Somebody give me a lighter. Journey, the ultimate stadium-rock band, has just taken the stage. Oh, the guitar solos…the nostalgia. But these days, there’s a different face mixed in with the aging Frisco white guys. It’s the boyishly cute mug of Arnel Pineda, recently emigrated from the Philippines, who’s now the lead singer of the band. His story’s something of a rock-and-roll fairy tale.

Journey topped the charts in the early eighties, but hits like “Any Way You Want It” and “Faithfully” still get impressive airplay twenty-five years later. If you can’t remember their heyday, you must remember “Don’t Stop Believin’” from the Sopranos finale. Rock fans get very attached to their lead singers, and original Journey frontman Steve Perry is no exception. He left the band first in 1987, and briefly rejoined in 1995, but health problems forced him to quit. The remaining band members, now middle-aged and desperate to keep rocking, went through several replacements over a decade before ending up where all the desperate go—YouTube.

According to a writeup by Alex Pappademas in GQ, original band member Neal Schon combed YouTube for live videos of male vocalists, looking for a raw, undoctored sound and stage presence. A cover band from the Phillipines, the Zoo, had posted a few videos. Their front man, Arnel Pineda, imitated Steve Perry’s vocal timbre with chilling precision. “The hair stood up on my arms,” Schon says. “I got up off the computer and told my girlfriend, ‘No way—this guy sounds too good. I don’t believe it.’ ”

Pineda had been singing in bands since his teens, covering many other acts in addition to Journey. Audiences in the Manila and Hong Kong nightclubs he played had an insatiable appetite for U.S. chart-toppers.

Lead singer Arnel Pineda and guitarist Neal Schon

When Schon contacted Pineda, the Filipino had to be convinced it wasn’t a joke. “Who in their right mind would believe they would call someone like me, in the Philippines? This is Journey. They are superstars in the music business.”

A phone call later, Pineda was on his way to the U.S. for the audition. He’s still a little in awe of it all. His mother died when he was 13, and he grew up on the streets. Journey was one of the bands he idolized growing up. Performing with them on their current world tour is mind-blowing.

Pineda’s performing skill and personal magnetism are drawing old Journey fans back and winning new ones in their teens and twenties. It’s not unusual to see parents and kids together at a Journey show. People of Filipino descent around the world are enormously excited about Pineda’s hard-earned success. And by and large, the hard-core Journey fan base has accepted Pineda with “Open Arms” (pun fully intended).

A few blow-hards die-hards will always insist that Steve Perry is the only man good enough to sing Journey’s songs. And when a famous all-white band accepts an Asian member, racism can show its ugly face. “When there were rumors about me joining Journey, there was a lot of that,” Pineda said. “One of the worst things I read on a fan message board said that Journey is an all-American band and it should stay like that. But I don’t care. I just say, ‘Hey, grow up.’ ” “We’ve become a world band,” says Johnathan Cain, keyboardist for the band. “We’re international now. We’re not about one color. I kind of like the whole idea of having a singer like him.”

The chemistry between the good-natured Pineda and the rest of the band was evident rom their first recording session—proof that mutual respect, cemented by the love of music, can transcend racial and cultural barriers.

Stories like this make me believe that dreams can come true. Yes, even that dream—the one about a world that sees beyond color.

Let’s wish Arnel a happy 41^st birthday on Sept. 5.

Here’s a link to Arnel’s official fan site. Interestingly enough, it was created by his brother: http://arnelpineda.ning.com

You can still catch Arnel in action. Here’s a link to Journey’s site, including tour dates: http://journeymusic.com

Here’s a link to a YouTube video of Arnel Pineda singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Journey in Chile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUkksIV8dC8
Additonal source material from “Journey’s Fresh Voice to Lead Band in Beach Show,” Paul Liberatore, HamptonRoads.com, August 12, 2008.

Tags: arnel pineda, Journey, music, Philippines, Pinoy, rock