Music

Journey’s Neal Schon has addressed fans following a recent Rolling Stone article that looked into the behind-the-scenes drama of their current Final Frontier farewell tour.

The article featured interviews with Schon, Jonathan Cain and singer Arnel Pineda, who revealed he originally didn’t want to do the tour. Pineda said efforts to reach out to the band regarding his feelings were met with silence, so he felt he had no choice but to go on the road. When asked about it, Schon called Pineda’s feelings “very confusing” and noted they had all signed contracts for the tour.

Schon has since shared a post on social media, arguing that the article didn’t “reflect the full picture” of what was happening ahead of the tour; he also denied pressuring anyone into touring.

“Over the years, Journey has always been about the music and the fans first,” Schon wrote. “There’s been some recent press and speculation that doesn’t reflect the full picture. Touring at this level involves many moving parts, and decisions are made collectively with our team, including management, agents, and promoters.”

“Like any long-running band, there are moments where people feel the pressure differently,” he continued. “I respect that, and I have nothing but appreciation for what everyone brings to the stage.”

“For clarity, no one was ever prevented by me from making their own personal decisions,” he wrote. “At the same time, we were all advised by our representatives that there are contractual obligations tied to touring that need to be honored.”

Finally, Schon noted, “My focus has always been — and remains — delivering the best possible experience for our fans and keeping the music alive.”

Journey’s Final Frontier farewell tour hits Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Monday. A complete list of dates can be found at JourneyMusic.com.

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The Strokes have announced a new album called Reality Awaits.

The seventh studio effort from Julian Casablancas and company, and their first since 2020’s The New Abnormal, is due out in the summer, according to a video posted to the band’s Instagram.

Said video begins with an image of a car as the screen reads, “In The Flesh, It’s Even Sexier.”

“Reality Awaits The new album by The Strokes,” the video continues. “Out this summer.”

The Strokes just performed in San Francisco on Saturday and will play another show there on Monday ahead of their Saturday set at Coachella. Their upcoming live schedule also includes Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Just Live Heaven and Shaky Knees, among other festivals.

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Justin Moore now wears the crown as the artist with the longest trip to #1, as “Time’s Ticking” rather ironically takes its place atop the Billboard Country Airplay ranking. 

Justin’s 11th #1 took 67 weeks to make it to the pinnacle, unseating Michael Ray’s “Whiskey and Rain” and Travis Denning’s “After a Few,” which both had a 65-week run to the top. Scotty McCreery’s “In Between” logged 63 weeks, while Dylan Scott took 62 weeks with “Can’t Have Mine” and Chayce Beckham made it in 60 weeks with “23”.

“Time’s Ticking” is Justin’s first Billboard #1 since “With a Woman You Love” in Sept. 2022. He’s typically topped the chart every 20 months since he made his debut in Aug. 2008 with “Back That Thing Up.”

“Time’s Ticking” is also the first #1 for the newly-named Blue Highway Records, formerly known as Big Machine.

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Noah Kahan’s new Netflix documentary, Out of Body, offers a revealing look into his personal life, and he discusses some of those revelations in the new episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty.

While detailing his mental health struggles, including body dysmorphia and OCD, Noah admits that he initially didn’t want to get help because he was afraid it would affect his ability to write songs.

“These problems were really hard for me and were disrupting my ability to wake up in the morning and to just be a human being. But I was holding off on getting the help that I really needed for a long time because I was so afraid of it dulling my creativity,” Noah says. 

In addition, he continues, “I was like, ‘I don’t want to get help because I’m worried that I’ll be happy and I won’t care about making something. And I won’t feel pain and it won’t be painful enough for my audience and … the feelings won’t be real enough for my audience.'” 

Finally, Noah did get help after realizing, “I don’t want to live like this anymore.”

As a result, Noah says his sadness became “more manageable,” and he was no longer “getting sidebarred by rabbit holes of obsession and rabbit holes of anxiety anymore.”

