Journey Co-Founder Gregg Rolie Makes Surprising Appearance To Mark Band's 50th Anniversary

Gregg Rolie made Journey's 50^th anniversary tour extra special.

On Feb. 22, Journey members came together in a concert in Austin, Texas, to mark the band's anniversary. The rock band was formed in 1973 in San Fransisco, introducing its founding members Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, George Tickner, and Prairie Prince.

Its current lineup includes Schon, Jonathan Cain, Jason Derlatka, Deen Castronovo, Todd Jensen, and Arnel Pineda.

On the band's 50^th anniversary, Rolie joined Journey's encore at Moody Center, Texas. The co-founder swooned fans' hearts with his performances of "Just the Same Way," "Of a Lifetime," and "Feeling That Way."

Journey then ended its show with a heartfelt rendition of "Any Way You Want It."

"I just wanna say: Fifty years? Fifty years of one band going through changes, but it's like a runaway freight train that just keeps going with no brakes," Rolie told the crowd, per Blabbermouth.

He also thanked the crowd for being there with the band. He credited them for staying, saying the place would be empty if it was not because of them.

Schon hinted at Rolie's appearance in a tweet, saying that Journey would offer a special surprise at their Austin show.

Why Did Gregg Rolie Leave Journey?

Journey hailed Rolie as its first singer. However, he saw changes in his role when Steve Perry joined in 1977.

Three years later, he left Journey and was not able to be with the band during its commercial heights.

Before his recent appearance, he told Rolling Stone in an interview in 2019 that he left the rock band because he did not like his life anymore.

"I've said this a million times and I know there's people that say, 'That's not the reason.' But I left because I was unhappy with what I was doing in my own life," he continued. "I loved the management. I loved the music. I loved what we built. I just wasn't happy, so I had to blow the horn on it and just stop it."

Rolie noted that people always insisted that Perry's arrival had something to do with his departure. However, he insisted that the musician was a welcome sight to him and that he was never against it.

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