Steve Perry debunks rumors of rejoining Journey

Steve Perry has denied rumors that he will rejoin rock group Journey for their upcoming farewell tour.

Perry, 77, joined the San Francisco-based band in 1977 and was their singer during their most successful era, performing on hits including 1981’s “Don't Stop Believin’.”

Journey went on hiatus in 1987 following the death of Perry’s mother, but reunited with him for their 1996 album Trial By Fire. However, after Perry learned he had a degenerative bone condition he decided against touring the record and was replaced by singer Steve Augeri in 1998. Augeri was himself replaced by Filipino cover band singer Arnel Pineda in 2007, who is now the band’s longest-serving frontman and is expected to lead the farewell tour.

In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock earlier this week, Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain said that Perry had been invited to join the tour as well and was “thinking about it.”

“I hope he comes out,” continued Cain. “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."

However, Perry wrote in a statement posted to X: “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. Sincerely, Steve Perry.”

Journey have said they’ll be calling it quits after their farewell tour this year. The “Final Frontier Tour” will say goodbye to fans in 60 cities in North America and Canada, from February 28 to July 2, in the first leg of the tour.

Along with Pineda and Cain, the band’s current lineup also includes guitarist Neil Schon, drummer Deen Castronovo, bassist Todd Jensen, and keyboard player Jason Derlatka.

Cain and Schon have been publicly at odds for years. Last year, Schon announced that Cain was leaving the band after a series of legal disputes between the two bandmates. However, he later clarified that Cain would stick with the band until the end of the tour.