Many fans and critics have been commending Arnel Pineda for having powerhouse vocals and being the leadman of Journey, but before he found his confidence on stage, he was having second thoughts about performing in his first concert with the legendary band; how did he overcome his fear?
15 years ago today, the Filipino singer's first international stage performance took place at the Festival Vina del Mar in Chile. At the time, he was recently discovered by Neal Schon online.
Minutes before taking the stage, Pineda was said to be doubting if he'll perform, having cold feet, and nervous over the thousands of concertgoers waiting for the band to play their classic hits.
In a previous interview while promoting "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey," the musician said he spoke to Schon minutes before their set, saying, "I can't do it. I'm not ready, I wanted out." (via KRFO Radio)
Prior to the big event, the frontman was confident that he was going to have a great performance. During rehearsals, he said he didn't feel nervous and was prepared because he had been practicing for two weeks.
However, when the evening of their show finally came, he found out that 18,000 people were attending the festival to see them perform live.
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Upon hearing the "thunderous applause" and cheer from the crowd, Pineda said he felt terrified and weak, adding, "The tips of my fingers were getting numb. My breathing became faint. Neal kept asking if I was OK."
He then asked his bandmate if he could go home because he couldn't do it. However, it was too late to back out as he heard the announcer introducing them to the crowd.
Pineda had no choice but to perform and fortunately, it was a success because aside from the 18,000 people watching them live in Chile, over 25 million people tuned in at the live telecast.
The vocalist's first performance was enough to win the hearts of his bandmates and millions of people from all over the world, marking a new era for Journey as they found a new frontman.
It appears that the musician doesn't feel any nervousness today whenever he goes up on stage as he already performed countless times with his bandmates.
In recent updates, Journey had already begun their "Freedom Tour 2023" on February 4. The band will be traveling to different cities across North America with Toto. Their next show would be at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
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