Neal Schon is responding to Journey bandmate Jonathan Cain’s latest accusations of overspending, both in court and online.
Cain filed suit as Journey continues a stadium tour with Def Leppard, Steve Miller and Cheap Trick. He wants to restructure the company that manages their touring operation to address financial disagreements between Schon and Cain, who are the business entity’s only board members.
Cain is asking for the court to appoint a neutral party to break tie votes. Otherwise, he indicates that the band may soon be confronted with a financial day of reckoning.
“Petitioner’s allegations that the company faces imminent irreparable harm from a purported inability of the company to meet its financial obligations has no basis in fact,” Schon attorney Jack Yoskowitz told judge J. Travis Laster during a Wednesday hearing in chancery court in Delaware. A more complete written response was expected on Monday.
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Cain’s suit alleges that Schon is spending “up to $10,000” a night while on tour. He says Schon has also run up bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for private jets, while using the company credit card for personal matters.
These unexpected expenses are reportedly creating intense budget pressure. In some cases, lawyers say Journey has been unable to meet its obligations to members of the crew and production company.
“Our client denies that there’s been any mismanagement,” Yoskowitz said, adding that any band dysfunction was created by Cain. He specifically referenced public allegations that may harm the group.
Now, Journey’s fall 2024 dates in the U.K. and Ireland have been abruptly canceled. It’s unclear what role, if any, was played by background financial issues or this new legal wrangling.
Responding to fan questions about spending as much as $10,000 a night while on tour, Schon replied on X: “BS and what do you care? I pay for it.” He also described the cancellation of the band’s U.K. and Ireland dates as “very unfortunate.”
‘The Damage Is Taking Place on Tour’
Schon and Cain hold 50 percent shares in Freedom 2020, the Journey tour management subsidiary, but Schon serves as president. During Wednesday’s hearing, Cain attorney Sidney Liebesman said Schon believes that “he can do whatever he wants” in that role.
As a result, the band has become “dysfunctional,” Liebesman argued. “It is in crisis. The damage is taking place during the tour.”
Beyond the financials, there have also reportedly been petty disagreements between Cain and Schon about issues like whether Cain should play rhythm guitar during performances of Journey’s 1978 radio favorite “Wheel in the Sky.”
That’s created a “toxic internal environment” out on the road, Cain’s lawyers allege. “Rather than focusing on the band’s performances during a major international tour, the band’s business manager, lead vocalist and crew members now find themselves caught in the middle of the directors’ disputes, afraid of performing their job responsibilities, and pressured to align with one director or another.”
In the meantime, “the band has lost multiple members of its crew.”
Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available now at all major bookseller websites.
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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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