Journey has cancelled its 2020 tour with Pretenders, which had been scheduled to begin May 15. The big outing, with more than 60 dates through mid-September, had been announced last Oct. 31. The band announced the news today (May 4). Refund info is below.
Their complete statement: The global COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions regarding large gatherings regretfully make it impossible for Journey to tour this year. After carefully reviewing all options, the decision has been made to cancel the entire tour to make it possible for the band’s legion of hardworking fans to immediately obtain access to refund options during these unforeseen and extremely challenging times.
Journey’s founding member and guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and vocalist Arnel Pineda issued a joint statement today: “There is no greater thrill for us than playing for our incredibly devoted audience, but their safety must come first. Having seen what the world has endured during the last 45 days, and not knowing what the rest of this year or 2021 will bring, we knew the right thing to do was to make sure our fans’ health was not put in jeopardy and to provide immediate access to refund options given the unexpected events caused by this terrible virus. We would like to thank all doctors, nurses, police, other first responders and essential workers for their heroic efforts; as well as our fans for doing everything possible to stay safe. We would also like to send The Pretenders our best wishes and hope to see them in the future. We will see everyone again as soon as it is safe to tour, and we will share that news as it becomes available. In the meantime, please Don’t Stop Believin’ in the wonder of life and in each other.”
Related: Pretenders’ new studio album arrives July 17
Journey’s tour partners at Live Nation will ensure ticket holders will be emailed directly with their refund options including a full refund, or you can request a 150% credit + Live Nation will donate the number of tickets you originally purchased to healthcare workers on the front lines. For more details, visit livenation.com/refund.
Related: Journey announced the firing of two longtime members this year
Journey is one of the most popular American rock bands of all time, creating some of the best-known songs in modern music. Since the group’s formation in 1973, the band has earned 19 top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums and has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Their Greatest Hits album is certified 15 times-Platinum, bringing Journey into the elite club of Diamond-certified award holders. The band continues to tour and record into the 21st century, performing concerts for millions of fans worldwide, and received the prestigious Billboard “Legends of Live” touring award. 2018’s massive co-headlining tour with Def Leppard was the band’s most successful tour to date, landing them in the Top 10 year-end touring chart with more than 1 million tickets sold. In 2017, Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In March 2019, Journey released a live DVD/CD set from their concert at the Budokan in Tokyo, featuring the first-ever performances of the band’s “Escape” and “Frontiers” albums in their entireties. Journey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, and is the subject of the award-winning documentary, “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey.”
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