Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain have been publicly at odds in recent years, with both sides filing lawsuits against each other and being very vocal about their differing political beliefs.
But the pair are heading back out on the road in July for the Summer Stadium Tour with Def Leppard, and in an interview with journalist Lyndsey Parker, Schon reveals they’ve put their differences aside for the music.
“We just decided that the music is the music,” he says. “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,” he shares. “It’s all right for us to have separate beliefs on everything.”
He adds, “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.”
When it comes to politics, Schon says he’s “not a fan” of Journey songs being used by candidates, noting he doesn’t think music and politics “go hand-in-hand.”
“I think we should remain neutral and let everybody enjoy what they want to enjoy, and I think it’s nobody’s business,” he says. “I think that music is the greatest communicator of the world and that it shouldn’t have a label on it to be one way or another.”
Journey’s Summer Stadium Tour with Def Leppard kicks off July 6 in St. Louis. A complete list of dates can be found at journeymusic.com.
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