Neal's New Platform

[JourneyHard]

Neal mentions a new platform. I am NOT sure what this means. Is Neal going to start touring solo? Will he have special guests? Such as Gregg Rolie and Carlos Santana and who knows? Maybe he is trying to get Perry to join him away from Journey. Neal is cooking up something. Right now, it is a mystery.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Honestly, who cares? Whatever happens, it will quickly fizzle out like Sirkus.

[ebake02]

Perry will never happen in a million years and I doubt Gregg Rolie would do anything with him at this point either.

[Monker]

What is the context of this, exactly what did he say? "New platform" could mean a lot of things....a new guitar set up, a new website, a new set of shoes. What's the quote?

[Journey/Survivor]

What is the context of this, exactly what did he say? "New platform" could mean a lot of things....a new guitar set up, a new website, a new set of shoes. What's the quote?

My thought was that it's something related to a website.

[Journey/Survivor]

Honestly, who cares? Whatever happens, it will quickly fizzle out like Sirkus.

I agree. But if he did one album of a new project I'd be happy.

[ebake02]

Honestly, who cares? Whatever happens, it will quickly fizzle out like Sirkus.

I agree. But if he did one album of a new project I'd be happy.

My interest would depend on who Neal does that project with.

[JourneyHard]

Neal posted on his social media: "Will be opening a new platform friends. It's going to get interesting!"

I have no idea what this cryptic message means.

[Journey/Survivor]

Neal posted on his social media: "Will be opening a new platform friends. It's going to get interesting!"

I have no idea what this cryptic message means.

It's probably a social media thing, and he means that he's going to be trash talking the other members of the band on there.

Frankie Sullivan pulls the exact same type of crap on the internet where he bashes former members of Survivor. And as a result no-one pays any attention to what Frankie Sullivan says anymore.

Survivor and Journey fans aren't the childish immature morons that are into the whole gossip and bashing bullshit that fans of many other bands are. Particularly the whole Rap and current Pop music bands that are popular with younger people.

If these guys keep up with the TMZ style bullshit, we will all just tune them out.

Know your audience, Neal.

[Monker]

I agree. "It's going to get interesting!" sounds a bit ominous...meaning he is saying he is going to stir the soap opera pot until the courts force him to stop. I have to wonder if it is a site to sell/download his music as well as a blog type thing to rant about whatever his topic of the day is. It's very difficult to take anything Neal does seriously now. If he had said something like this back in the Augeri days, it would have been a big deal...now it is just kinda "meh" and feels all negative.

[ebake02]

I agree. "It's going to get interesting!" sounds a bit ominous...meaning he is saying he is going to stir the soap opera pot until the courts force him to stop. I have to wonder if it is a site to sell/download his music as well as a blog type thing to rant about whatever his topic of the day is. It's very difficult to take anything Neal does seriously now. If he had said something like this back in the Augeri days, it would have been a big deal...now it is just kinda "meh" and feels all negative.

I used to look forward to those cryptic hints from Neal, hoping it meant new music of some sort. Now I cringe wondering who he's going to attack or pick a fight with next.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I used to look forward to those cryptic hints from Neal, hoping it meant new music of some sort. Now I cringe wondering who he's going to attack or pick a fight with next.

Same.

[danielb]

Hopefully there will be some proper news to discuss soon rather than Neal's use of the word platform :)

[ebake02]

Hopefully there will be some proper news to discuss soon rather than Neal's use of the word platform :)

I hope so but I wouldn't bet on it based on Neal's track record recently.

[JourneyHard]

This shows how much Journey misses Herbie Herbert. When Herbie was manager of Journey, he was a strong manager who kept the ship going forward as a cohesive unit. Now, the band is being pulled in all sorts of different directions. Neal refuses to have a strong manager now, and that is hurting Journey. A strong manager would have planned something big for Journey's 50th Anniversary, but it has come and gone with absolutely no fanfare.

[The_Noble_Cause]

This shows how much Journey misses Herbie Herbert. When Herbie was manager of Journey, he was a strong manager who kept the ship going forward as a cohesive unit. Now, the band is being pulled in all sorts of different directions. Neal refuses to have a strong manager now, and that is hurting Journey. A strong manager would have planned something big for Journey's 50th Anniversary, but it has come and gone with absolutely no fanfare.

I think at this point, a lot of us wish Smitty and Ross's "coup" was actually successful. The band would probably be in a much better position all around.

I give Neal credit for giving us a new album and the Toto tour. Well played. Everything else has been complete absolute shit.

[Monker]

This shows how much Journey misses Herbie Herbert. When Herbie was manager of Journey, he was a strong manager who kept the ship going forward as a cohesive unit. Now, the band is being pulled in all sorts of different directions. Neal refuses to have a strong manager now, and that is hurting Journey. A strong manager would have planned something big for Journey's 50th Anniversary, but it has come and gone with absolutely no fanfare.

