Journey Drummer Exits Band’s Farewell Tour Due to Health Concerns

One of the most enduring rock bands of all time is without their primary drummer for the foreseeable future. In a statement on Instagram, Journey revealed their longtime drummer Deen Castronovo made the decision to step away from the band. Ultimately, after grappling with some health woes, he chose to step away from the tail end of their Final Frontier tour.

“After careful consideration and an extensive year of touring, our talented, longtime drummer Deen Castronovo has decided to step away to focus on personal health matters that require his attention. He has our full support during this time and extends his heartfelt thanks to the fans for the love, encouragement, and kindness he has received,” Journey wrote in a statement.

Due to this massive void in their lineup, the band decided to pick up Steve Murphy as their replacement for the rest of the tour. He’s an incredibly talented and seasoned drummer in his own right. He has the Alan Parsons Project, Christopher Cross, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on his extensive resume.

Ultimately, Murphy won’t be in the lineup for very long. The “Don’t Stop Believin’” group is wrapping up the remainder of their Final Frontier tour, with the final show taking place on November 28th, 2026 in their hometown of San Francisco.

Journey Loses Their Legendary Drummer on the Last Leg of Their Final Frontier Tour

Castronovo joined the group in 1998 after previous stints in Wild Dogs, Bad English, and Hardline. Occasionally, he would even fill in as lead vocalist for portions of their performances in order to allow the other vocalists to take a break. He remained with the group until 2015 when he was arrested for domestic violence. Eventually, he rejoined in 2021 as a secondary drummer.

For Journey, the Final Frontier tour marked the moment when they were finally ready to call it a career. Longtime members like Jonathan Cain remained grateful to have a career with such hefty longevity. But after a while, he was ready to hang it up and work on his own personal ministry work.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I was going to be able to create this kind of lasting longevity when it comes to writing. I’m most proud of my songwriting and my relationship with Steve [Perry], and how we were able to craft these songs with Neal that mean so much to so many people. That’s pretty overwhelming to think about,” the Journey keyboardist told Ultimate Classic Rock.

Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images

The post Journey Drummer Exits Band’s Farewell Tour Due to Health Concerns appeared first on VICE.

Read MoreMusic Archives – VICEMusic, Journey, Noisey, Rock Music