Despite the controversies, Journey travels to Quebec and Montreal

UPDATE DAY

Dismissals, lawsuits, formal notices and rumors surrounding the return of Steve Perry, Journey has, for the past few years, been almost as entertaining as reality TV. The music remains. Beyond conflicts. 

In 2018, a joint 58-show tour of North America featuring Journey and Def Leppard sold 1,003,198 tickets for grossing $97.1 million.

Launched January 27 in Oklahoma , the second leg of their Freedom tour stops tonight at the Bell Center and Thursday at the Videotron Center.

A lot has happened since their last visits to Quebec in 2014 and 2015.&nbsp ;

The band from San Francisco, which has sold 100 million albums, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain fired founding member and bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith. The two musicians would have tried, according to the words of the guitarist, to make a coup to take control of the group. Steve Perry and the band's former manager got involved. Respective lawsuits followed until an amicable settlement.

Bassist Randy Jackson, drummer Narada Michael Walden, bassist Marco Mendoza were just passing through. Drummer-vocalist Deen Castronovo returned with the band after being fired from his services due to domestic abuse charges in 2015. Bassist Todd Jensen has been with Journey since 2021.

Successes

Rumors surrounding a return of Steve Perry for the 50th anniversary tour did not materialize. And singer Arnel Pineda got excited last month on Twitter, saying he was ready to leave the band if he was no longer wanted.

Neal Schon then had a dispute with keyboardist Jonathan Cain over expenses on the band's American Express credit card. And as if that weren't enough, Schon sent a demand letter to the keyboardist to stop playing the song Don't Stop Believin' like he did for Donald Trump.

< p>Keyboardist, vocalist and founding member Gregg Rolie made an appearance in Austin, Texas on February 22 for the performance of six encores, including Feeling That Way, Anytime, Any Way You Want It and two covers by Santana with the double Black Magic Woman and Gypsy Queen. 

For its current tour, the group performs a single piece from these last three albums with singer Arnel Pineda. Journey draws mainly on the opus Escape and Frontiers. 

Singer of Journey since December 5, 2007, the Filipino Arnel Pineda, 55, surpasses Steve Perry, now in years of service. Perry was part of Journey from 1977 to 1987 and from 1995 to 1998. 

As the opening act, the Californian band Toto, led by singer-guitarist Steve Lukather, will perform his great hits Hold the Line , Rosanna and Africa.