, then I just give up.

The climate in the U.S. is quite different from what he's used to, and it has been a constant challenge for him. He definitely needs some slack on this one.

Another sad excuse. Get your ass over here weeks earlier and get acclimated. This is where the bulk of the money is going to be made, not the PI.


Now that Pineda has taken responsibility, and that is a manly thing to do, I will drop it, but the fans keep coming in and making excuses. THAT is what baffles me.

[alesson]

As much as it kills me to say it , Deano is right on in his analysis. Arnel pretty well sucked on what I heard at the Super Bowl. I know he can sound great as I heard him in Indy last year. Arnel was off pitch and was back to doing vibrato on every note again. That is clearly lack of preparation in book. As a professional, that's unacceptable and just lazy. If I pulled the same where I work, I'd be shown the door. The dude is in a big gig and gets paid well. He needs to prep in order to be on as much as possible. If he's sick and can't hit the the notes that's one thing, but lack of preparation is unacceptable.

Why can't people accept that the man was sick and had to commit to an obligation?

That's the problem right there. Obligations? Dude, your obligation is to your primary employer. You know, the one who pays you 10K a night to sing live. Fundraisers are great and just, but the Super Bowl is well, tops. He should have rescheduled those other paltry obligations and for God's sake don't expect to fly overnight into Florida and expect to hit the switch. He isn't that good enough to pull that shit off.

As much as I love all my AP site pals, I've never been in favor of posting transcripts of everything Arnel says in the Shout Box. He comes in to unwind with us, and is just a very down to earth and humble guy.

That's understandable Rip, but that site hardly is a fair assessment of reality. It's a pep talk site and MR is the real barometer of actuality. I bet you 50-1 that Pineda is not allowed to post here by Journey Management, or Neal and Friga. Having said that, it suits the cause, but the folks over there are myopic. They can't see history and certainly don't respect history, with regards to Journey or music in general. Their comments on a public forum such as Youtube about Steve perry and Bruce Springsteen are just fucking retarded. They are doing their guy no favours whatsoever, and the fans of the two guys they slam are pretty numerous don't you think? That is not a smart move by an Arnel Only if you ask me. In fact, they need to be bitch slapped for some of the crap they spewed.

I believe he felt his performance suffered against some other acts, but hadn't realized some he mentioned weren't using live vocals.

What acts are you commenting about? There were a total of four; Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson and Springsteen. 2 of those three lipped. It's really unfair to compare Journey to E Street, when Journey played to a bunch of folks killing time in the food court/beer garden, and Bruce had the most expensive stage set up and pyrotechnics show ever. I get that. However, having said that, would it not be easier to get it right, with less nerves performing your set in Journey's setting, versus 300 million at Halftime?

First show back with the band after a few months of breaks, I think he did fine. He'll get back into the swing of things for sure.

This is what I have a problem with. This is just lazy, and unprofessional on both Pineda and Journey's part. Lazy that Pineda should have A) came back to the US much earlier and practiced and B) why the fuck didn't Journey rehearse a few hundred more times? They looked they walked out of the hotel room and plugged in. Have some fucking pride. I know they know DSB in their sleep, but practice sharpens the knife. I guarantee you E Street practiced heavily on their 4 song set..over and over and over again, and it showed. When I see Friga playing guitar on DSB and the sound is definitely off, not to mention Pineda, then I am pissed. These guys have lost all respect for themselves and their history. It's sad to me. I expected more. And lest the fans who started the online petition to have them play the Super Bowl think this performance helped their cause, then I just give up.

The climate in the U.S. is quite different from what he's used to, and it has been a constant challenge for him. He definitely needs some slack on this one.

Another sad excuse. Get your ass over here weeks earlier and get acclimated. This is where the bulk of the money is going to be made, not the PI.


Now that Pineda has taken responsibility, and that is a manly thing to do, I will drop it, but the fans keep coming in and making excuses. THAT is what baffles me.

Amen to that! Obligation Dude..thats the key word..to the fans and detractors as well.
They should have known that when they fucked up big time...it will be like a Turkey shoot down in Baghdad.

[Voyager]

Amen to that! Obligation Dude..thats the key word..to the fans and detractors as well.
They should have known that when they fucked up big time...it will be like a Turkey shoot down in Baghdad.

Well, at least nobody threw a shoe at him.

