Arnel Pineda leaves it to the fans.
After receiving rave reviews for his performance with Journey at Rock in Rio on Sunday, September 15, the singer, 57, allowed fans to vote for him on his Facebook page.
In the post, Pineda admitted that he had seen a video circulating of him having trouble with his in-ear monitors and struggling to hit the right notes during a performance in Rio de Janeiro.
“No one in this world feels more devastated by this than I do…it’s really amazing how a thousand right things you’ve done will be forgotten because of THIS..and of all places, it’s Rock In Rio…” , he wrote. “mentally and emotionally, I’ve suffered before, and I’m still suffering..but I’ll be OK…”
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After sharing his “tremendous gratitude, humility and honor” with fans for attending Journey’s shows this year, he offered to leave the band if they voted for him to do so.
“so here’s the deal now.. I’m offering you a chance now (especially those who hated me and never loved me from the start) to simply text GO or STAY right here..and if GO hits 1 million..I’m a step up forever.. are you game people?” Pineda added.
He concluded by thanking his “fans and friends” for believing in him since “Day 1.”
Journey guitarist Neal Schon shared his support for Pineda in a Facebook comment about the criticism.
“Arnel, don’t listen to those blogs. They’re all bought. You broke it!” he wrote, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
This is not the first time that Pineda has offered to give up the role of lead vocalist.
Pineda, who joined the group in 2007, said in 2014 that he would step down if former singer Steve Perry wanted to reprise his role.
“I would be more than happy to give up the seat,” he told The Associated Press via AZ Central, explaining it would allow him more time with his family.
However, he added: “As long as they need me, I will be there, I will never give up on them.”
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From left: Jonathan Cain, Todd Jensen, Arnel Pineda, Jason Derlatka, Journey founder Neal Schon, Journey co-founder Gregg Rolie and Deen Castronovo perform during Journey’s 50th Anniversary Tour at the Moody Center on February 22, 2023.
Brian Ach/Getty
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In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock 2022, drummer Deen Castronovo said that Pineda had been working with a vocal coach to fix a long-standing voice problem and that adjusting the volume on stage helped.
“When I think he’s been fighting this for 14 years, he said. I had no idea. I think it’s something he didn’t know if he had the freedom to say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to fix this,’ or ‘You’ve got to try something different here,’ or find new tone or whatever,’ he explained.
Castronovo, 60, continued: “But when we got this guy, Tom, everything changed. He’s a different guy. [Pineda’s] different type. Oh my god, we were blown away. I think 15 performances have passed since then [change]and every night he sounds amazing.”
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Source: HIS Education