Pineda’s rise to Journey frontman is a must-see

Arnel Pineda’s rise from cover band singer in the Philippines to Journey frontman is an all-time "just when you thought you’d seen everything" story.

The unlikely story of how Pineda gave the band new life a decade after the departure of the iconic voice of Steve Perry is well known, but Ramona Diaz’s "Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey" offers the kinds of details that make it worth a watch.

The documentary is full of lump-in-your-throat moments, like seeing Pineda meet his rock idols for the first time when he travels to San Francisco for his audition in 2008. (How little did he like his chances of "making the band"? He brought along albums for the members to autograph.)

When he makes his debut in front of 18,000 fans in Chile, just try to fight off the chicken skin. Even bassist Ross Valory admits to "goosebumps" the first time he heard Pineda sing.

Diaz is also there for nice moments such as Pineda’s meeting with Jason Scheff — who replaced Peter Cetera in Chicago — backstage at a Los Angeles show. Pineda immediately reverts to rock fan mode, breaking into one of the Chicago hits Scheff sang lead on.

The ultimate triumph, of course, is when Pineda takes the band back to his native Manila, where the members are hosted at the presidential palace by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The scene is made even more poignant by its juxtaposition with a scene in which Pineda shows his bandmates the park where he used to sleep as a homeless teen.

Diaz also shows us the nerves Pineda battled as he suddenly was thrust before audiences 100 times the size he was used to, the self-doubt he had even after touring with the band and the vitriol thrown his way by Perry fans on the Internet, who dismissed him as a "Filipino karaoke singer" and worse.

For all the drama that comes with Pineda’s story, the film also works as an exhibit of life on the road for a veteran rock band. The members of Journey have long since left their hard-partying days behind them. They know that to put on a good show night in and night out, they have to take care of themselves. These are craftsmen, after all.

We see some of the regimen Pineda goes through before each show to keep his throat strong. We see band member Jonathan Cain working as Pineda’s voice coach. We get to watch Cain and guitarist Neal Schon work on the 2011 song "City of Hope."

"Don’t Stop Believin’" is a must-watch for Journey fans, but there’s enough behind-the-scenes insight to delight all fans of rock.