don't stop believing

Here's another story on Arnel Pineda, the new lead singer for Journey: Journey's Filipino Frontman Welcomed with Open Arms. His internet-powered rags-to-riches rock-and-roll story is now the stuff of legend—a 40-year-old cover band singer is plucked by the band from YouTube obscurity and thrust into stadium rock stardom. It's a Cinderella story that will make a believer out of anyone. Of course, there are some Journey fans out there who aren't cool with Arnel as the front man. These people obviously suck. From the article:

But not all of Journey's die-hard fans--and there are plenty--have embraced Pineda with open arms. When Siobhan Tobin started an Arnel Pineda fan site in December, the Florida-based web developer says angry Journey fans left death threats on her answering machine. The band's traditional fanbase is mostly white and American, and some are upset that Pineda is neither. "Journey is supposed to be an all-American band," one fan wrote in an online forum.

But there's still plenty of support. Heck, the guy is now practically a national hero in the Philippines. At Pineda's first U.S. performance with Journey in Las Vegas back in March, Filipino Americans apparently made up half the audience. I can't wait to see what happens when the Journey tour lands in the Philippines. Madness. Ultimately, I think Arnel's presence in the band will go a long way towards showing folks everywhere that Asians can indeed rock.