Journey Part Ways With Longtime Drummer Deen Castronovo
Drummer Deen Castronovo has left Journey two weeks before the band ends its Final Frontier tour in San Francisco. He cited health matters after leaving the stage midway through two recent shows. Steve Murphy, who joined in Cleveland on November 12, will play the rest of the tour.
Journey and longtime drummer Deen Castronovo have gone their separate ways, the band said, two weeks before its Final Frontier tour ends with a homecoming show in San Francisco.
Castronovo has dealt with an undisclosed medical ailment that forced him off the stage midway through two recent concerts. Drum tech Steve Toomey took over the sticks both times. Steve Murphy will now finish the tour.
What the band said
"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," Journey wrote in a group statement. The band added that he has its "full support during this time."
Murphy is a native New Yorker whose credits include Alan Parsons Project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Christopher Cross and Jack Bruce. He will play with Journey "for the remainder of November," the statement said.
Two shows cut short
The first scare came at an October 8 show in Tulsa. Castronovo suffered a medical emergency and was rushed to a hospital. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain told the crowd, "Have your prayers ready for Deen Castronovo, everybody."
Toomey finished that show. Two days later in San Antonio, Texas, Castronovo was back behind the kit and seemed fine.
On November 10 in Boston, he again left midway through the set. Toomey stepped in once more, but the band cut several songs. Murphy joined the tour in Cleveland on November 12.
A long, uneven history
Castronovo first joined Journey in 1998, when the band toured with replacement vocalist Steve Augeri. He left in 2015 after an arrest on domestic violence and sexual assault charges. He ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree assault constituting domestic violence, two counts of menacing constituting domestic violence, and unlawful use of a weapon and coercion.
Many of the more serious charges, including sexual assault, were dropped under the plea deal. He received a suspended sentence and four years of probation.
Journey brought him back in 2021. On this tour he even sang lead on the 1978 song "Lights."
Farewell tour, with a twist
The band had originally billed the run as its last tour, but it has recently changed course. Founder Neal Schon wrote to fans earlier this month that what began as "The Final Frontier" now feels more like "The Long Goodbye."
"We're letting our hearts — and the connection we feel with you every night — help guide what comes next," Schon wrote. Murphy will drum on the remaining November dates, ending in San Francisco.
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