Arnel Pineda Offers to Leave Journey After Being “devastated” by His Performance in Brazil
ARNEL PINEDA – Lead singer of the American rock band Journey Arnel Pineda said he’s devastated by his performance in Rock in Rio.
Journey’s lead singer, Arnel Pineda, apologized for his poor performance at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition, he asked his followers to vote on whether they preferred that he continue in the band or quit entirely.
The singer-songwriter gained attention among music fans on Saturday, September 21, when Behind the Songs posted a video showing Pineda straining to hit the band’s iconic song, “Don’t Stop Believin,” on Facebook.
unday, Sept. 22, Arnel Pineda posted an apology on Facebook to his fans for the event. More than anyone, he admitted, he is devastated by the outcome of his performance.
“Once again, [thank you] so much everyone who came to @journeyofficial show since February this year. I appreciate [you all], and not only that, every time that I’m on stage [with] the band, I feel this immense gratitude, humility, and honor. I am very aware of this. No one more than me in this world feels so devastated about this,” he said while sharing a link to the performance.
The musician then requested that fans comment on his post with the words “stay” or “go” in order to determine whether he should continue with the band or permanently quit. “Mentally and emotionally, I’ve suffered already and I’m still [suffering]. But I’ll be okay. So here’s the deal here now.”
“I am offering you a chance now (especially those [who’ve] hated me and never liked me from the very beginning) to simply text GO or STAY right here,” he continued. “And if ‘Go’ reaches 1 million, I’m stepping out for good… God bless all of you and thank you once again to all of the fans and friends who believed in me since Day 1.”
In 2008, Pineda took over as Journey’s lead vocalist in lieu of Steve Perry, having accepted an invitation to join the band via email from guitarist Neal Schön. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain called Pineda “the future for our franchise” when he accepted the offer.
Schön and his spouse accused Pineda in 2023 of abandoning the plan to bring back original member and lead singer Greg Rolie for the band’s anniversary tour.
The conflict arose in November 2022 when Schön and Cain got into a court battle. Three months later, Pineda made cryptic posts that seemed to be an indication that he wasn’t satisfied with the way he was treated in the band.
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