Journey singer Arnel Pineda admits he tried to pull out of the band’s recently-launched farewell tour.
During a conversation with Rolling Stone, Pineda revealed he attempted to back out of the trek on multiple occasions. The singer cited two key reasons for wanting to step away: struggles with his voice, and a difficult divorce which included allegations of domestic abuse.
“Back in 2024, I said to [the band], ‘If you’re planning to do a farewell tour, you better tell me, because my issues and my personal problems are getting more intense, and I don’t know if I want to go with you,’” Pineda explained. “I said, ‘I want you to discuss the schedule with me.’ It is what it is now…. But then, I was really not happy with how they scheduled this tour. My body has changed. I can’t take the cold weather anymore.”
Pineda has struggled with vocal issues in recent years, which can be exacerbated by cold temperatures. He tried to plead his case to his bandmates, emailing to express how unhappy he was with the tour schedule that was announced. For reasons still unknown, nobody responded. Likewise, when he soon tried to quit Journey, Pineda’s correspondence went unanswered.
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“As they say, silence can be louder than explaining,” the frontman remarked. “I said to them I wanted to retire because of my personal problems. No answer. Obviously, they don’t want to find another singer.”
Is Arnel Pineda Participating in Journey’s Farewell Tour?
Despite his objections, Pineda is indeed fronting Journey during the band’s farewell tour. In his conversation with Rolling Stone, the singer admitted that much of his hesitancy was a byproduct of his divorce.
“My personal problem really took a toll on me,” he explained. “That’s why I wanted to prioritize my family. It’s not that I hate touring with [Journey]. It’s like the same thing that happened with Steve Perry. He has a hip problem. Me, I have a personal problem that’s taking a toll on me. It’s getting in my head, emotionally. I told them that I was a wreck and needed a little more time so that I could fix my family. But I still have to do this.”
Journey’s farewell tour kicked off in March and is expected to run into 2027.
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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
