When Neal Schon was 15 years old, he had a decision to make. It wasn’t a sort of decision a typical teenager has to make, as Schon was very much not a typical teenager. The young guitarist had offers from both Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton to join their respective bands, Santana and Derek and the Dominoes. Schon chose the former, and the rest is history. Before their disbanding in 1972, the classic Santana band lineup of Santana, Schon, Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello and Michael Shrieve experienced some of the peak years of the band, culminating in their 1971 album Santana III. Now, the group is back together, thanks in large part to Schon’s prodding and persistence, and have a new album, the spiritual follow-up to that classic record, aptly titled Santana IV. You can read the full story in the June issue of Relix, with an extended excerpt now online.
After leaving the band in ’72, Schon went on to found another hugely successful but decidedly different band, Journey. Throughout the years and the different lineups for that group, Schon has been the one constant, having participated in every album and tour to date. This year, Schon’s two bands are co-headlining a handful of shows together, and Journey is on a massive tour with The Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason. We caught up with the guitarist on that tour to talk about how the Santana reunion is going, why he felt the urge to mastermind this recombining of old friends and what it’s like to pull double duty with two big-name bands on the same night.
So how did that run of double-bill Santana/Journey shows go?
They were very strong—and obviously a lot of fun for me, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it. Clearly, completely two different bands. We went and played our first couple of shows together in Mexico earlier this year, and the audience came unglued for both bands. We found out very clearly and early that the chemistry was good. But going back in the years, Journey had played with Santana many times. We opened for Santana even before Steve Perry came in the band for one whole European tour. So it’s not like something that was never done before. To be able to go back and reconnect with all these guys and help pull them all together, it felt like something that I wanted to do from the gratitude of my heart. They took me under their wings when I was so young and showed me the world. I got to experience so much as a young guitar player and really opened my eyes to so much, musically.
You said you guys have played together before, but had you ever done double duty like you did with this past run?
No, not to the degree that I just did.
It must have been tiring.
No, it wasn’t tiring at all actually. I think everybody was expecting me to be tired and I was like, “Let’s go.” I was playing close to three hours, about 30 songs a night. I had no problem physically doing it, much like I did when my solo band opened up for Journey for the whole Canadian tour we did.
Were there any highlights, any shows that stood out from his past run?
Well, they’ve all been great. We started off at the House of Blues with one day rehearsal after we made the record—we jumped in the fire and took the best bits and pieces where everybody connected. They’re just finishing that DVD right now. It’s going to be released on TV. I forget exactly if it’s an HBO special or whatever is going on, but that is going to be coming out soon. That’s very cool because it’s raw, and we moved on from there. We started the first co-headlined date at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was a great day. We did two more East Coast dates after that. They were both great. We have two more scheduled for this year. Otherwise, I’m out here for the majority of the year with Journey and Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason.
Between cutting the album and doing your first live show together you only had one rehearsal?
Well, we didn’t really rehearse. We made the record, but we didn’t rehearse for the record [laughs]. We rehearsed for a couple days for the record, but we rehearsed a bunch of stuff that—most of it—we didn’t end up using. We were kind of just on the fly, which I love doing anyway. That’s how I make my solo records. When you’re not really consciously trying to make a commercial record, you just go in and have a blast, you know? See what’s in everybody’s head and idealize. I think that’s where the coolest stuff comes out of. It’s not so much premeditated—“We gotta bring this part here.” It just gets a little too clinical. The coolest thing is that we went back to basics, which I really enjoyed. The computer was not involved for most of the process at all. Even though it was used for HD recording, the way we recorded everything was not in the usual sense, with computers. There were no quick tracks. We just kind of played, like we should.
These two bands are pretty different. Especially in the early days, Santana was very improvisational, with Journey being more song based. Playing with these two bands—especially in the same concert, in the same night—what is it like to switch gears between the two?
It’s the best of both worlds. We do have areas in the Journey band where I stretch out and John [Cain] stretches out, in between the songs and within the songs. There’s always improvisation going on. With Santana, it’s a bit different, because we have all the percussion to work with. It can go on much longer, I found, because of the rhythm. Once the rhythm gets going, it’s like a locomotive. It’s hard to slow down or stop it. They’re both great. I enjoy doing them both, and I love both bands.
Do you think you brought a little of one band into the other one in your playing or working with other members?
I would like to hope so, yeah. I know that I was very responsible about pulling all the Santana guys together. That was very satisfying to me to do that at this point in my career. When we broke up in ’72, everybody went their separate ways and didn’t remain close, a lot of the guys. I felt good about pulling that unity and respect they once had back into place. Now everybody is very respectful. I think sometimes you just need to grow up a bit and have some years pass, and everything is a lot clearer on all aspects.
All you guys were very young back then, especially you.
I was very young, having been 15 when I joined a band—very young. Michael Shrieve was second in line to myself.
You were the impetus in putting this Santana reunion together. Was it an idea that struck you recently, or was it something you had in your mind for a while?
I started becoming friends again with Carlos. We were not really close for years after we disbanded in ’72. We were cordial, but we weren’t close. We started writing to one another like six years ago, maybe even longer. Then, every year that went by, it seemed that I was running into him more. I think he thought I was following him. It was just kind of wild, like a message that was coming from high above. We were supposed to do something, and I think he finally looked at it like that too. Either that or he got tired of me hounding him [laughs]. We finally went up to his place in Marin County. We talked about the different ideas of things we could do. There were a lot of things that we talked about doing, stuff we may even do later—like a guitar festival. The one thing I did bring up—I said, “This is all great. It all could be great. But if you really want to twist everybody’s head around, we should get the original guys and get them back together.” He agreed. We pursued that, and it just fell into place.