[Jana]

As much as it kills me to say it , Deano is right on in his analysis. Arnel pretty well sucked on what I heard at the Super Bowl. I know he can sound great as I heard him in Indy last year. Arnel was off pitch and was back to doing vibrato on every note again. That is clearly lack of preparation in book. As a professional, that's unacceptable and just lazy. If I pulled the same where I work, I'd be shown the door. The dude is in a big gig and gets paid well. He needs to prep in order to be on as much as possible. If he's sick and can't hit the the notes that's one thing, but lack of preparation is unacceptable.

Why can't people accept that the man was sick and had to commit to an obligation?

That's the problem right there. Obligations? Dude, your obligation is to your primary employer. You know, the one who pays you 10K a night to sing live. Fundraisers are great and just, but the Super Bowl is well, tops. He should have rescheduled those other paltry obligations and for God's sake don't expect to fly overnight into Florida and expect to hit the switch. He isn't that good enough to pull that shit off.

As much as I love all my AP site pals, I've never been in favor of posting transcripts of everything Arnel says in the Shout Box. He comes in to unwind with us, and is just a very down to earth and humble guy.

That's understandable Rip, but that site hardly is a fair assessment of reality. It's a pep talk site and MR is the real barometer of actuality. I bet you 50-1 that Pineda is not allowed to post here by Journey Management, or Neal and Friga. Having said that, it suits the cause, but the folks over there are myopic. They can't see history and certainly don't respect history, with regards to Journey or music in general. Their comments on a public forum such as Youtube about Steve perry and Bruce Springsteen are just fucking retarded. They are doing their guy no favours whatsoever, and the fans of the two guys they slam are pretty numerous don't you think? That is not a smart move by an Arnel Only if you ask me. In fact, they need to be bitch slapped for some of the crap they spewed.

I believe he felt his performance suffered against some other acts, but hadn't realized some he mentioned weren't using live vocals.

What acts are you commenting about? There were a total of four; Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson and Springsteen. 2 of those three lipped. It's really unfair to compare Journey to E Street, when Journey played to a bunch of folks killing time in the food court/beer garden, and Bruce had the most expensive stage set up and pyrotechnics show ever. I get that. However, having said that, would it not be easier to get it right, with less nerves performing your set in Journey's setting, versus 300 million at Halftime?

First show back with the band after a few months of breaks, I think he did fine. He'll get back into the swing of things for sure.

This is what I have a problem with. This is just lazy, and unprofessional on both Pineda and Journey's part. Lazy that Pineda should have A) came back to the US much earlier and practiced and B) why the fuck didn't Journey rehearse a few hundred more times? They looked they walked out of the hotel room and plugged in. Have some fucking pride. I know they know DSB in their sleep, but practice sharpens the knife. I guarantee you E Street practiced heavily on their 4 song set..over and over and over again, and it showed. When I see Friga playing guitar on DSB and the sound is definitely off, not to mention Pineda, then I am pissed. These guys have lost all respect for themselves and their history. It's sad to me. I expected more. And lest the fans who started the online petition to have them play the Super Bowl think this performance helped their cause, then I just give up.

The climate in the U.S. is quite different from what he's used to, and it has been a constant challenge for him. He definitely needs some slack on this one.

Another sad excuse. Get your ass over here weeks earlier and get acclimated. This is where the bulk of the money is going to be made, not the PI.


Now that Pineda has taken responsibility, and that is a manly thing to do, I will drop it, but the fans keep coming in and making excuses. THAT is what baffles me.

Amen to that! Obligation Dude..thats the key word..to the fans and detractors as well.
They should have known that when they fucked up big time...it will be like a Turkey shoot down in Baghdad.

Re Deano's comment above, it's funny thinking back to Jonathan's radio interview last week where he was acting like they could do it in their sleep and kind of making fun at the fact that they wanted them down there for two days of rehearsals. It seems like Neal and Jon just felt like they could roll in there the day b/f for one day of rehearsal. I guess they were wrong. I agree with Dean, they should have had Arnel in California with them earlier rehearsing since they've been apart for almost four months.

[WIX]

Ah hell, after singing a few licks on youtube my voice gives and I am a fricken professional.

I have toured with Dr Hook during the Sloppy Seconds Tour.

There were nights I caught colds or had swollen tonsils and sounded rough.

There were nights I cat napped and woke a half hour before shows not preparing vocally and I had bad nights.

The human voice is an imperfect tool.

It would be like an anal intruder with either fresh batteries or if you had weak batteries it would be a little off and not hit the hole per say.

