Marco Mendoza, known for his work with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, and Journey, recently opened up about his long-standing connection with Neal Schon. He also addressed whether he could be part of Schon’s next musical chapter, in an interview with Different Stages Radio w/ J.J.
When asked about his experience with Neal Schon’s Journey Through Time project and whether something similar could follow the current Journey farewell tour, Mendoza reflected on how his relationship with Schon first began and where things stand today.
“Neal is the boss, no doubt. He calls the shots and again I was very lucky to get called in,” Mendoza said. “I met him through a friend of mine. