Journey‘s highly anticipated performance at the Stagecoach festival in Indio, California, was abruptly canceled on Saturday night after severe winds prompted an emergency evacuation of the venue.
While festival attendees were permitted back onto the grounds approximately an hour after the initial evacuation order, Journey was ultimately cut from the adjusted schedule. The night’s headlining artist, country singer Lainey Wilson, took the stage an hour later than originally planned to close out the evening.
Recounting the extreme weather conditions that led to the evacuation, one concert-goer told the LA Times: “The show was pretty windy when we got there, but we went into a saloon to see one of our friends do karaoke. When we came out, palm trees were like bending in half.”
Guitarist Neal Schon addressed the situation via Facebook, assuring fans that the cancellation was entirely out of the band’s control.
“We want to sincerely apologize to everyone at Stagecoach Festival last night. We were truly looking forward to performing for you,” he wrote.
He continued: “The decision to evacuate and cancel the show was not made by us. It was issued and communicated to our team during the emergency situation. The safety of our fans, crew, and everyone on site had to come first. We’re deeply sorry we couldn’t take the stage and share that moment with you. We appreciate your support, patience, and the incredible energy you bring every night.”
Keyboardist Jonathan Cain echoed those sentiments in a separate statement on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “We apologize to our fans who showed up at Stagecoach last night for the Journey show. The high winds were extremely dangerous for all and evacuation was the call. All our fans should know we were waiting and were ready to play.”
Journey is currently on their “Final Frontier” tour, which notably marks the final run to feature longtime member and songwriter Jonathan Cain. The trek will resume on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The band currently has dates booked through an August 11 appearance in Sturgis, South Dakota, though both Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain have previously indicated the tour could extend well into 2027.
