Journey is currently out on their Final Frontier Tour, which is scheduled through the end of November, and keyboardist Jonathan Cain says the band’s retirement is coming at the right time.
Describing the tour as “a grind,” Cain tells the Rock & Roll High School podcast, “I think the only reason I’m still out here is the fans, you know? It’s time for me to close the chapter. It’s a beautiful time to say goodbye, for me.”
Cain notes, “After playing the stadium tour with Def Leppard last year, I just felt like we’d done it. And we’re just repeating ourselves. The new albums don’t seem to move the needle. That’s why I’ve gotten into Christian music, because I can still sing a melody there and praise the Lord, and it still, you know, gets received.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Cain talks about Journey’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Former lead singer Steve Perry did join them onstage for the honor, but he didn’t sing with them, which Cain says he’s still surprised about.
“I was certain — I would have bet money he would’ve changed his mind and come and sang ‘Lights’ with us or something, but he didn’t, which was weird,” Cain says. “I would have bet money that he was gonna come to soundcheck the day before and show up. I kept looking in the wings and he never came.”
Cain also owns up to starting a rumor that Perry might pop up at some point during the farewell tour. “He got wind of it and immediately shot it down,” Cain said. “I always had said that he’s welcome on our stage any time. And he knows that that’s an open invitation. And he might still change his mind, we never know.”
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