Journey cancel UK and Ireland tour amid legal wrangle
Written by worldOneFm on August 7, 2024
Journey have cancelled their UK and Ireland tour.
The ‘Any Way You Want It’ group were due to kick off the run on October 30 at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff, Wales, but they have told fans to apply for refunds from their point of purchase as they have been forced to pull the plug.
A statement read: “Due to circumstances beyond the band’s control, Journey’s UK and Ireland tour is unfortunately cancelled. “Refunds will be made from your point of purchase.”
The axed run comes after Jonathan Cain sued guitarist Neal Schon in their latest legal wrangle.
Documents were filed at a Delaware court on July 30, with the former seeking a third director of their jointly owned Freedom 2020 firm, in a bid to resolve alleged mishandling of finances.
The group has had several legal fallouts in recent years.
Last year, former member Steve Perry dropped his lawsuit against his ex-bandmates.
The musician – who was lead singer of the rock band from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998, and co-wrote many of their hits – filed a lawsuit against Cain and Schon in September 2022, regarding the trademarks of 20 of their biggest hits and their use of them on merchandise.
He accused the pair of “fraud on the trademark office”, and claimed they failed to ask for his consent to use the trademarks.
However, he later withdrew the case.
And Schon filed a cease and desist against Cain for performing at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago.
The lead guitarist was not impressed, to say the least when the keyboardist performed ‘Don’t Stop Believin” at the former President’s Florida resort, because Journey “is not, and should not be, political.”
Cain – whose wife Paula White-Cain was a spiritual advisor to Trump – was accused by his bandmate of “unauthorised affiliation of Journey” with Trump’s politics.
Schon claimed it had resulted in “irreparable harm” to the group’s brand and “earning potential”.
Cain hit back and accused his bandmate of lying.
He responded: “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming the song has been used at political rallies.”
Back in March 2020, Journey fired longtime bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith for an alleged “malicious and very ill-conceived” coup attempt to gain control of the band’s copyright from Cain and Schon.
Valory – who was also fired by the band in 1985 and replaced by Randy Jackson – and Smith later countersued.