I think at this point, a lot of us wish Smitty and Ross's "coup" was actually successful. The band would probably be in a much better position all around.

I give Neal credit for giving us a new album and the Toto tour. Well played. Everything else has been complete absolute shit.

I doubt there was a "coup". I think it was Neal's paranoia and desire to control Journey. I think it is probably true that they were looking towards retirement...which they ALL probably should be. But, it is also true that Neal had been acting irrationally when it came to Journey, even back then. Even Herbie pointed it out. So, kicking Neal and Jon out of leadership in Nightmare makes sense from a business POV..and IMO probably had more support from Herbie than we know. Ross and Smith would continue to get money from Nightmare regardless of Neal Schon and Journey. The Trademark complaint towards JTT had merit, as we saw from the France JTT date. So, whispering to Neal that Ross and Steve Smith wanted to take over Journey is all it took to push Neal into firing them for nothing. In the end, it probably cost Journey more in attorney fees and court costs and the settlement than if they had just left it alone. In looking at the case back then, there was a box of documents that was not put into evidence that would have been if the case had not been settled. What was in that box was probably pretty damaging to one side or the other, or both, and forced the settlement. If we knew what that was, it would probably answer a lot of questions.

[ebake02]

I never truly believed that it was entirely a coup, it was more everyone else trying to save the brand from Neal and Jon running it into the ground with their bickering and bad decisions.

[Monker]

I never truly believed that it was entirely a coup, it was more everyone else trying to save the brand from Neal and Jon running it into the ground with their bickering and bad decisions.

It started with Nightmare's trademark complaint. At the same time, Neal and Jon were removed from their leadership positions in Nightmare. Nightmare holds the Journey trademark and licenses it to the LLC that Neal and Jonathan run for Journey business. So, I could see where Neal felt threatened and then reacted by kicking Smith/Valory out of the band...since they replaced Neal and Jon in their leadership positions in Nightmare. It was a "you did that, so I'll do this," sorta childish game. He would be better off if he just shut up and played guitar...and hire real management to deal with this crap.

IMO, Nightmare was simply protecting the Journey trademark that they own. They did NOT want a second version of "Journey" out there touring and releasing music. So, Nightmare reacted to JTT in Nightmare's best interest. I wish Herbie was still around to comment on this. I have a feeling he would roast Neal's words and actions.

[Loneman1]

He would be better off if he just shut up and played guitar...and hire real management to deal with this crap.

This can't be stressed enough. Its a big example of just because you can, doesn't mean you should in so many situations. The dude will always be one of if not my overall favorite guitar player, but he's gotta give his mouth a rest and stick with what he's actually been great at pretty much his whole life. Be legendary in your legendary band, quit trying to do all these legal flexes and talking down to people YOU NEED as well as thinking you're a master record producer all the sudden. The band has always had outside people that know those behind the scenes jobs very well doing those things for a reason!

[The_Noble_Cause]

I put the word "coup" in quotations for a reason. Of course, it's all bullshit.

[JohnH]

Mitch Lafon just posted a pic of Neal that says solo dates 2023, so this must be the new platform.

schonmusic.com

[The_Noble_Cause]

Mitch Lafon just posted a pic of Neal that says solo dates 2023, so this must be the new platform.

schonmusic.com

A pic that came from Neal's own social media. It also says "Neal Schon of Journey" and includes the Journey logo. So really no news here. Just more wishful thinking from Neal.

[Onestepper]

Unless Neal is going to partner up with some people to do guest appearances, I don't seem much coming from a "solo tour".

I saw him when he went out with Paul Rodgers back in the 90's, and it was a great show. But he needed a band with him that had a strong lead vocal presence.

As others have hinted, I think this is just another JTT attempt under a different name.

[JohnH]

I saw another post where Neal says he was going to do instrumentals , which sounds like those noodling three finger Yngwie wannabe videos he posts on FB. Not very interesting.

[Eric]

This shows how much Journey misses Herbie Herbert. When Herbie was manager of Journey, he was a strong manager who kept the ship going forward as a cohesive unit. Now, the band is being pulled in all sorts of different directions. Neal refuses to have a strong manager now, and that is hurting Journey. A strong manager would have planned something big for Journey's 50th Anniversary, but it has come and gone with absolutely no fanfare.

I think at this point, a lot of us wish Smitty and Ross's "coup" was actually successful. The band would probably be in a much better position all around.

I give Neal credit for giving us a new album and the Toto tour. Well played. Everything else has been complete absolute shit.

I'm very satisfied with the 2021-2022 events they played (Lolla, NYE, 4th of July, Reopening at Central Park, etc.) and I love the Freedom Album and the 2022 tour. The 50th was disappointing and the drama is unsufferable.

But Journey 2015-2019 was an uncreative bore.