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DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ : EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY – The Review
Arnel Pineda’s life of poverty and struggle was forever turned upside down after being discovered on Youtube by they iconic rock band Journey. DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ : EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY narrates through Pineda’s personal tale of struggle, and his transformation into the lead singer of a world renowned band.
Arnel Pineda might be the fourth leading man for the classic rock band Journey, but he certainly has an interesting tale that makes him stand out from the pack. The band was faced with the challenge of finding a new front man to replace iconic vocalist Steve Perry, who left the band for both personal and health reasons in 1998. Steve Augeri took the reigns from 1998 until 2006, when the band dropped him due to chronic throat problems. Jeff Scott Soto filled in for the remainder of the tour, but they band still needed to find a permanent singer.
That’s when lead guitarist Neal Schon took to the Youtube, scouring through hundreds of Journey cover bands in search of someone who fit the bill. At the 11th hour, he stumbled upon a video of Pineda singing ‘Faithfully’, and alerted the bands manager. Within three weeks they had flown Pineda to the U.S. to audition for the band.
For those of you expecting to see a ton of information on Steve Perry, this isn’t the film for you. They do not focus on him leaving the band, nor is he interviewed for the film. This is the story of Arnel Pineda, and the bands drive to continue its legacy.
The thing that’s interesting about the film is that it follows the band, and Pineda’s growth as a front man throughout the Revelation Tour in the Unites States. It shows him learning, and becoming a full member of the band. The film briefly brings up the controversy of Pineda not being from America, showing a fan spouting that they think the new lead singer should be a U.S. citizen, but it doesn’t focus on it. I would have liked to have heard more opinions from the crowd, especially before and after seeing Pineda for the first time. Still, the film comes full circle when they travel back to Manila, Philippines and play for 25,000 people.
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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