In a recent conversation with Lyndsey Parker, Neal Schon talked about how they kept Journey alive after his feud with Jonathan Cain.
The guitarist said they cared about music:
“We just decided that the music is the music. We worked really hard and diligently on keeping this thing alive all these years, and just not let the other stuff get in the way and kind of keep it separate.”
Schon said this attitude came from original Journey manager Herbie Herbert:
“It was actually a rule that way before Jonathan was in the band, that we would never have politics involved in our music or any one religion – because [Journey’s music] is for everyone. Anytime you [get political] and you segregate, you’re going to lose fans – and why would you want to do that? Just keep it open for everyone to be able to enjoy your music as music.”
What Did Happen Between Schon And Cain?
The issues between the two Journey members included Neal allegedly charging over $1 million to the band’s shared credit card and Schon asking Cain to stop playing events for former president Donald Trump. In November 2022, Schon accused Cain of mishandling the band’s finances and creating a shared AMEX card without his permission.
Cain responded with a countersuit, claiming Neal’s personal expenses, over $1 million, were draining the band’s funds and affecting their tour expenses. His lawyers said:
“Schon’s use of the shared AMEX card for personal expenses created serious liquidity problems for the band as the AMEX balance had to be paid every month, and there were insufficient revenues to pay for other expenses as Schon saddled Journey with over $1 million of his personal expenses.”
Still, after all these issues, Journey posted a photo of Schon and Cain together in February. The band wanted to inform everyone that the two had made peace. In the comment section, some fans found it sincere while others thought they came together for money.