Why did Journey halt their Houston concert? Details explored as electrical mishap disrupted the band's performance

American rock band Journey’s concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had to be ended unexpectedly following an electrical fire on stage on March 14, 2025. According to KHOU 11, it was evident that Journey faced some technical issues while the artists were on stage. As they performed, the music went out suddenly.

Then, the stage crew went underneath the stage with fire extinguishers as they tried to put out the fire. The audience had to be evacuated. After the incident, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo shared a statement writing:

“Due to an unforeseen electrical incident under the stage area, we regretfully announce the cancellation of tonight's Journey concert. 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 or refunds as soon as possible.”

The media outlet reached out to the attendees at the show’s venue. Many shared their reactions to the incident. When the reporter asked one of the attendees what they felt when the music cut out, he said:

“We thought it was a sing along and just kind of kept going until everyone kind of forgot the words.”

Sharing a similar response, another concert-goer said:

“The monitors went out and then they took everybody off the stage and they said they were checking on things to get everybody back on and then they said they were gonna just call the concert. It was an electrical fire.”

Another person reacted:

“Disappointed but I wasn’t mad. You know, just just wondering why it happened.”

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Journey’s Deen Castronovo released a statement following the incident

Journey performed their popular song Don’t Stop Believin’, the fifth song on their setlist, during the concert. As lead singer Arnel Pineda sang the second verse, the sound suddenly cut out. This was followed by the projector going dark.

As per reports, no injuries were reported after the incident. Journey’s drummer Deen Castronovo shared a social media post on March 14, 2025, writing:

“Hey, Houston! An act of God tonight! Fire broke out underneath the stage—right under my drum riser! I was literally on fire for 4 ½ songs, all the power cables melted, and the show was a BUST! That doesn’t mean we won’t be back soon, because we love you all—and WE WILL RETURN!”

On March 15, 2025, Rodeo Houston confirmed that their scheduled event for that evening would happen as per the usual plan. In a social media post, the organizers wrote they were excited about hosting the event and confirmed that the stage and all scheduled activities were in place.

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In 2024, Journey called off their UK and Ireland 50th anniversary arena tour, aka the Freedom Tour. The band announced that the cancellation was due to reasons beyond their control.

The news came after reports about a legal dispute between band members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon. As per reports, Cain filed a lawsuit over concerns about tour-related expenses, budgeting, and using the band's credit card for personal costs.

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