“It really was a turning point for me making this record,” he says. The Great Divide is due April 24.

In a more lighthearted part of the pod, Noah reveals the weirdest place he ever wrote a song was in the bathroom at JFK airport and names Niall Horan as the musician he’d choose to help him bury a body. He also says he’ll die on the hill that macaroni & cheese isn’t very good and adds his favorite compliment to receive is, “I love your shoes.”

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Metallica has announced two shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, in celebration of the venue’s 25th anniversary.

The concerts take place Nov. 19 and Nov. 21 and will feature completely unique set lists each night in keeping with Metallica’s No Repeat Weekend format. Suicidal Tendencies will open the first night, while Spiritbox will be on the bill for night two.

Members of Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club will have access to a presale beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. ET. You can also buy tickets in person at the Mohegan Sun box office beginning Saturday.

For all ticket info, visit Metallica.com.

The Mohegan Sun performances are Metallica’s only scheduled U.S. dates of 2026 aside from their residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, which launches in October. The metal legends launch a European tour in May.

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Maynard James Keenan has shared a message in support of Gen. Randy George, who Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced is retiring as the Army Chief of Staff three years into his four-year term.

As for how Keenan is connected to George, the Tool frontman shares in an Instagram post that he attended West Point Prep with him, and they were even on the same cross country team.

Keenan writes that while he “excelled” as a West Point Prep student, he was more interested in pursuing his creative passions than a career in the military.

“So when my heart spoke louder than the outside influencers and I declined my appointment to West Point, most of those around me saw it as a huge mistake,” Keenan recalls. “But a handful were very supportive. They knew me well enough to respect that decision. One of those supportive classmates was my Cross Country teammate, Randy George.”

“I can’t even imagine how disappointed and upset he must feel for having been ‘asked’ to retire early,” Keenan writes of George. “So I’m just here to return that favor of support. We’re here for you, Randy. Might be time for a beer or three. See you soon.”

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When Cody Johnson recorded his current top-10 hit for Leather Deluxe Edition, it was a decision he made quite intentionally, because he connected so much with the message of “The Fall.”

“I was in the mode of cutting an album and saying, ‘This is what I want people to hear,'” he recalls. “I want people to know that the ride is worth the fall.”

“The hardships, yeah, it feels like hell when you’re going through the hardships, but when you look back at them, without those hardships, you wouldn’t have the successes that you have and you wouldn’t appreciate ’em as much,” he adds. 

Cody was on a career high last year when faced his own fall: He suffered a burst eardrum, which forced him to have surgery and cancel the rest of his shows for the year. 

When he returned to the stage in mid-February, however, he was welcomed back with a string of sold-out shows, including his March RodeoHouston date, which now holds the record as the largest concert in the history of Houston’s NRG Stadium. 

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Leon Thomas has been cooking in the studio, but he hasn’t yet reached the point of putting together the follow-up to his Grammy-winning album, Mutt. Speaking to Rolling Stone, he reveals he has about 30 songs written, with a goal to complete between 60 and 100 before starting a new body of work.

“I’ve got a long laundry list of songs I gotta finish,” he says. “Some of them have been easy to finish while I’m on the road, but I’m doing my best to stay creative because I know this is such a momentous time in my life and it needs to be documented not just through visuals, but also through music.”

He notes he’s been working with a few big-name collaborators who approached him after he took home Grammys for best R&B album and best traditional R&B performance at the 2026 show. One of them is Pharrell, whom he was photographed in a Paris studio.

“I was doing my best not to geek out the whole time,” Leon says. “And also it’s important to be a real creative and be like, ‘Hey man, let’s try this idea. Let’s do that.’ You can’t be a ‘yes man’ in the studio with Pharrell. You got to be real, you know? It was nice creating with him, and he’s just like me, man — he’s a fellow alien in the recording studio. He spoke my language.”

Leon is set to tour with Bruno Mars starting April 10.

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