JEFF SCOTT SOTO Is ‘Absolutely At Peace’ With How He Was Fired From JOURNEY 15 Years Ago

Jeff Scott Soto says that he’s “completely at peace” with how he was fired from JOURNEY a decade and a half in the past.

Soto, who beforehand sang with Yngwie Malmsteen, joined JOURNEY a few week and half right into a six-week summer time 2006 tour with DEF LEPPARD, after Steve Augeri started having vocal points. Soto had earlier labored with JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo within the short-lived aspect venture SOUL SIRKUS. JOURNEY named Soto its everlasting lead singer in December 2016 earlier than firing him simply 5 months later.

Final 12 months, Soto advised Argentinian journalist Lucas Gordon that the “drawback” was that he did not know what brought on his break up with JOURNEY. “If I knew what the issue was, if I knew the rationale why I acquired fired, then at the least I might be at peace with it; I may discover a approach to focus on it or discuss it,” he mentioned. “If I used to be advised why I used to be fired, if I used to be advised ‘your voice sucks,’ if I used to be advised I killed one of many guys’ canines, if I made any individual of their household offended, if I used to be advised the rationale why I used to be fired, I may make peace with it. However to this present day, 14 years later — no matter it’s — I do not know. I haven’t got the solutions. I used to be by no means given a correct motive. The one factor I used to be advised was they’d a change of coronary heart. It did not make sense to me. When you have a change of coronary heart, name me up and we will say goodbye, we will hug and say, ‘Hey, hopefully I can get a few tickets to the present with the brand new singer.’ That type of stuff. You may go away as mates. I got here in as mates; I wanna go away as mates.”

Inside hours of Phoosi.com publishing Soto‘s feedback, Schon issued a response through the Phoosi.com Fb web page, writing: “It was unlucky however Steve Augeri‘s voice gave out. We have been in the course of DEF LEPPARD tour so I used to be working with Jeff on aspect venture and instructed he are available in and assist Finnish the tour. It went effectively however all weren’t bought on him being the lead singer after writing a tune and listening. Each Jon [Cain, JOURNEY keyboardist] and I agreed it did not sound right- or higher put what we needed. I hope this satisfies this on going drama. It did not work out.”

A short while later, Schon added in a separate touch upon the Phoosi.com Fb web page: “That is all boring and overly redundant whining of 14 years in the past. PR stunt at greatest. Zzzzzz Jeff tried to sue us after we let him go and enjoying with us reside for only one tour. This didn’t sit effectively with myself and will simply see persona clashes manner too early. Good night time”.

Jeff as soon as once more mentioned his time with JOURNEY in a model new interview with “The Bay Ragni Present”. Requested if Schon‘s feedback gave him the closure that he was searching for, Soto responded (as transcribed by Phoosi.com): “Not likely. It wasn’t actually a lot closure because it was… It was extra of, ‘You are still speaking about this, dude?’ And I wasn’t actually speaking about it. I used to be answering a query in an interview. I gave an sincere reply in an interview based mostly on what the query was about. And it become an entire, ‘Jeff is simply searching for consideration. Jeff is simply searching for press.’ It was not one of the above.

“To be sincere with you, I’ve had closure with this — my private closure — for a very long time when it comes to to not count on any additional reasonings, some other explanations,” he continued. “However in fact, naturally, I needed to have the ability to be mates with the folks that I labored with or that I now not work with; I do not need enemies on the planet. So it was extra alongside these phrases that I used to be even speaking about it, is that I used to be extending that olive department of desirous to be sure that earlier than I go away this earth I go away with everyone understanding that I am an excellent individual, that I used to be a real individual, that my greatest pursuits have been solely in being good for these folks, not essentially what I can get from them or what they’ll get from me, et cetera.

“I at all times say, particularly, you meet any individual like Yngwie Malmsteen, it is not new information that there is a division between us, there is a wall between us. And I am making an attempt to interrupt down any of those partitions ‘trigger I wanna go away this planet with absolute peace and concord with everyone that I would identified and everyone I would labored with. And that is the underside line. Should you had a breakup with a girlfriend or a girlfriend had a nasty breakup with you or a boyfriend or regardless of the state of affairs is and also you type of really feel such as you wanna have the ability to hug it out and have closure. You do not have to be mates afterwards, however I simply need the civility half to face up greater than the animosity half, and that, to me, is extra vital than something. And that was the vast majority of what I used to be speaking about after I was replying to that query. And this was final 12 months that this interview occurred. I do not realize it resurfaced later and it ended up as a Blabbermouth headline, a clickbait type of factor. It wasn’t even a current interview. So for it to come back out later, and it made it appear like I used to be bringing it up this 12 months; it was really final 12 months that I did this interview. [Editor’s note: Lucas Gordon‘s interview with Soto was uploaded to YouTube on January 2, 2022, and the Phoosi.com article mentioned above was published the following day, on January 3, 2022.] And it become one thing that I did not ask for; I did not count on it to try this.

“So, to be sincere with you, as I mentioned, I’m completely at peace with the entire JOURNEY state of affairs,” Jeff added. “I went to go see them not too long ago. I wrote up how thrilling it was, the way it was emotional to be there watching versus be on stage doing it with them after 15 years, however how pleased I used to be for everyone. It labored out for everyone in query right here — it labored out for [current JOURNEY singer] Arnel [Pineda], it labored out for them, and it even labored out for me as a result of I ended up doing much more issues in my life and my profession that I would not have accomplished had I been simply with that band.”

The day after he went to see JOURNEY carry out earlier this month, Jeff took to his social media to write down: “Final night time, I went to see my 1st JOURNEY present in 15 years….sure, I used to be invited however no, due to covid protocols nonetheless inside touring contracts, I couldn’t see anybody within the band earlier than or after.

“The band was sheer fireplace…Arnel rose above my expectations vocally and will fairly presumably be the perfect I’ve heard him since he joined the band, Neal‘s fingers have been flying all night time as anticipated, Deen‘s enjoying and singing soared past my reminiscence of being onstage with him and the remainder simply saved it locked and loaded!

“I discovered myself singing, cheering and feeling proud that I as soon as graced that stage with my childhood favourite band. It was emotional at instances however I imply that in a constructive manner, so many nice recollections of my 11 months with them stacked with the 40+ years of what I acquired as a fan!”