Arnel Pineda is asking for privacy and hinting at a new chapter after Journey's Stagecoach Festival set was cancelled when organisers evacuated the Indio, California, site because of extreme winds. The singer posted a cryptic message on social media after the show was called off.
Pineda joined Journey in 2007 and has spent the last 18 and a half years as the band's frontman. In his message, he called the role one of the greatest opportunities of his life, while also saying he had tried to leave the band twice ahead of the current farewell tour.
He wrote that as scared as he was from the start, he had done what was asked of him on behalf of the band's legacy. He said there had been mishaps, stumblings, shameful moments, gigantic self-doubt and imperfections before, as he put it, 18 and a half years passed. He added that the story would go on for now and asked for respect for his privacy as he navigates a new chapter in his life that is still, in his words, kind of scary because it is unknown.
Journey is on its Final Frontier Tour, billed as a farewell run, and the next leg is scheduled to begin May 15 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. Pineda's post did not spell out what comes next, but it did make clear that he sees the ground shifting under him after nearly two decades with the band.
For now, the answer to the question his message raised is plain enough: he is not closing the door, but he is preparing for a life he says he does not yet fully know. As he put it, he will keep chasing.
