MANILA, Philippines?Journey founding member and lead guitarist Neal Schon said his band wouldn?t be enjoying a successful comeback were it not for a video-sharing website and a talented Filipino singer.

In a press conference held Monday to promote the forthcoming Journey concert on March 14 at the SM Mall of Asia open-air grounds, Schon discussed the importance of having Arnel Pineda in the band.

?If I didn?t get to hear about Arnel on YouTube, we wouldn?t have gotten this far,? Schon said, referring to Journey?s hot-selling new double album, ?Revelation,? and its recent seven-month tour around the United States and Europe. The tour?s Asian leg, aside from including Manila, has three dates in Japan, one in China and three in Hawaii.

The press con, held in the middle of an activity area at The Block in SM City North Edsa, had a number of onlookers throwing questions to the band.

Was there ever a time, asked a lady, when Journey felt disappointed with Pineda?s performance and wanted to send him back home to the Philippines?

?Not even once,? replied Journey drummer Deen Castronovo.

?Arnel is a clinch-hitter,? added keyboardist Jonathan Cain, explaining that if they were a baseball team, Pineda would be the one scoring decisive points that would ensure victory.

Journey was close to being a dinosaur band, with nothing new to offer?until Pineda joined.

Aside from rerecording 11 of its biggest hits with Pineda on vocals, Journey made things interesting when Schon and Cain wrote 12 new songs for its latest album.

Five of these new materials will reportedly be played live in the Manila concert.

Is Journey?s music, though appreciated by a middle-aged audience, also relevant to young people?

Yes, Valory believes, because he sees kids in the front rows during their concerts.

Though Pineda is himself not so young at 41, his comments at the press con resounded with youthful vigor: ?This is the best job in the world and as long as my band mates will let me rock with them, I will keep singing with Journey.