Journey fans can stop believing.
After Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain said earlier this week that former frontman Steve Perry was “thinking about” making an appearance on the band’s farewell tour, Perry shot down the speculation about his involvement as “simply not true.”
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“To all my friends — I’ve been hearing these recent rumors, and I wanted to speak to you all directly,” he began a note on social media Thursday. “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,” he continued. “But I’m continuing to explore new creative work and really enjoy working on new music that reflects where I am today.”
Perry concluded, “Thank you for your continued support throughout the years. Your loyalty has never gone unnoticed, and I am forever humbly grateful.”
Cain sparked hope among Journey fans during a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, hinting that Perry’s participation in the tour was a major possibility.
“[Guitarist Neal Schon] already asked” Perry, Cain said in the interview, “and he says [Perry is] thinking about it.”
“I hope he comes out. It’s never too late,” Cain continued. “We’ve got 100 shows, so he’s welcome at any one of them… He didn’t say no — leave it at that.”
Perry first stepped away from Journey in 1987 due to burnout and the grief resulting from the death of his mother, leading to the band’s hiatus. In September 2025, Perry told AXS TV of his exit, “It was a combination of the passion for music had left me. I could not find the honest passion for singing,” adding that “certainly drugs and drinking were a part of it,” as it “came with the times.”
“The feeling just got very clear to me that I need to just stop,” he continued. “I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I was going. All I knew is that I can’t keep doing what I’m doing.”
Journey’s 60-city farewell tour kicks off next weekend in Hershey, Penn., with further dates expected to be announced soon.
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