Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry will be present to be inducted alongside his old band the 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony in Brooklyn, New York on April 7, according to keyboardist Jonathan Cain. Perry, who hasn't performed with JOURNEY in three decades, last December issued a short statement saying that he was "truly grateful" that JOURNEY was being inducted into the Rock Hall but gave no hint as to whether or not he would be willing to reunite for any kind of a performance with his former bandmates at the event. "The ceremony is the first time we're going to get to see Steve Perry in a long time, so that'll be fun," Cain told Dayton Daily News in a new interview. "As far as we know he's just going to accept the award and then skedaddle. That's all I know, unless something changes. Arnel is going to represent very well, like he always does." Cain is referring to Arnel Pineda, the Filipino singer found via YouTube who has filled the JOURNEY lead vocal slot vacated by Perry for the last decade. "It's amazing because Arnel has been consistently on the road for ten years now," Cain said. "I don't think any singer in the band has stayed on the road as long as Arnel has. When we think back to the Steve Perry days, he wasn't in the band for ten years straight, faithfully being the road singer. "Steve left and did his solo thing and years went on when we weren't playing anywhere," Cain continued. "We weren't doing anything." The 32nd annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where it will be held for the third time. An edited version will later air on HBO and there will be a radio broadcast on SiriusXM. Artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single. JOURNEY's founding guitarist Neal Schon told Ultimate Classic Rock in December that he would be up for performing with Perry at the Rock Hall. "Musically speaking, I'd love to have him do a song with us — or two, or whatever," he said. "I'm open to everything. I'm very open-minded to whatever happens, and any ideas that are brought forth." Perry last toured with JOURNEY following the release of 1986's "Raised On Radio". He briefly reunited with the group for the 1996 album "Trial By Fire", but left the band again two years later rather than be forced into hip-replacement surgery so that the band could tour behind the record. He's currently prepping his first solo album in over 20 years. In 2014, he made a couple of brief onstage appearances with the indie-rock band EELS. In addition to Schon, Perry and Cain, original JOURNEY members Ross Valory, Gregg Rolie and Aynsley Dunbar will be inducted, as well as current drummer Steve Smith, who's on his third run with the group. Pineda said last year that he hoped to finally meet Perry at the Rock Hall induction. "I'm longing to at least shake his hand," Arnel said. "I haven't had the chance for the past nine years." Pineda also said that he didn't have a problem with the fact that he wouldn't be honored along with his JOURNEY bandmates. "It's only for the originals. I'm okay with that," he said.
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