JOURNEY BAND DRAMA RAGES ON

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The drama surrounding Journey will stretch into 2023 with guitarist Neal Schon filing a cease-and-desist order against Jonathan Cain for performing the group’s music at a Donald Trump rally.

The pair, who share partnership of the band, are currently embroiled in a legal battle over group’s American Express account, which Schon claims he has been denied access to. Now, Variety reports, Schon is taking umbrage with Cain appearing last month at Mar-A-Lago and performing Journey’s signature tune, “Don’t Stop Believin’” with a “backing chorus” featuring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, conservative journalist and Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle, and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

A representative for Cain issued a statement saying, “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming that the song has been used at political rallies.”

As expected, Neal Schon took the bait, tweeting: “Now he’s claiming I keep losing in court? Inf***ingsane. Get off the Kool-Aid. Wow – lies after lies. I’ve won one case in court with Cain and the residing one has not been heard yet. . . Judge did not feel it was an emergency. Zero ruling.”

Schon went on to link to an old interview in which Jonathan Cain spoke out about how Journey was not a political band and how politics were best kept away from work.

Jonathan Cain released a formal statement, which reads: “Neal Schon should look in the mirror when he accuses me of causing harm to the Journey brand. I have watched him damage our brand for years and am a victim of both his — and his wife’s — bizarre behavior. Neal sued Live Nation twice, losing both times, and damaging our ability to ever work with them again; Neal outrageously tried to take away trademarks from Steve Perry; Neal and his wife continually insult the professionalism of numerous accountants, road managers, and management firms with endless legal threats and their bullying, toxic, and incoherent emails; Neal argues online with fans who don’t see eye to eye with him; and Neal and his wife recklessly spend Journey’s money until there is none left for operating costs. If anyone is destroying the Journey brand, it is Neal — and Neal alone.”

“Don’t Stop Believin’” was co-written by Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon, and former-Journey frontman Steve Perry and first appeared on the band’s 1981 blockbuster album, Escape.

Schon’s complaint against Cain reads in part:

Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political.

Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics. His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band (and is) harmful use of the brand.

Earlier this month, Journey released Live In Concert At Lollapalooza. The new live collection follows their Freedom studio set released last summer and features the band’s July 31st, 2021 performance at Chicago’s Lollapalooza.