Karaoke Loser

Journey has a new lead singer. Arnel Pineda of the Philippines now gets to front the once great rock band; which is now a parody of its former self. Guitarist Neal Schon saw Pineda (who was fronting a cover band called Zoo) on YouTube belting out Journey songs. Journey is after all the world’s greatest karaoke band, so it is a perfect fit.

The Quintessential line-up of the band was Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Ross Valory, Steve Smith, and Jonathan Cain. They recorded some incredible albums, toured the world playing to record breaking audiences, and produced some of the best rock hits of their generation. And while they were all highly skilled musicians, the musical element that elevated the band to the elite heights of the rock industry – was the brilliant lead vocals of Steve Perry.

Once vocalist extraordinaire Steve Perry exited the band, all legitimacy went with him. With Perry fronting the band, Journey was an arena headlining band with credibility. Once he left, they became a joke. His replacement, Steve Augeri, was an adequate singer, but also helped the band evolve into a B-level rock band subjected to a career on the oldies/has-been touring circuit with the likes of a stripped down Styx and Reo Speedwagon.

Ultimately, the vocals were too taxing and Augeri blew out his voice. Jeff Scott Soto, a total hack, filled in for Augeri for a short period of time before the band knew it needed to find a suitable replacement. Rumors immediately surfaced that Steve Perry would return. That was of course pure fantasy, but you can bet the band tried to somehow reconcile with him because the financial rewards and the return to rock royalty status would have been huge had Perry been interested.

I started laughing out loud when I saw the news that Neal Schon discovered the newest front man of Journey on YouTube covering Journey tunes with his karaoke band. Talk about sinking to a new low. Where did Neal see the footage? In his cabin on a cruise ship scouting new singers in cocktail lounges and 3rd rate Vegas-style shows? What a joke.

Schon says Pineda doesn’t sound synthetic and doesn’t emulate anyone. He goes on to say that the band feels reborn. Journey has become a total embarrassment. The band knows they mean nothing now, but they needed a new vocalist so they could continue their endless touring. You can’t blame the guys for wanting to make a living. But when you hear an advertisement for a Journey concert, Steve Perry’s voice comes booming through the speakers and frankly, I have always felt this is false advertising because once the ticket holder shows up at the venue for the show, Steve Perry will not be on that stage.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a huge Journey fan, but the quintessential line-up did produce some strong and memorable music during the 80’s. First and foremost, I admire Steve Perry’s vocal abilities. He was a tremendous talent. He once fronted an immensely popular mainstream band – now his former band is a karaoke machine with a revolving door of second-rate vocalists. Why pay $50+ dollars to see a Journey show? Just log onto YouTube and you may very well see the next lead singer.