Jon Cain Not Let Into FTLOSM Show

[Deb]

Comparing Mr. Big to Journey is like comparing Estelle Getty to Kirsten Dunst!

Mr. Big sucks. Come on already. They can't fill up a gas station, let alone a theater.

You can both.....



I'll be saving that quote thanks, for when they do. Show hasn't even been announced yet.

[Saint John]

I have an even better question.

Why wasn't JSS let in to a Journey show in Europe after he flat out saved their asses and as well as their careers?

Did he buy a ticket? I could see why they may not have let him in, though. He was always leaking information and word on the street was that he was going to sue them. I wouldn't have let him in either. That's just smart business.


PS He didn't save shit. He completed a tour and did an admirable job on such short notice. They could have gotten countless other guys to do it, but most of them were working. He's a great pinch hitter. The Richie Hebner of music.

[Saint John]

With it supposedly being Neal's band, what did he say about all of this and the firing of Smith, his pal Valory and his like a dad, Herbie?

These were Steve Perry ultimatums and by not going along, there would have been no Journey. Schon and Cain were fucked either way. They either went along with the guy "that never felt like a part of the band" (but was able to fire 3 people, neuter the band's sound and change artwork and album titles) or they didn't, and there was no Journey. Right or wrong, Neal chose the path that allowed him to work. That's what he cares about most. Unlike someone else, he loves what he does.

[steveo777]

I'm wondering if Lora and/or Cyndy can shed some light on this. Jonathan Cain mentioned that he went to a FTLOSM show and wasn't let in. Is this true? If so, can you shed some light for all of us? Who didn't let him in? Was Jon too cheap to buy a ticket? Is this where "Fear The Beard" came from?

I have always found this to be a fascinating story, especially since they reunited shortly afterward. I'd just like to know what really happened that night. Lora? Cyndy? Nostrildamus?

I have an even better question.

Why wasn't JSS let in to a Journey show in Europe after he flat out saved their asses and as well as their careers?

JSS RULES!!!!!

I don't get it.

[journeyrock]

With it supposedly being Neal's band, what did he say about all of this and the firing of Smith, his pal Valory and his like a dad, Herbie?

These were Steve Perry ultimatums and by not going along, there would have been no Journey. Schon and Cain were fucked either way. They either went along with the guy "that never felt like a part of the band" (but was able to fire 3 people, neuter the band's sound and change artwork and album titles) or they didn't, and there was no Journey. Right or wrong, Neal chose the path that allowed him to continue to pay alimony to multiple wives. That's what he cares about most. Unlike someone else, he loves what he does and hasn't learned a damn thing about marriage..

There you go, SJ, I fixed it for you.

P.S. And there still is no "Journey".

[Saint John]

With it supposedly being Neal's band, what did he say about all of this and the firing of Smith, his pal Valory and his like a dad, Herbie?

These were Steve Perry ultimatums and by not going along, there would have been no Journey. Schon and Cain were fucked either way. They either went along with the guy "that never felt like a part of the band" (but was able to fire 3 people, neuter the band's sound and change artwork and album titles) or they didn't, and there was no Journey. Right or wrong, Neal chose the path that allowed him to continue to pay alimony to multiple wives. That's what he cares about most. Unlike someone else, he loves what he does and hasn't learned a damn thing about marriage..

There you go, SJ, I fixed it for you.

P.S. And there still is no "Journey".

I love the way the Perry fans diss Schon about his ex-wives. I could come back and talk about someone's inability to have children inside of wedlock ... but I won't. Neal seems to have a thriving relationship with his children and, by all accounts, his ex-wives. I was personally able to catch his mother at a show supporting Mliles and his band. Seems like a really strong family. And that's not too mention that Jon and Neal had their kids on stage jamming some Journey songs a while back. Neal seems to have his affairs in order. No pun intended.

PS Journey will be hitting the road for 2 years, on the heels of their double platinum CD and #1 DVD.

[journeyrock]

With it supposedly being Neal's band, what did he say about all of this and the firing of Smith, his pal Valory and his like a dad, Herbie?

These were Steve Perry ultimatums and by not going along, there would have been no Journey. Schon and Cain were fucked either way. They either went along with the guy "that never felt like a part of the band" (but was able to fire 3 people, neuter the band's sound and change artwork and album titles) or they didn't, and there was no Journey. Right or wrong, Neal chose the path that allowed him to continue to pay alimony to multiple wives. That's what he cares about most. Unlike someone else, he loves what he does and hasn't learned a damn thing about marriage..

