Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, rock artist Danny Vaughn defend Arnel Pineda after gig backlash
Filipino singer Arnel Pineda received support from his fellow Journey member, drummer Deen Castronovo, and rock artist Danny Vaughn after facing backlash over his lackluster performance in Rio de Janeiro.
In an Instagram post on Sept. 24, Castronovo said Pineda has risen to the challenge of Journey's catalog "night after night, year after tiring year."
"He gives to YOU ALL and Journey, the best that he can give you," the drummer pointed out.
Castronovo noted that Pineda, out of a handful of shows in 17 years, "has faced the facts" regarding the voice being a "biological instrument, subject to weather, fatigue, virus, bacteria, jet lag" and other factors.
"Sometimes it does not, cannot, or will not cooperate when needed. So, what’s the point of hammering a human being over something they have no control over??" he said.
Castronovo called out the trolls "who can armchair sing and trash the few that do what [Pineda] does every night."
"They do not have that luxury; they must bring it each and every night," he said, "or face you and your overinflated opinions! If you can do better – then, do it!!"
Castronovo said he knows "very few who can pull off what Arnel does without ego and with passion and grace."
He asked trolls to "back off," noting they're messing with "my family now and I am a rabid protector of my own!!!"
While everyone and anyone in America can voice their opinion, Castronovo asked whether that opinion is kind, true, and necessary.
"To the people who get it, thank you, we appreciate you!" he added. "To the inept… prove it and walk it or shut it!"
Keyboardist and guitarist Jonathan Cain also previously showed his support for Pineda on Instagram, saying, "You're not going anywhere! Love you and grateful for you."
Another rock singer weighs in
Rock artist Danny Vaughn, in a Facebook post, said he watched a video of Pineda's performance as he pointed out that the latter was wearing ear monitors and was out in the crowd.
"There is a certain possibility for latency in the sound that can affect pitch in your head," Vaughn said. "Other than that, yes, it sounds like he had a bad night."
Still, he said he's going to say, "Are you kidding me?" to those people who are calling for Pineda's head and demanding that he quit.
"Do any of these people do their job to 100% of their abilities every single day? Are any of them considered one of the best in the world at what they do?" he told the critics. "Because Arnel does and Arnel is."
Vaughn noted that Journey "has the most difficult back catalogue of songs to sing of any band in the world."
He also stressed that the band's guitarist and vocalist Neal Schon "is known for changing the set regularly and everyone has to be on their toes and be prepared to play hundreds of tunes."
"Sometimes they will play for 3 hours," Vaughn said, adding Journey has gone through several vocalists and some have had their voices injured "from trying to keep up with the impossible workload."
Though he can sing "a couple" of Journey songs, Vaughn said "not a chance" that he can do it for over two hours.
Vaughn also noted that people hating on Pineda may probably be because he's not white or because he's not Steve Perry, the former frontman of Journey.
Vaughn, though he never met Pineda, said his friends described the latter as an "extremely humble, kind, and grounded human being."
"So that means that no one is feeling worse about his recent performance than he is," he said, adding Pineda is a "complete pro."
"I know this because I have seen him sing live. And he was fantastic," Vaughn said.
He noted that Pineda "had a bad night" in Rio, "that's it."
"None of us would have a job at all if there was a chorus of losers calling us out at work for everything we don't get perfect," he said. "It pains me to see that Arnel has listened to the haters and even offered them a chance to have a say in his career."
"They may be Journey fans but they don't deserve that decision," he added.
Vaughn noted Pineda has been "dazzling audiences with his vocal range for 17 years now so none of us has the right to throw him under the bus."
He said he's sending out all his love, respect, and support to Pineda.
"We performers all have rough nights and we give ourselves a hard time for it but, eventually, we get over them," Vaughn continued. "Getting over the 'fan' abuse will be more difficult. People can be f**king cruel. Maybe we should stop, huh?"
'Severe vocal flaws'
In a Facebook post on Sept. 22, Pineda shared a link to a Sept. 21 video uploaded by Behind the Songs, a page with over 430,000 followers, which said in the caption, "Arnel Pineda showed severe vocal flaws in Journey's presentation at Rock in Rio Brazil last Sunday, September 15."
In the video, Pineda, though off-camera, can be heard struggling to reach the high notes of Don't Stop Believin'.
"I am very aware of this," he said. "[N]o one more than me in this world feels so devastated about this."
He then asked the public to comment "GO" or "STAY," and if "GO" reaches one million, he's stepping out of Journey for good.
Fans expressed support in the comments, and many of them asked him to stay.
Journey was formed in 1973 and had a series of lineup changes.
To date, band members consist of Pineda (who joined Journey in 2007), Schon, Cain, keyboard/vocalist Jason Derlatka, drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo, and bassist Todd Jensen. Schon is the last remaining original member.
Journey had its biggest commercial success between 1978 and 1987 when Steve Perry was its frontman.
Its other hits include Open Arms, Any Way You Want It, and Faithfully.