Were there any hurdles you need to jump over to get the other guys in on the reunion?
Not really, because I had been talking to them all, letting them know what I was trying to orchestrate. They were kind of in disbelief with me for a long time, like, “Oh, I’ve heard about this for years, that something was going to happen, and it’s never happened. Don’t hold your breath.” There wasn’t a lot of belief that anything would come of it, but I was getting closer and closer, and Carlos was warming up to it. I said, “No. It’s going to happen, guys.” The call came, and then we were all sitting here in the same room and rehearsing and jamming.
What’s up next for this particular group of Santana? Is there going to be more recording, more touring, more playing?
Right now, Carlos has another year to do where he’s scheduled to be up in Vegas at the House of Blues. We have two more co-headline dates with Journey and Santana that are coming up. One, I believe, in August in L.A. at the Forum, and one at the end of our tour in September at AT&T Park with Journey, Santana, a good friend of mine Steve Miller and Doobie Brothers. And then I have to see where things go from there. I definitely want to be able to play some dates.
You had some more recordings left over from the sessions from Santana IV, is that true?
We recorded a couple of things that we didn’t end up working on at the studio. There were two hard drives that Carlos sent to me from four or five different days where we did nothing but jam. There was about 55 or 60 ideas we didn’t use that we jammed on and are possible songs.
With all the different phases Journey has gone through over the years, different singers and things like that, do you see it as still the same band or more like different versions of the band?
This is the same band. I am the only one who’s been here for the whole duration. I got busy doing other things, but I played in every configuration that we’ve ever been in from the get-go. The band was wrapped around my myself, with our ex-manager Herbie Herbert, who used to be my guitar tech and Carlos’ in the Santana band in the early days. He approached me at the end of ’72 saying he wanted to put a band together around myself. I didn’t know if he could manage, but it seemed like he probably could. I liked him. I had no reason to say no then. I wanted to do something, so we sought out on this long adventure together. That’s where it started, and we are where we are now. Steve Smith is now back this year. Steve Smith, Ross [Valory], John, myself, and Arnel [Pineda]. After this ninth year, Arnel will have been here longer than Steve Perry was for his whole duration. So he’s no new singer, and we’re doing amazing business, probably bigger and better than we were in the ‘80s.
What about Santana? When you guys got back together did it feel like you were 17 again? Back with the same people, same players?
It was a longtime dream for me to go back exactly where I started, with the guys who gave me my start, and be able to experience them again many years later. It was very surreal. I loved it, but it was surreal. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. It was just a dream I had—you just don’t take no for an answer on some things in life that you want to do. You ride it out until you actually attain it.
How did these multiple-bill tours and dates come about for you and Journey and Santana?
Management has been working on these packages—I’m not a big fan of three-bill packages, because I find it so hard to cram everything into an hour and a half. That’s usually what you’re stuck with, by the time everybody else gets on and off and the equipment get changed around—and they have curfews in all these venues, you know? So if I had it my way, I’d love to play at least two hours, if not longer. It’s just easier to spread out little more and be able to have time to play your hits that everybody comes to hear, then a little more. It’s just a little cramped, time-wise, but I think we’ve done a really good job this year letting everything out and keeping the stuff really flowing. We’ve gotten off to a tremendous start here, and I think it’s just going to get better.
For the tour with The Doobie Brothers, are you guys switching off who’s closing the night or is it always the same bill?
We’re actually headlining. Doobie Brothers have the middle slot, and Dave Mason is opening. I’ve known those guys forever. Tom Johnson and I run into each other all the time. They’ve been out here kicking it for a long time, just like us. I think that they’re gonna claim a lot of our fans this year, as well as we’ll probably pick up some of their fans that weren’t already both band’s fans. Dave Mason I’ve been a fan of ever since I was very young. I loved all the early Traffic stuff, loved the rhythm guitar, the acoustic twelve string that he played on “All Along The Watchtower” with Jimi Hendrix on Electric Ladyland. I know a lot about his music as well. It’s a fun package.
Are there going to be any sit-ins, or is it too cramped to do those sort of things?
I’ve already been asked to and told Dave I’d come on and play “Watchtower” with him some nights. The key thing is I have to find the right gig where it goes on very early and we go on very late. I have to be feeling up to hanging out all day long. And it’s a long day—the waiting around at the venue to play the last slot every night. It’s inevitable that it’s going to happen. I was even hoping it was going to happen tonight, but then I got stuck doing a bunch of interviews [laughs].
What are your future plans with Journey? Do you guys plan on recording anything?
Yeah, I’ve been writing. Jonathan has been working on his solo thing, but I think he’s just about done with that. I think that were going to come up with some new material. I’m so happy that Steve has come back into the fold with us. He resurrects a lot—so many of the years that went by with Journey. Past, present, and future looks really good with him, and he’s having a really good time. A bonafide great time. I think he’s loving it a lot more than he thought he would. He was doing his jazz thing for so long, and now he’s really venturing out, doing a few other records here or there, whether they’re my records or his own records. It’s been a long time since he’s done anything like Journey. He’s the ultimate professional. He directs everything. He couldn’t remember a lot of it, because it’s been so many years and decades that have gone by, but he dove back in and relearned everything as he originally played it. Now he’s taking it to a new plateau.