Some nights you just don't care as it was a shitty bus ride or a bad night in motel 6.

Sometimes musicians get depressed.

Sometimes you drink mountain dew for energy to find out your drummer spit his chew in the can and you barf 10 minutes before showtime. Barfing strips your vocal chords from acid reflux.

[larryfromnextdoor]

uh ..

[ForceInfinity]

If this weather doesn't suit you, then get out here, stay out here, and acclimitize to it. It's not unlike climbing Longs Peak (or substitute your favorite 14000ft, 4500m peak here). If you don't acclimitize to the altitude, you'll end up like some dipshit that passed me on the climb up that mountain. I ended up catching one of them a hour later puking their guts out at nearly 13,000 ft in the keyhole as I merrily trotted by.

As a climber I know better...

As a professional singer Arnel honestly should know better (if the weather indeed was the issue). That said he'll learn from this. I hope he'll improve on it (I've a fault for seeing the positive in things).

[SherriBerry]

While he has been singing for years, there is a significant difference between singing in a local club and being on the road touring and fronting a major band. Arnel is like the rookie who just made it into the Major Leagues and it's up to the veterans in the band and management to guide him through this transition - so I hope he isn't taking the entire blame on his own shoulders. Everyone had something to learn from what went wrong with the SB performance - they can't sit on their laurels. They also can't keep shuffling singers, so there is a lot at stake for Journey. Hopefully they are getting good advice right now and are setting up a gameplan. Many of the posters on MR have had some good ideas on what would make a great tour - I hope someone who can use them is reading them. I'm betting that the upcoming tour will be awesome!

By the way, acclimatizing to extreme weather changes doesn't happen overnight or even in weeks. Arnel could live with the rest of us Canadians in an igloo for 2 years and still have difficulty singing in cold, dry weather. He's only been with the band for about a year and they didn't tour over the winter, so he may not have realized how the cold would affect him, especially singing outdoors - and Florida isn't usually that cold. Now he knows and can take steps to properly deal with it.

[Rhiannon]

Barfing strips your vocal chords from acid reflux.

[Tito]

Then again, maybe shame on us. Maybe money and fame is not that high on Journey's list. They've been to the top already. And we know they've always cared about the kids (that Kenny kid,etc.). Maybe they just did the Superbowl performance for shits and giggles. So maybe we're wrong and they're right.

[finalfight]

You have a cold you rest your voice the night before possibly the 'biggest' show of your career instead of blowing it out further. It's common sense really. To add insult to injury Arnel was singing Journey songs at the charity gig.

[bluejeangirl76]

Agree 100%. You just saved me from typing my review. I like to expand on something: the charity gigs. Like you said those needed to be rescheduled or something. Someone in management needed to pull a George Carlin and say, "Fuck the kids." Before anyone jumps on me for that last quote, that's a direct quote from a Carlin standup.

LMAO! Aw, I miss George. He was the master.
But Tito's correct, this was a mismanagement of time. "Sorry, Arnel has an obligation with Journey that weekend, perhaps we could book him for you on a future event." That's all that needed to happen.

[aliaslen]

Now where is Poohwie? i think he wanted to manage Arnel's career . I remember him saying in his first post that Arnel's manager sucks coz he
wanted Arnel to perform only with Journey and (the zoo band) hehe

[The_Noble_Cause]

For me, Arnel's Super Bowl performance wasn't great but he still hit some notes I never heard Augeri hit on his best nights with Journey. For that reason alone, I'll cut the guy some slack.

Well said.

[StoneCold]

For me, Arnel's Super Bowl performance wasn't great but he still hit some notes I never heard Augeri hit on his best nights with Journey. For that reason alone, I'll cut the guy some slack.

Well said.

+2

The soaring notes were there. And that's big because that's what DSB's known for.

[NealIsGod]

For me, Arnel's Super Bowl performance wasn't great but he still hit some notes I never heard Augeri hit on his best nights with Journey. For that reason alone, I'll cut the guy some slack.

Well said.

+2

The soaring notes were there. And that's big because that's what DSB's known for.

I expect more from a Journey singer than just hitting high notes.

[bluejeangirl76]

For me, Arnel's Super Bowl performance wasn't great but he still hit some notes I never heard Augeri hit on his best nights with Journey. For that reason alone, I'll cut the guy some slack.

Well said.

+2

The soaring notes were there. And that's big because that's what DSB's known for.

I expect more from a Journey singer than just hitting high notes.

