Arnel Pineda

Journey’s Arnel Pineda Rocks Out With Oprah:

There will always be a heavy contingent of Journey fans – and classic rock fans in general – who believe Journey is only Journey when lead singer Steve Perry is singing all those memorable hits. But the Arnel Pineda story is pretty damn good even if he doesn’t sing “Wheel in the Sky” quite as well as Perry. And hey, fans of Pineda would argue the opposite.

The whole inspirational Pineda story made it to Oprah Monday for a “Don’t stop believing”-themed show, which included a performance by Journey.The get discovered by Journey guitarist Neil Schon from a YouTube clip after a difficult life growing up in the Philippines is awesome. Is this movie in development already? If not, it should be. Like Metal God, but a lot better.

But the only reason this story really works is because the guy sounds so much like Steve Perry. You cannot have a voice like Dave Matthews and get away with belting out “Don’t Stop Believin’.” So kudos to Pineda for honing some killer vocal chops, and to Schon for realizing not only can the guy sing, but that he sounds so much like Perry that fans won’t have much trouble adjusting.

But it works. It absolutely works. The guy who once had a cover band call the Zoo, making a living covering everyone from Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin to Air Supply and The Eagles, is living the dream.more