Arnel Pineda, the lead singer of Journey, thanked fans for their support after getting criticism for his performance at the Rock In Rio festival in Brazil on September 15. In a social media post, the 57-year-old singer shared a video showing that he had problems with his ear monitors and missed some notes during the show. He felt “devastated” and asked fans to vote on whether he should leave the band, saying he would step down if he got one million “GO” messages.
Neal Schon, Journey’s guitarist, supported Pineda, saying that the band’s sound was affected by Avenged Sevenfold, who played later in the evening. Deen Castronovo, the drummer, also defended Pineda, stating that he has worked hard to perform the band’s songs well, despite the challenges of being a singer.
On September 25, Pineda posted a video message apologizing to fans for any trouble he caused and talked about the issues the band is facing. He highlighted the kindness he received from fans, saying that even though he has faced criticism since joining, many have stood by him. He expressed gratitude for their support and emphasized the need to focus on the good in the world.
Pineda was discovered by Schon in 2007 while performing in a cover band in Manila and has been the frontman for Journey ever since. He helped bring the band back to popularity, even though some fans initially criticized him for his ethnicity and compared his voice to former lead singer Steve Perry.
Perry, who left the band in 1998, has praised Pineda publicly for his work with Journey. Although Pineda was not officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band, he performed with them during their induction ceremony in 2017.