There you go, SJ, I fixed it for you.

P.S. And there still is no "Journey".

I love the way the Perry fans diss Schon about his ex-wives. I could come back and talk about someone's inability to have children inside of wedlock ... but I won't. Neal seems to have a thriving relationship with his children and, by all accounts, his ex-wives. I was personally able to catch his mother at a show supporting Mliles and his band. Seems like a really strong family. And that's not too mention that Jon and Neal had their kids on stage jamming some Journey songs a while back. Neal seems to have his affairs in order. No pun intended.

PS Journey will be hitting the road for 2 years, on the heels of their double platinum CD and #1 DVD.

Key word there, and it's "SEEMS: We can observe and go on and on about family lives of these guys and everything else. The truth is, the picture almost NEVER tells the true story. So to say for any of them, that they do or do NOT have a good family life or strong family is simply speculation. Perry had his daughter and family at the game with him too. So it "seems" like he has a strong tie with his family as well. He chose not to have a classroom of children and that's ok too. At least he doesn't pay alimony to 24 ex wives. And he doesn't have to tour to support himself.

[JustMyStyle]

With it supposedly being Neal's band, what did he say about all of this and the firing of Smith, his pal Valory and his like a dad, Herbie?

These were Steve Perry ultimatums and by not going along, there would have been no Journey. Schon and Cain were fucked either way. They either went along with the guy "that never felt like a part of the band" (but was able to fire 3 people, neuter the band's sound and change artwork and album titles) or they didn't, and there was no Journey. Right or wrong, Neal chose the path that allowed him to continue to pay alimony to multiple wives. That's what he cares about most. Unlike someone else, he loves what he does and hasn't learned a damn thing about marriage..

There you go, SJ, I fixed it for you.

P.S. And there still is no "Journey".

I love the way the Perry fans diss Schon about his ex-wives. I could come back and talk about someone's inability to have children inside of wedlock ... but I won't. Neal seems to have a thriving relationship with his children and, by all accounts, his ex-wives. I was personally able to catch his mother at a show supporting Mliles and his band. Seems like a really strong family. And that's not too mention that Jon and Neal had their kids on stage jamming some Journey songs a while back. Neal seems to have his affairs in order. No pun intended.

PS Journey will be hitting the road for 2 years, on the heels of their double platinum CD and #1 DVD.

Key word there, and it's "SEEMS: We can observe and go on and on about family lives of these guys and everything else. The truth is, the picture almost NEVER tells the true story. So to say for any of them, that they do or do NOT have a good family life or strong family is simply speculation. Perry had his daughter and family at the game with him too. So it "seems" like he has a strong tie with his family as well. He chose not to have a classroom of children and that's ok too. At least he doesn't pay alimony to 24 ex wives. And he doesn't have to tour to support himself.

I think thats prime example of what S.J loves......

[Saint John]

At least he doesn't pay alimony to 24 ex wives.

The dude has enough bread to support 24 more. He's making a killing out on the road. I love the way you gloss over the fact that he wants to be out on the road. He's a musician. He's been on the road since he was 14 and he loves what he does. You know, he could be a tortured, solitary soul, wishing he still had "it." The kind of guy that starts projects, but never finishes them, wants to perform but can't and has a hard time looking back without getting "emotional." But he's not. He's a guy that does still have "it."

And he doesn't have to tour to support himself.

Nor could he.

[journeyrock]

At least he doesn't pay alimony to 24 ex wives.

The dude has enough bread to support 24 more. He's making a killing out on the road. I love the way you gloss over the fact that he wants to be out on the road. He's a musician. He's been on the road since he was 14 and he loves what he does. You know, he could be a tortured, solitary soul, wishing he still had "it." The kind of guy that starts projects, but never finishes them, wants to perform but can't and has a hard time looking back without getting "emotional." But he's not. He's a guy that does still have "it."

And he doesn't have to tour to support himself.

Nor could he.

And it's the only thing Neal CAN do. He certainly isn't a speaker nor does he seem to have any common sense. So as I've said before, it's a good thing he's good at what he does because if he wasn't he'd be in big big trouble.
I don't know who you are calling a tortured soul, but if Steve wanted to tour, I'm sure he could. Either way, we don't know for sure yay or nay. From all accounts of people who have heard the tortured soul, he still has "it".

[Saint John]

Nor could he.

