Journey’s farewell tour has taken an unexpected turn, and now fans are wondering whether the band’s Final Frontier really could mark the end of Arnel Pineda’s time as its frontman.
Pineda has sparked speculation about his future with Journey after the band invited longtime Journey tribute vocalist Hugo Valenti to perform with them during two Japanese shows. Following Valenti’s second appearance, Pineda left a cryptic comment on social media suggesting he may be ready to “step back.”
Nothing has been officially confirmed about Pineda leaving the band, but his choice of words has certainly given Journey fans something to talk about.
Journey Brings a Tribute Vocalist Onstage in Japan
The surprise began during Journey’s August 29 show at the Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan.
Instead of Pineda handling the lead vocal on “Faithfully,” the band brought out Valenti, a New Jersey-based singer who spent years fronting Journey tribute projects.
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain introduced Valenti as a friend visiting Japan and invited him to sing the 1983 classic for the crowd. “I wrote this next song in 1982 about the road life we live, how it takes people dedicated, people who are loyal, like you Journey fans out there. Thank you for coming tonight.”
Cain continued, “We got a special treat for you tonight. We have a dear friend that’s coming all the way from New Jersey to visit Japan, and I thought we’d have him sing a song for you tonight. So give it up for our friend Hugo Valenti.”
It was unusual, but not completely unprecedented for Journey. The band has been sharing some vocal duties during the current tour, with drummer Deen Castronovo and keyboardist Jason Derlatka also taking lead vocals on selected songs.
“Now I Can Step Back”
After photos from the Tokyo performance were shared on Instagram, Pineda responded with a message that sounded considerably more significant than a simple compliment.
“that’s the band right there,” Pineda wrote, before adding, “now i can step back…congratulations @journeyofficial.”
The singer added fire emojis but offered no further explanation.
Pineda’s comment could simply have been an enthusiastic acknowledgment of Valenti’s performance. Journey has a long history of rotating vocalists within its live shows, and Pineda has stepped away from the stage during concerts before.
Still, “now I can step back” is difficult to ignore when it comes from the band’s longtime frontman during a farewell tour.
Pineda Has Previously Talked About Leaving Journey
The speculation also has some history behind it.
Pineda has previously spoken about wanting to retire from Journey, telling Rolling Stone that he had attempted to leave the band because of personal problems. He ultimately remained with the group.
The singer joined Journey in 2007 after Neal Schon discovered him through videos of Pineda performing Journey songs with his Filipino cover band. He has now spent nearly two decades fronting one of America’s most recognizable rock bands.
AloJapan.com