I tried this material out on my friend Laurie after we had just attended the Journey concert in Phoenix last month:
“Laur, can you imagine the interview, once Arnel Pineda got the job as front man for Journey?”
Bandmates: Arnel, we’d like to offer you the job as front man for Journey. Congratulations. We just want to make sure you understand what the job entails.
Arnel: What do you mean?
Band: Well, please understand, Journey fans want Journey songs. Journey music. And above all, they want Steve Perry’s vocals. Nothing more, nothing less. Steve Perry. Period.
Arnel: Well, can I be creative with the lyrics?
Band: No.
Arnel: Can I do my own material?
Band: No.
Arnel: Can I sing in different keys and octaves? I have my own range.
Band: Sorry, no. We expect you to sound exactly like Steve Perry. So whatt’ya say?
Arnel: I’ll take it.
I can’t remember exactly, but I’m sure Laurie laughed. Politely.
The Journey concert that night was very special for me, as it capped off an incredible year. My TED talk was the second to last event in my professional crown of 2022, and the most important. I was both drained and elated, filled with energy, but sleepy too, and still a little under the weather. I threw on a cute black dress for the concert, but I didn’t do my hair or makeup. I was so happy with myself and my talk, I didn’t care about primping.
The arena was packed- I had never seen so many middle-aged well-dressed dorks in one place in my life. Maybe you were allowed to attend concerts in high school, but I wasn’t, so whenever I go to concerts as an adult, I feel like a little kid who managed to sneak out of the house on a Saturday night.
When Arnel Pineda came onto the stage, everyone got on their feet, and pretty much stayed there the whole night, except during slow ballads like “Open Arms.” And while I was aware that the new front man for Journey supposedly sounded a lot like Steve Perry, I wasn’t prepared for the uncanny way in which Pineda channeled Perry. Journey was my favorite group growing up, along with Foreigner, and ACDC, and Styx, and there were many of us in tears listening to songs that brought us back to high school.
I wondered to myself if Pineda resents having to perform Journey songs over and over. I wondered if he goes home at night and listens to gangster rap. But no. In an interview, he remarked that singing Perry’s vocals is a dream come true to him, and that meeting Perry was the greatest honor of his life.
If you get a chance, go to a Journey concert. Oh, and don’t stop believin’.