Jonathan Cain Says His Time With Journey May Not Be Over

The journey may not be over for Jonathan Cain -- and, by extension, for Journey.

The group's Final Frontier Tour, which is currently slated to wrap Nov. 28 in the band's home town of San Francisco (plus a make-up show next April 27 for the Stagecoach festival in Indio, Calif.), was designed as a farewell, with Cain specifically planning to bring his 46-year tenure to a close.

Earlier this year, in front of the tour's start, he told UCR that, "It just feels like a good time to get off the train. You've got to at some point say enough's enough."

But after more than five months of shows around North America, Cain -- writer and co-writer of most of Journey's biggest hits -- is singing a different tune.

"When I started the tour I was definitely gonna hang it up, and I still don't know what I want to do moving forward," he said via phone before a recent concert in Louisville. "I'm overwhelmed with the turnout on this tour. It's so strong. The fans have just been terrific. I've always looked at it like, well, you've got to know when it's time to walk away, but just judging from this turnout, maybe we think about it.

"Right now we're focusing on this tour. We've played everywhere we can play, and we've really been beating the bushes. I think it's time for a little bit of a rest, so we're gonna leave it here and see what happens."

What's Changing Cain's Mind?

Cain said he's been nothing but "overwhelmed" by both turnout for the tour and by the reaction when the band hits the stage for its evening-with performances. "It really has been a love affair, and I've just been humbled by it all," he noted. "On a Tuesday night we've got people sitting in the rafters. It makes you think, 'Wow, if it means that much to them to come see us, and in this day and age when so many tours are canceled you've got to go, 'Wow, we're grateful for everything Journey means to folks. You 'don't ever take that for granted. It makes you think twice about what you accomplished, and I think that's kind of a takeaway."

Cain has also been heartened by an improved relationship with founding Journey guitarist Neal Schon. The two have battled over the years, sometimes publicly via social media and even in court, but they are on friendly terms again thanks to the efforts of their respective wives.

"My wife (Paula Jones) and Neal's wife (Michaele) had this idea of possibly getting us started talking to each other again...and now we're friends, and talking," Cain reported. "We 90 percent agree on most things. There are certain things we don't, and we just decided to be transparent about what we want. It's a 45-year relationship. That's a lot; I've known Neal longer than any wife of mine. We have a lot of fond memories of great stuff we did together, so we've been sort of reminiscing a lot -- 'Remember when we did this…?, being MTV VJs and playing racquetball and stuff like that. There's a real legacy that we both built, and I didn't want the thing to end on a sour note."

The expanded concerts -- which have made room for material such as "Of a Lifetime," the opening track from Journey's self-titled 1975 debut album, other pre-Cain songs such as "Just the Same Way" and "Precious Time," "Dead or Alive" from Escape and "Edge of the Blade" from Frontiers -- has been pleasurable as well.

"It's been great playing the legacy music for the fans," Cain said, "not just 90 minutes of greatest hits and leaving. I know Neal's been enjoying playing some of the older songs, and the band's been very consistent."

Cain added that the bonhomie has even extended to frontman Arnel Pineda, who was an acknowledged reluctant camper prior to the current tour. “I can't speak for him," Cain said, "but I think he's having a good time -- probably more than he will admit. And he's certainly entertaining the crowd -- engaging, running around out there. I think he enjoys connecting with them."

The group is particularly looking forward to bringing the tour at "fitting" end in San Francisco, with Cain teasing "who knows who's gonna come," referencing former band members -- although he adds that "we haven't done any formal invitations. Whoever comes, comes. I think, in the end, if you're part of the thing, you just show up."

Look Into The Future

It should be noted that Cain has not made a firm decision about what's ahead for him with Journey, other than the Stagecoach appearance. "I want to take a year off and just live life for a little bit, 'cause the touring is brutal," he says. Schon, of course, has trademarked the name Journey Beyond but has not specified what it will be used for.

Cain also plans to be making new music of his own and continuing what's been an active Christian music career since 2016. He has a new holiday song, "Upon a Night Divine," coming during early December that he describes as "a rockin' song for Jesus about the Nativity.

"It's a song I'd written back in '23 and re-tooled in '25; there's a lot of energy that Christmas brings, and it just hit me that this is a joyous time and we should have something celebratory and upbeat, so there's a lot of drums and handclaps."

Cain is planning another full-length faith-based album for next year, and he has some secular songs he says "are sitting here, waiting" for an appropriate project. "I've been writing some interesting things lately," he says. "I'm constantly working; I never stop. I like my bus; I have my dogs, and my studio. I just enjoy the process, and I'm gonna stir it up. My job is to write what hasn't been written, so I'm gonna be a bit of a maverick -- which I've kind of always been."

The remaining dates on Journey's Final Frontier Tour include...

Nov 2 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Nov 4 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Nov 6 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza
Nov 7 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nov 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Nov 12 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
Nov 14 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Nov 16 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Nov 18 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Nov 20 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Nov 22 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Nov 24 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Nov 27 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
Nov 28 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
April 27 – Stagecoach Festival, Indio, Calif.