In a much-publicized interview published this week, Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain said that former frontman Steve Perry was “thinking about” coming out to the band’s farewell tour to perform with his one-time comrades.
Perry’s quick response to that: Please, stop believing.
The singer has not had any inclination to reunite with Journey since he left the group for the second and final time in 1998, not even for a one-off. But that hasn’t stopped fans from hoping some kind of rejoining of forces was possible. And Cain and guitarist Neal Schon appear to have remained among the cockeyed optimists.
In the interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Cain addressed the possibility of Perry making a surprise appearance at a show on tour, putting it into the realm of strong possibility.
“Neal already asked” Perry, Cain told the reporter, “and he says (Perry’s) thinking about it. I hope he comes out. It’s never too late. We’ve got 100 shows, so he’s welcome at any one of them… He didn’t say no — leave it at that.”
Now, he’s said no.
In a social post Thursday, Perry wrote, “To all my friends — I’ve been hearing these recent rumors, and I wanted to speak to you all directly. While I’m always grateful for the love people still have for Journey, the rumors about me rejoining the band are simply not true, and I want to gently put them to rest. I completely understand why people would hope for that. The music we created together means a great deal to me too. But I’m continuing to explore new creative work and really enjoy working on new music that reflects where I am today.
“Thank you for your continued support throughout the years. Your loyalty has never gone unnoticed, and I am forever humbly grateful,” Perry continued.
Arnel Pineda has sung for the band since 2007, to consider acclaim from millions of fans. Some wondered if there was trouble in the camp, after Pineda wrote a n Instagram post addressed to current drummer drummer Deen Castronovo last month, telling him to “have fun on your 2026 farewell tour,” using the word “your” and not “our.” Whether it was a cryptic message or just a typo, Schon dismissed that in the Ultimate Classic Rock interview and said Pineda was “fine.”
There was a spate of confusion last fall when Schon tweeted, “Jonathan Cain announced his farewell to Journey tonight. I’m nowhere near done! Journey has so much more life ahead! I’m sure we will have a great tour! … He wants to do his ministry.” Schon subsequently clarified things by tweeting, “Jon is playing. He’s saying at the end of 26-27 he will move on. We will have a great couple of years.”
The first part of a farewell tour was then announced, with 60 initial dates through July 2026, with more dates expected to follow next year.
Cain and Schon have often been at odds in court in recent years, but the keyboard player downplayed that in the latest interview. “Over the years we go in different directions and we have different priorities,” he said. “I know what my priorities are. I know Neal’s very ambitious, and he has his priorities. I respect everybody’s thing. And when we come together as Journey it’s a force. That’s one thing we’ve always been able to do, is really deliver the music.”
Cain is married to Paula White, a minister who is a spiritual advisor to President Trump, and he plans to put out a six-song solo EP of Christian music on Feb. 27.
Source: variety.com