I'm joining Niggy's camp on this one.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I expect more from a Journey singer than just hitting high notes.

I'm joining Niggy's camp on this one.

YES, the accent is still distracting.
I get that.
But let's not pretend it's an overnight occurrence that suddenly detracts from his performances.
The pronunciation ticks have been in place even back when he was garnering raves.

So leaving that aside, what exactly is your beef?

[StoneCold]

For me, Arnel's Super Bowl performance wasn't great but he still hit some notes I never heard Augeri hit on his best nights with Journey. For that reason alone, I'll cut the guy some slack.

Well said.

+2

The soaring notes were there. And that's big because that's what DSB's known for.

I expect more from a Journey singer than just hitting high notes.

DSB without the high notes would be pitiful and I'd join the "wrap it up" crowd. That he hit them means they can keep going and redeem themselves.

[NealIsGod]

I expect more from a Journey singer than just hitting high notes.

I'm joining Niggy's camp on this one.

YES, the accent is still distracting.
I get that.
But let's not pretend it's an overnight occurrence that suddenly detracts from his performances.
The pronunciation ticks have been in place even back when he was garnering raves.
So leaving that aside, what exactly is your beef?

Holding words too long, adding "ah" at the end of lines, "oversinging" the songs.

Look at Foreigner. They got a singer who sings the songs the classic way. Cain is the one who wanted a "legacy" sound. Sure, Pineda's voice is a decent match. But, to me, Augeri adhered to that legacy sound much more than Arnel does. Augeri added subtle changes that were cool and added something. The changes Pineda makes to the songs do not IMO.

Now, this is my opinion that is shared by many others here. I do not fault anyone else for not sharing them.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Holding words too long, adding "ah" at the end of lines,...

Once again tho, this is a dialect issue that has been going on since day 1.
Fans shouldn't bitch about it like it's something new.

"oversinging" the songs.

Augeri was accused of this too.
Def. more pronounced from Arnel.
I wonder if he extends certain words in order to ramp up vocal traction, and get *up* in that necessary stratospheric Perry range.
Slightly annoying, I agree.

Look at Foreigner. They got a singer who sings the songs the classic way. Cain is the one who wanted a "legacy" sound. Sure, Pineda's voice is a decent match. But, to me, Augeri adhered to that legacy sound much more than Arnel does.

Take it up with Neal. He picked him.
Arnel wouldn't be my ideal candidate either, but the horse flogging for this performance is a bit much.

[NealIsGod]

Take it up with Neal. He picked him.
Arnel wouldn't be my ideal candidate either, but the horse flogging for this performance is a bit much.

I guess people expect more progress from him after so many shows. And if I ever see Neal again, you can be sure I will discuss it with him.

[bluejeangirl76]

Take it up with Neal. He picked him.
Arnel wouldn't be my ideal candidate either, but the horse flogging for this performance is a bit much.

I guess people expect more progress from him after so many shows. And if I ever see Neal again, you can be sure I will discuss it with him.

I really want to exact terrible viciousness on that avatar of yours Niggy. Neal Schon with a big wide open mouth like that is just begging for my evil humor to intervene. However, I like you Nig, so I'm struggling to restrain myself.

[brywool]

Arnel needs to be a prick if he wants to last in this business. Perry was a prick and a pain in the ass with Journey but guess what? He delivered the goods! What happened to Arnel never happened to Perry. If he can't hear his voice or the stage setup is messed up, he will fuckin' say so and everyone will listen and adjust. Perry is the consumate perfectionist. That's why Neal et. al gave the reins to Perry to show them the money.

What happened to Arnel did happen to Perry. Listen to the Philly show from the ROR tour. Listen to the Bill Graham performance. Every singer will have a bad night once in a while.
I'm not sure if what Deano mentioned about not rehearsing was the deal or not. The band SHOULD definitely have rehearsed and I can't believe they didn't. Still, the guy actually sang the song live as many others didn't. Too bad that it wasn't a good performance. I don't really think it would've mattered one bit to the band. Meaning that if it was a good performance, I don't think people would be just 'buzzing' about it or anything. They played a song that's been overplayed for years, did an 'okay' job of it, big deal.

[Jana]

Take it up with Neal. He picked him.
Arnel wouldn't be my ideal candidate either, but the horse flogging for this performance is a bit much.

I guess people expect more progress from him after so many shows. And if I ever see Neal again, you can be sure I will discuss it with him.

You're not Neal? Damn.