Journey singer Arnel Pineda recently opened up on why he considered stepping away from the band ahead of its large-scale farewell touring plans. In comments drawn from a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Pineda said mounting personal issues and frustrations over scheduling left him questioning whether he could continue with the group’s touring demands.
Pineda recalled telling the band in 2024 that if a farewell tour was being planned, he needed to be kept in the loop because his personal problems were intensifying and he was unsure he wanted to continue, adding that he was unhappy with how the tour was scheduled and said he could no longer handle cold weather as his body has changed.
“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 said. “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.”
He also described feeling unheard after raising the possibility of retiring, saying there was no response when he explained he wanted to step back. Pineda suggested the silence reflected the band’s desire to keep him in place rather than seek a replacement, even as he tried to prioritise family matters and manage the emotional toll he said the situation was taking on him.
“As they say, silence can be louder than explaining. I said to them I wanted to retire because of my personal problems. No answer. Obviously, they don’t want to find another singer,” he continued.
“My personal problem really took a toll on me. 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,” Pineda said. “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.”
The remarks follow earlier public discussion around his future with the group, including when he teased quitting Journey amid questions about the band’s next steps.
Despite his doubts, Pineda ultimately stayed committed to the touring obligations. Reports cited in the piece describe Journey’s “Final Frontier Tour” as a major run across North America and Canada, with the band working under contracts that founding guitarist Neal Schon has referenced when addressing the tension around Pineda’s participation.
