Steve Perry. OG Journey vocalist. Not Filipino.

So, you might have heard the story about Journey’s sort of new Filipino vocalist, Arnel Pineda. No? Yeah, I guess I’ve also been mostly ignoring Journey since 1987. And while Cherrybomb’s ability to ignore Journey for almost 20 years isn’t that remarkable, the story of how Arnel Pineda became Journey’s vocalist is. Okay, that story is actually pretty boring too.

Journey guitarist Neil Schon found Pineda on Youtube. Performing Journey covers with his band The Zoo. Sigh…

Arnel Pineda. Discovered on Youtube. Not American Idol…?

Is it just Cherrybomb’s obsession with one of the greatest bands of the 80’s, or does Steve Perry not understand his importance in the world of rock and roll? I’m completely fucking baffled by Perry’s ability to resist his own greatness. I also miss his tight jeans and long 80’s hair, but that’s besides the point. In the world of vocalists that glom off of each other, Perry stands alone, inimitable, like Brad Delph and Freddie Mercury. Case and Perry point is Infinity from 1978, Perry’s first record with Journey. Infinity showcases Perry’s pristine vocals and the record officially put Journey on the road to multi-platinum success.

Steve Perry. Can Cherrybomb pretend to be Oh, Sherrie…?

And, while I was secretly hoping Pineda was a cheap rip off of Steve Perry (who turned 51 in January), he’s got Perry’s soaring, pretty pitch pretty down. Like in this clip from 2006 that features the 40 year old Pinela and his band The Zoo, performing “Faithfully.” The first note out of his mouth is all Perry. And while that’s all good, one indisputable fact remains: a Perry-less Journey is like a good looking chick with a dick. They might look good and sound good, but the happy ending is all wrong.

Robin Zander with Cheap Trick and his pretty Steve Perry hair…

Anyways, the Perry-less Journey, Heart and Cheap F*&$!g Trick hit the road for a herculan size summer tour starting on July 9th. The tour hits pretty much every 80’s nook and cranny that big hair can hide in. Including Seattle, on September 19th at White River. Not to be outdone, a Delph-less Boston hits the road with former Stryper vocalist Michael Sweet on June 6th.

Take that Nickelback…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 9:09 am and is filed under Boston, Bullshit, Cherrybombed, Culture, Kiss, Los Angeles, Mamie Van Doren, Mickey Rourke, Music, Musicology, New York, Nick Cave, Seattle, Sexy?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.