Journey's lead singer, Arnel Pineda, was devastated after critics panned his recent performance at Brazil's Rock in Rio festival.
Pineda, 57, had spotted a video circulating online showing him having problems with his in-ear monitors and struggling to get the right sound during a concert in Rio de Janeiro last week.
The vocalist, who has been with the band since 2007, was so upset about his performance and the criticism he received that he ran an online poll asking fans to vote for him to leave the rock band.
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Journey frontman Arnel Pineda gave fans the option to vote to remove him from the band. (Getty Images)
“No one in the world is more devastated by this than I am,” Pineda wrote on Facebook, “and it's amazing that this makes me forget the 1,000 right things I've done.”
“Mentally and emotionally, I've already suffered and I'm still suffering… but it's OK,” Pineda said.
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The “Don't Stop Believin'” singer offered fans the opportunity to give their opinion on the band's future plans following the upsetting performance.
“So here's the deal right now,” he wrote. “I'm giving you guys (especially those who hated me from the start and never liked me) a chance to text GO or STAY right now.”
Pineda added, “Once GO hits 1 million… I'll retire for good… do you guys agree?”
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He thanked “all my fans and friends” who believed in him “from day one.”
During the concert, Pineda's earpiece malfunctioned, affecting his voice. (Getty Images)
Journey guitarist Neal Schon, who discovered Pineda on YouTube a few years ago, urged his bandmates to shun the haters.
“Arnelle, don't listen to these blogs,” he wrote online. “They're all bought up. You're awesome!”
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Steve Perry, known as “The Voice,” left the band in the late '90s after the band rose to popularity with hits like “Faithful,” “Open Arms” and “Wheel in the Sky.”
Original rock band Journey's Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Ross Valory and Steve Smith (from left). (Roger Ressmeyer)
After Perry left the band in 1998, the band recruited Steve Augeri to replace him. When Augeri left the band in 2006 due to vocal problems, lead guitarist Neal Schon discovered Filipino club singer Pineda while scrolling through YouTube videos.
Pineda flew from Manila to the United States to join the band in 2007.
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