And it's the only thing Neal CAN do. He certainly isn't a speaker nor does he seem to have any common sense. So as I've said before, it's a good thing he's good at what he does because if he wasn't he'd be in big big trouble. [/quote]

Probably a fair amount of truth in there. Neal's a road dog, man. He lives to play and plays to live.

I don't know who you are calling a tortured soul, but if Steve wanted to tour, I'm sure he could. Either way, we don't know for sure yay or nay. From all accounts of people who have heard the tortured soul, he still has "it".

He's all but admitted he can't. He spoke of some "medical issues" in an interview a few years back. He said he was practicing scales, he's written, he's recorded and, yet ... nothing. My guess is because releasing anything would spark the demand for live performances and he simply can't do it. TBF told me he was all done. There's nothing on that album in the form of his old incredible singing. A few nice moments here and there, but not much when you're used to "The Voice." And he knew/knows that.

[journeyrock]

Nor could he.

And it's the only thing Neal CAN do. He certainly isn't a speaker nor does he seem to have any common sense. So as I've said before, it's a good thing he's good at what he does because if he wasn't he'd be in big big trouble.

Probably a fair amount of truth in there. Neal's a road dog, man. He lives to play and plays to live.

I don't know who you are calling a tortured soul, but if Steve wanted to tour, I'm sure he could. Either way, we don't know for sure yay or nay. From all accounts of people who have heard the tortured soul, he still has "it".

He's all but admitted he can't. He spoke of some "medical issues" in an interview a few years back. He said he was practicing scales, he's written, he's recorded and, yet ... nothing. My guess is because releasing anything would spark the demand for live performances and he simply can't do it. TBF told me he was all done. There's nothing on that album in the form of his old incredible singing. A few nice moments here and there, but not much when you're used to "The Voice." And he knew/knows that.[/quote]Granted, the 1980 range is not there, but you know there is such as thing as surgery as has been discussed before that other singers have done it. How do you know he hasn't gone THAT route?
There could be OTHER reasons why he doesn't want to tour. It doesn't HAVE to be because of voice issues. And there are a lot of things in the body that could be referred to as "medical issues". Why does everyone ssume it is always his cords.
Sorry, don't know what happened here with the quoting. It's all jacked up.

[Deb]

He's all but admitted he can't. He spoke of some "medical issues" in an interview a few years back. He said he was practicing scales, he's written, he's recorded and, yet ... nothing. My guess is because releasing anything would spark the demand for live performances and he simply can't do it. TBF told me he was all done. There's nothing on that album in the form of his old incredible singing. A few nice moments here and there, but not much when you're used to "The Voice." And he knew/knows that.

BS, if you're speaking of only range, maybe. But he still had at least 95% of his unique vocal deliverability on TBF. IMO that makes up most of an "incredible voice". Sorry, but to me range is pretty much irrelevant. I'll take the more raw soulful rasp of ROR, Frontiers, and TBF vocally......well over the first couple albums. Although his angellic vocals mixed with Greg's on the early stuff is par excellence!

[journeyrock]

He's all but admitted he can't. He spoke of some "medical issues" in an interview a few years back. He said he was practicing scales, he's written, he's recorded and, yet ... nothing. My guess is because releasing anything would spark the demand for live performances and he simply can't do it. TBF told me he was all done. There's nothing on that album in the form of his old incredible singing. A few nice moments here and there, but not much when you're used to "The Voice." And he knew/knows that.

BS, if you're speaking of only range, maybe. But he still had at least 95% of his unique vocal deliverability on TBF. IMO that makes up most of an "incredible voice". Sorry, but to me range is pretty much irrelevant. I'll take the more raw soulful rasp of ROR, Frontiers, and TBF vocally......well over the first couple albums. Although his angellic vocals mixed with Greg's on the early stuff is par excellence!

+1 Deb, that's the other side of the coin.

[Saint John]

He's all but admitted he can't. He spoke of some "medical issues" in an interview a few years back. He said he was practicing scales, he's written, he's recorded and, yet ... nothing. My guess is because releasing anything would spark the demand for live performances and he simply can't do it. TBF told me he was all done. There's nothing on that album in the form of his old incredible singing. A few nice moments here and there, but not much when you're used to "The Voice." And he knew/knows that.

BS, if you're speaking of only range, maybe. But he still had at least 95% of his unique vocal deliverability on TBF. IMO that makes up most of an "incredible voice". Sorry, but to me range is pretty much irrelevant. I'll take the more raw soulful rasp of ROR, Frontiers, and TBF vocally......well over the first couple albums. Although his angellic vocals mixed with Greg's on the early stuff is par excellence!

