Former Journey lead singer Steve Perry had stopped his live singing days for almost two decades. However the singer shocked everyone by performing onstage for the first time in eighteen years at an Eels show in 2014. The show was a big social media moment, not only for Perry, but also for Journey fans who hadn’t seen the singer live in years.
A fan took to Twitter to tweet a link to Arnel Pineda, then lead singer of Journey, of the video of Perry’s performance of classic Journey tracks like ‘Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ and ‘Open Arms’. Pineda replied:
“He [Steve Perry] should come back. His voice is still there. [I] missed that voice.”
Another fan tweeted:
“It will be cool if [Steve would] come to one of your shows and just come up and sing with you guys. That will definitely be epic.”
To which Arnel wrote:
“He can take over too. It’s his righteous place anyway. [I] want to see them happy together.”
Even though Arnel wouldn’t have minded if Steve did decide to reunite with the band, the former Journey singer had other plans. Steve didn’t even want to perform with the Journey members at the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inauguration ceremony. The singer gave an acceptance speech where he showed his appreciation for his former bandmates and then vocalist Pineda.
Cut to 2019, Perry finally decided to reveal to Classic Rock why he didn’t want to return to his former role within the band. Steve explained:
“I think the band is doing really well. Arnel [Pineda] is a great singer. And I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I love my new music, even if I’m sad that it took what it took – that my heart had to be broken to be complete. And after I swore I’d never do this again, I really believe in what I’m doing with this new record.”
Although fans would have loved it if Perry revisited his past and got back together with Journey once again, the singer shared that he was more curious about his new path and the unknown.
You can read Arnel Pineda’s 2014 conversation with fans on Twitter here.
