Deen Castronovo was reportedly rushed to hospital Thursday night (Oct. 8) after falling ill during Journey’s performance at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Tulsa World sports reporter Eric Bailey was at the scene and shared the news with his followers on X. “At the Journey concert where drummer Deen Castronova had a ‘medical emergency’ after two songs. Was helped off the stage. Show is delayed for now at the BOK Center.” The message is accompanied by a clip of bass player Jonathan Cain addressing the crowd. “Have your prayers ready. Have your prayers ready for Deen Castronovo, everybody. Thank you,” he says.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, co-founder and lead guitarist Neal Schon then told the crowd that Castronovo was en route to the hospital and that the band’s drum tech, Steve Toomey, would fill in.
In a separate post, Bailey reports that the show continued after a 20-minute delay.
Later on the night, Schon dedicated the concert to Castronovo. “This concert’s for Deen tonight. I’d love you all to pray for him. Everybody’s been going through a lot. I think he’s going to be fine,” Ultimate Classic Rock reports.
Journey are making their final go-round with a lineup featuring Castronovo, Schon, Cain, and singer Arnel Pineda, who joined the group in 2007, replacing original lead singer Steve Perry. Castronovo, 62, played drums and contributed vocals for Journey from 1998 until 2015, and later rejoined the group. A member of Bad English and Hardline, his extensive CV includes stints playing for the late Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers, and GZR, with Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler.
Castronovo made headlines last year when, during a concert at NRG Stadium, the stage caught fire. “Hey, Houston! An act of God tonight!,” he later wrote on Instagram. “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!”
Journey’s ongoing Final Frontier North American tour expanded in May with the announcement of 40 additional concerts. The next stop is Oct. 10, when Journey is booked to perform at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Earlier this summer, Journey returned to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since 1997 with “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The No. 9 hit from 1981 re-charted at No. 35 after it was played June 19 at Lumen Field in Seattle for the United States’ FIFA World Cup match again Australia, which the home team won 2-0.
At the time of writing, Journey had yet to share an update on Castronovo’s condition.