You can't quite lump Frontiers, ROR and TBF in together. The degrees of vocal degradation are pretty great. Frontiers and ROR showcased a still incredible voice (much more so on Frontiers). TBF had almost none of the power and resonance that the prior 2 Journey albums did.

I consider Escape and Frontiers the pinnacle of his voice, with a slight preference to Frontiers. ROR showcased a dip in that vocal capacity, and his speeding through a lot of the older material while performing live is documented proof of that. We've had more than one accomplished musician in here point out that speeding up songs is an industry "trick" to stay in key. Regardless, ROR was still pretty solid, but TBF was a real shitfest. There was no power at all and a real weak hollow sound to his voice. He was able to still churn out a decent ballad, but the days of power and hard-driving emotive resonance on rockers was completely gone. Just listen to Separate Ways and then listen to Message Of Love. Or even Be Good To Yourself and Message Of Love. There's no comparison. And no amount of "unique vocal deliverability" can make up for voice that's "toast."

[Lora]

I'm wondering if Lora and/or Cyndy can shed some light on this. Jonathan Cain mentioned that he went to a FTLOSM show and wasn't let in. Is this true?

Cyndy and I were working that show hosting a S.P.I.N. fan club travel package. Everyone (crew, Steve, band, venue staff) were really busy before the show as we had something like a 50 person meet & greet and each person on the package got an individual photo with Steve.

I remember that show was emotional for me as it was the first one I saw on the FTLOSM tour. I was really blown away to be seeing Steve in such an intimate venue. Sorry but I don't recall what (if anything) happened regarding Jonathan.

[Saint John]

I'm wondering if Lora and/or Cyndy can shed some light on this. Jonathan Cain mentioned that he went to a FTLOSM show and wasn't let in. Is this true?

Cyndy and I were working that show hosting a S.P.I.N. fan club travel package. Everyone (crew, Steve, band, venue staff) were really busy before the show as we had something like a 50 person meet & greet and each person on the package got an individual photo with Steve.

I remember that show was emotional for me as it was the first one I saw on the FTLOSM tour. I was really blown away to be seeing Steve in such an intimate venue. Sorry but I don't recall what (if anything) happened regarding Jonathan.

Thanks for the response. For what it's worth, I've heard a few stories regarding the fan club access offered back then, and all of the feedback was extremely positive. I saw 3 shows on that tour, but never did the fan club package. I was on a college budget back then. I know it breaks your heart that you missed the chance to meet me even earlier in life.

[*Laura]

I saw 3 shows on that tour

3?? Loon.

[Memorex]

I'm wondering if Lora and/or Cyndy can shed some light on this. Jonathan Cain mentioned that he went to a FTLOSM show and wasn't let in. Is this true?

Cyndy and I were working that show hosting a S.P.I.N. fan club travel package. Everyone (crew, Steve, band, venue staff) were really busy before the show as we had something like a 50 person meet & greet and each person on the package got an individual photo with Steve.

I remember that show was emotional for me as it was the first one I saw on the FTLOSM tour. I was really blown away to be seeing Steve in such an intimate venue. Sorry but I don't recall what (if anything) happened regarding Jonathan.

I got to see and hug you at that show. One of my fonder memories. We were both so excited to see what that show would be. Very cool.

[Lora]

I'm wondering if Lora and/or Cyndy can shed some light on this. Jonathan Cain mentioned that he went to a FTLOSM show and wasn't let in. Is this true?

Cyndy and I were working that show hosting a S.P.I.N. fan club travel package. Everyone (crew, Steve, band, venue staff) were really busy before the show as we had something like a 50 person meet & greet and each person on the package got an individual photo with Steve.

I remember that show was emotional for me as it was the first one I saw on the FTLOSM tour. I was really blown away to be seeing Steve in such an intimate venue. Sorry but I don't recall what (if anything) happened regarding Jonathan.

Thanks for the response. For what it's worth, I've heard a few stories regarding the fan club access offered back then, and all of the feedback was extremely positive. I saw 3 shows on that tour, but never did the fan club package.

