Journey concert canceled in Houston after 'electrical incident'
Houston Rodeo concertgoers faced a shocking spectacle at a Journey show Friday night.
During a performance of their legendary song "Don’t Stop Believin’" at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in NRG Stadium, the stage went dark, according to multiple social media videos of incident.
The crowd continued to sing the song but stopped after realizing that something had went wrong. Later, fans found out why. RodeoHouston canceled the show and confirmed that an electrical fire complicated the iconic rock band's performance.
"Due to an unforeseen electrical incident under the stage area, we regretfully announce the cancelation of tonight's Journey concert," RodeoHouston wrote in a statement released on X. "We sincerely apologize to all fans for this disappointment. Our team is working diligently to assess the situation, and we will provide updates regarding rescheduling options and refunds as soon as possible."
According to the Houston Chronicle, the band's RodeoHouston show drew a crowd of 72,109 paid attendance in 2022. Journey's tour will go on, and the band is set to perform in Highland, California, on Sunday.
Journey co-founder Neal Schon thanked fans for carrying on singing "Don't Stop Believin' " during the incident and told them the band tried to make good of the scrapped performance.
"We were rushed off the stage because of an electrical fire and were not able to return," Schon wrote Saturday on Instagram. "I felt terrible for our fans and offered to play tonight and make it up to y’all but they were not able to make it happen, so until next time."
RodeoHouston said up-and-coming country star Warren Zeiders was set to perform Sunday night.
"Howdy! We are excited to host RodeoHouston and welcome Warren Zeiders today as scheduled. The stage will be operating as normal, and we will host all activities in the stadium and on the grounds as originally planned," RodeoHouston announced. "For those who attended the Journey concert, we'll follow up with more information soon. Thanks, and see y'all at the Show!"
Journey has been on highly successful tour across North America for years
Last year, Journey continued on its celebration of its five-decade career with a run of 2024 shows.
The 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour kicked off Feb. 9 in Mississippi and the band is set to tour North America for 30 dates through April 29 in Connecticut.
Toto, which supported Journey on their tour in 2023 to celebrate their "Freedom" album, joined Journey founder, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, lead singer Arnel Pineda, keyboardist Jason Derlatka, drummer Deen Castronovo and bassist Todd Jensen as show openers.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri and Kim Willis, Paste BN