Arnel Pineda on ‘Rock in Rio’ backlash: ‘Good has won’

Photo from Arnel Pineda/Facebook

A video of Filipino frontman of the American rock band Journey, Arnel Pineda, has surfaced showing him struggling vocally during the band’s performance of their global hit song, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

The clip quickly drew a storm of negative comments, prompting Pineda to address the wave of criticism on social media following his recent performance at the “Rock in Rio” music festival.

The video, which shows Pineda apparently having difficulty with his ear monitors, has sparked widespread conversation online. Critics were quick to comment on his performance, but Pineda did not shy away from responding. 

Taking to Facebook, he acknowledged the situation, expressing his personal disappointment in the outcome of the show. In a surprising move, he invited fans to weigh in on his future with the band, asking them to comment “Stay” or “Go” on his post. He pledged to step down if the votes for “Go” reached one million. 

However, the response has been overwhelmingly supportive, with more than 9,000 reactions in favor of Pineda remaining in the band. In a most recent post, Pineda stated that “good has won.”

In the message, he expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from fans. He stated, “I know the band’s not perfect right now and in turmoil, but it is not going through some bad stuff these days anyway.”

Pineda also reflected on the nature of criticism and the importance of kindness in the face of negativity. 

“I read most of your comments for my post. Thank you so much. It’s overwhelmingly humbling. I didn’t do it for some selfish reason, not to feed me with such [a] gratifying feeling, more of a spiritual journey for me and my profound curiosity and what’s winning in his world these days,” he added.

On the flip side, Journey founder Noel Schon also spoke on social media in support of Pineda. He alleged that the younger band Avenged Sevenfold was behind the issues during their performance, labeling the negative comments about Pineda as “absolute garbage” and questioning the claims of a poor experience at the concert.

“All this absolute garbage fabricated bulls— about [Arnel]. Does this look like nobody had a good time? I’m asking you. All fabricated, owned and bought blogs, bulls—,” Schon wrote. “Arnel don’t listen to these blogs. They are all bought. You’ve kicked ass!”

Avenged Sevenfold controlled the sound output during the show, according to Schon.

“We found out much later that we got extremely limited by Avenged Sevenfold,” Schon wrote on Facebook. “That means that hardly any sound can get out of the PA to the audience. It’s a bulls— move.”

“Check out the audience,” he added. “They loved it. The rest of it’s fabricated crap.”