S.P.I.N. was a great fan club. Steve made himself very accessible to us. I was so heartbroken that I wasn't able to see opening night of the tour. We had a bunch of clients back then and I was (still am) the one who set up the fan club tickets for each of our clients, so it was very difficult for me to be out of the office. We had several Aerosmith Travel Packages going on at that time and CP and I were out hosting those packages. I think I only saw 4 shows during the whole FTLOSM tour.

[Memorex]

I'm wondering if Lora and/or Cyndy can shed some light on this. Jonathan Cain mentioned that he went to a FTLOSM show and wasn't let in. Is this true?

Cyndy and I were working that show hosting a S.P.I.N. fan club travel package. Everyone (crew, Steve, band, venue staff) were really busy before the show as we had something like a 50 person meet & greet and each person on the package got an individual photo with Steve.

I remember that show was emotional for me as it was the first one I saw on the FTLOSM tour. I was really blown away to be seeing Steve in such an intimate venue. Sorry but I don't recall what (if anything) happened regarding Jonathan.

Thanks for the response. For what it's worth, I've heard a few stories regarding the fan club access offered back then, and all of the feedback was extremely positive. I saw 3 shows on that tour, but never did the fan club package.

S.P.I.N. was a great fan club. Steve made himself very accessible to us. I was so heartbroken that I wasn't able to see opening night of the tour. We had a bunch of clients back then and I was (still am) the one who set up the fan club tickets for each of our clients, so it was very difficult for me to be out of the office. We had several Aerosmith Travel Packages going on at that time and CP and I were out hosting those packages. I think I only saw 4 shows during the whole FTLOSM tour.

I got to see that warm up show he did for KLOS before the tour (thanks to a special friend) and I was paranoid about traffic so I ended up there a couple hours early. They let me watch the sound check and I think it changed me as a human being. It was out of this world and I will never forget that. Some of it was better than the show even. The crew was just as floored.

[Lora]

I got to see that warm up show he did for KLOS before the tour (thanks to a special friend) and I was paranoid about traffic so I ended up there a couple hours early. They let me watch the sound check and I think it changed me as a human being. It was out of this world and I will never forget that. Some of it was better than the show even. The crew was just as floored.

I remember that. I was at an Aerosmith show pouting that day while you were watching Steve. NOT FAIR! hee hee

[Don]

He's all but admitted he can't. He spoke of some "medical issues" in an interview a few years back. He said he was practicing scales, he's written, he's recorded and, yet ... nothing. My guess is because releasing anything would spark the demand for live performances and he simply can't do it. TBF told me he was all done. There's nothing on that album in the form of his old incredible singing. A few nice moments here and there, but not much when you're used to "The Voice." And he knew/knows that.

BS, if you're speaking of only range, maybe. But he still had at least 95% of his unique vocal deliverability on TBF. IMO that makes up most of an "incredible voice". Sorry, but to me range is pretty much irrelevant. I'll take the more raw soulful rasp of ROR, Frontiers, and TBF vocally......well over the first couple albums. Although his angellic vocals mixed with Greg's on the early stuff is par excellence!

You can't quite lump Frontiers, ROR and TBF in together. The degrees of vocal degradation are pretty great. Frontiers and ROR showcased a still incredible voice (much more so on Frontiers). TBF had almost none of the power and resonance that the prior 2 Journey albums did.

I consider Escape and Frontiers the pinnacle of his voice, with a slight preference to Frontiers. ROR showcased a dip in that vocal capacity, and his speeding through a lot of the older material while performing live is documented proof of that. We've had more than one accomplished musician in here point out that speeding up songs is an industry "trick" to stay in key. Regardless, ROR was still pretty solid, but TBF was a real shitfest. There was no power at all and a real weak hollow sound to his voice. He was able to still churn out a decent ballad, but the days of power and hard-driving emotive resonance on rockers was completely gone. Just listen to Separate Ways and then listen to Message Of Love. Or even Be Good To Yourself and Message Of Love. There's no comparison. And no amount of "unique vocal deliverability" can make up for voice that's "toast."

For me, it would be Escape and Captured. I think what makes Captured a great album is the vocal change as Steve wasn't continuously singing close to falsetto but more of a fuller sound than before. It, along with the faster tempo brought a new vibrancy to the material from the first three albums that seemed lacking in the studio recordings.

[Saint John]

For me, it would be Escape and Captured. I think what makes Captured a great album is the vocal change as Steve wasn't continuously singing close to falsetto but more of a fuller sound than before. It, along with the faster tempo brought a new vibrancy to the material from the first three albums that seemed lacking in the studio recordings.

