Welcome to the ARNEL PINEDA International Fans Site

YouTube star hits big time

Concert review

By Chris Varias • Enquirer contributor • September 8, 2008

Cincinnati.Com

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080908/ENT03/309080010&

It was a very proud moment for persons of Filipino descent like me: President Bush recently told the president of the Philippines about his Filipino chef, saying, “I am reminded of the great talent of the – of our Philippine Americans when I eat dinner at the White House.”

As it turns out, our great talent does not end with cooking Bush’s food. At least one of us can sing like Steve Perry.

The unlikely star of the classic-rock triple bill at Riverbend was Arnel Pineda, a 41-year-old from the Philippines. Last year Pineda landed the lead-singer gig for Journey, after guitarist Neal Schon made a transpacific discovery of the vocalist through the magic of YouTube. Pineda and the band subsequently recorded a CD of new material, and they came to town Sunday night on a tour selling out everywhere.

Following solid opening sets from Cheap Trick and Heart, Journey quickly won over the capacity crowd, which overwhelmingly approved of Perry’s latest replacement.

Schon and the rest of Journey seem to want a lead singer willing to play the Perry role in every way, and Pineda is a complete sound-alike. Not only that, Pineda takes the hair as seriously as the voice.

Like Perry’s, his is long and black and straight and parted down the middle. He even frames his face with sideburns, Perry-style.

As for his performance, it was exuberant – maybe even a little over the top. He couldn’t stop jumping off risers, running across the stage, and smiling. But to his credit, the act seemed genuine, as if he believes he’s the luckiest guy in the building, because he’s the one who gets to sing “Separate Ways,” “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’,” “Only the Young,” “Ask the Lonely,” “Faithfully” and the rest of the hits making up the 90-minute set. He didn’t even mind singing a few new ones, although portions in the crowd used the opportunity to go get a drink.

Pineda didn’t address the crowd often. His syntax was a little funky the one time he did.

“We would like to do a song that sings about San Francisco,” he said when he introduced the classic Journey ballad “Lights.”

Still, you’d have to imagine Pineda’s English is 1,000 times better than Perry’s Tagalog.

With Pineda out in front, 2008 Journey sounded like 1980s Journey. The same can be said for Heart, whom the crowd seemed to enjoy just as much as the headliner.

Lead singer Ann Wilson, 58, has maintained her powerful voice, which is as well-suited for the band’s ballads like “Alone” as their rockers like “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You.” The best moment of Heart’s hour-long show was a version of “Love, Reign o’er Me” that soared like the Who’s original.

For pure rock ‘n’ roll fun, nobody on the bill could beat Cheap Trick. They had their one moment of cheesiness, a rendition of their 1988 comeback ballad “The Flame.”

Otherwise, it was up-tempo sing-along song after sing-along song from the finest rock band to emerge from the state of Illinois, including: a version of Big Star’s “In the Street”; “If You Want My Love”; “I Want You to Want Me”; “Surrender”; and “Dream Police.”