Journey Drummer Deen Castronovo Steps Away to Focus on His Health

Journey drummer Deen Castronovo is stepping away from the band to focus on his health, according to Rolling Stone, which reported the news on 13 November 2026. The change comes about two weeks before Journey ends its Final Frontier tour with a homecoming show in San Francisco.

Castronovo had already left the stage early at two recent concerts. On 8 October he suffered a medical emergency during the band's show in Tulsa and was taken to hospital. At the band's 10 November show in Boston, he walked off midway through the set, and the band cut several songs from the rest of the performance. The ailment behind his exits has not been disclosed.

Steve Toomey, the band's drum tech, the crew member who looks after the drum kit, took over the sticks to finish those shows. Then Steve Murphy joined the tour in Cleveland on 12 November. He will play with Journey for the rest of November to complete the dates.

Murphy has worked with a range of acts, including the Alan Parsons Project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Christopher Cross and Jack Bruce. His arrival means a new drummer for the remaining shows, which will be played by a player who has spent years on other people's stages.

Castronovo has a long history with the band. He first joined Journey in 1998 and left in 2015. The band brought him back in 2021, and he has been part of the lineup since.

For anyone with tickets to the final dates, the most visible change is behind the kit. The shows run on the same tour schedule, with Murphy in the drum seat until the tour ends in San Francisco.