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It is well known that the mood at Journey between Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain is anything but good. The two seem more like arch enemies than bandmates and argued with each other in court during an ongoing tour. Now there was once again a strange escalation.
Neal Schon announced on October 9, 2025 on X that keyboardist Jonathan Cain had “announced his departure from Journey”. The guitarist continued: “I’m not done yet! Journey has so much life ahead of it – we’re going to have a great tour!”
Jonathan Cain: Not getting out, already rowing back
Just hours later, Cain contradicted himself – and stated through a spokesman that he was by no means leaving the band. “Jonathan Cain remains an active member of Journey,” said a statement. “Any reports claiming otherwise are false. He is fully committed to touring for the next few years and has simply stated that he would like to retire at some point.”
Neal Schon then rowed back. When a fan asked whether his colleague would play on the upcoming tour, he replied: “Jon is playing. He just says he wants to stop at the end of 2026 or 2027. We’re going to have great years.” The abrupt exchange of blows fits seamlessly into the long list of public tensions between the two musicians.
Journey: Schon and Cain sued each other
Schon and Cain had already sued each other several times between 2022 and 2024 – including over financial disputes. Cain accused Schon of using the band’s shared American Express card for expensive hotels and private security services, while Schon in turn accused him of making business decisions without consultation. After months of litigation, an agreement was finally reached on a neutral third person to mediate – but the atmosphere remained poisonous.
So now the next act: Cain, who has also been active as a Christian musician for years, recently released the song “No One Else”, a tribute to the murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk. According to Schon, the keyboardist wants to devote more time to his “ministry” in the future – a statement that Cain never confirmed publicly.