I've always maintained that his voice, changes and all, from 1980 to 1984, is unparalleled in music history. From The Party's Over to Mother Father to After The Fall, Separate Ways and Faithfully, nobody had a better, more incredible ability to sing into your heart, than that motherfucker.

[DrFU]

Clearly, Jonathan should have purchased a S.P.I.N package ...

[Rockindeano]

For me, it would be Escape and Captured. I think what makes Captured a great album is the vocal change as Steve wasn't continuously singing close to falsetto but more of a fuller sound than before. It, along with the faster tempo brought a new vibrancy to the material from the first three albums that seemed lacking in the studio recordings.

I've always maintained that his voice, changes and all, from 1980 to 1984, is unparalleled in music history. From The Party's Over to Mother Father to After The Fall, Separate Ways and Faithfully, nobody had a better, more incredible ability to sing into your heart, than that motherfucker.

You're a diehard fan, I'll give you that.

On the other hand, you need to listen to more singers than just Steve Perry. Ever heard of Elvis Presley? He is the best singer ever, dude.

[Saint John]

For me, it would be Escape and Captured. I think what makes Captured a great album is the vocal change as Steve wasn't continuously singing close to falsetto but more of a fuller sound than before. It, along with the faster tempo brought a new vibrancy to the material from the first three albums that seemed lacking in the studio recordings.

I've always maintained that his voice, changes and all, from 1980 to 1984, is unparalleled in music history. From The Party's Over to Mother Father to After The Fall, Separate Ways and Faithfully, nobody had a better, more incredible ability to sing into your heart, than that motherfucker.

You're a diehard fan, I'll give you that.

On the other hand, you need to listen to more singers than just Steve Perry. Ever heard of Elvis Presley? He is the best singer ever, dude.

Perry could sing circles around Elvis. Perry had more octaves, more range, more power and perfect pitch. Elvis couldn't sniff a song like Mother Father.

[Rockindeano]

For me, it would be Escape and Captured. I think what makes Captured a great album is the vocal change as Steve wasn't continuously singing close to falsetto but more of a fuller sound than before. It, along with the faster tempo brought a new vibrancy to the material from the first three albums that seemed lacking in the studio recordings.

I've always maintained that his voice, changes and all, from 1980 to 1984, is unparalleled in music history. From The Party's Over to Mother Father to After The Fall, Separate Ways and Faithfully, nobody had a better, more incredible ability to sing into your heart, than that motherfucker.

You're a diehard fan, I'll give you that.

On the other hand, you need to listen to more singers than just Steve Perry. Ever heard of Elvis Presley? He is the best singer ever, dude.

Perry could sing circles around Elvis. Perry had more octaves, more range, more power and perfect pitch. Elvis couldn't sniff a song like Mother Father.

Wow. You're off the deep end dude. No talking to you. Anything or anyone relating to Journey is the best ever, right? I mean seriously, you did call them the greatest band ever. That's a bit of a stretch.

Oh by the way, did you ever hear Perry sing Jailhouse Rock? If you did, you would retract your statement. He sounded pretty bad on that song.

[Saint John]

Anything or anyone relating to Journey is the best ever, right?

I think there's about a 4 year window where they were the best ever. Sorry, I know you consider the Soto-led incarnation to be better and the quote is there to prove it. But I've gone off the deep end???

Oh by the way, did you ever hear Perry sing Jailhouse Rock? If you did, you would retract your statement. He sounded pretty bad on that song.

I have never stated that he was as good on this tour (ROR) as 1980-1984. His voice had degraded considerably from its height. It took all he had to sing the songs in their proper key and these were sings he sang just a few years prior with the greatest of ease.

[Author2]

With it supposedly being Neal's band, what did he say about all of this and the firing of Smith, his pal Valory and his like a dad, Herbie?

These were Steve Perry ultimatums and by not going along, there would have been no Journey. Schon and Cain were fucked either way. They either went along with the guy "that never felt like a part of the band" (but was able to fire 3 people, neuter the band's sound and change artwork and album titles) or they didn't, and there was no Journey. Right or wrong, Neal chose the path that allowed him to work. That's what he cares about most. Unlike someone else, he loves what he does.

Like Perry's strength and humility. You paint Schon and Cain as wimps, blame your shortcomings on others, so I guess this is true..

"Schon and Cain, Journey's head cheerleaders and Perry seems to be the grounding force." (1997)

Cain should have called in advance and given Perry chance to hang-up on him.