According to an upcoming book by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, vocalist Steve Perry told bandmates in 1987 they should quit while on top and not become an oldies act.
In Don't Stop Believing: The Man, The Band and the Song That Inspired Generations, which will be released May 1st, Cain reveals that in a meeting between guitarist Neal Schon, Perry and himself, the singer told them “Guys, we’re done. We can’t get any bigger. If we keep going, we’re going to end up some classic rock nostalgia band. We’ll end up just being a memory--a shadow of what we used to be.”
They soldiered on but nearly a decade later, in 1996, while Perry was recovering from hip surgery, he made clear he would not return to the band if they toured under the Journey name without him. They did and he kept his word: Perry has not performed with Journey since.
If it weren't for the fact that even Stevie Wonder could see this outcome coming to pass, we'd call Perry a prophet. Regardless, the man was right.
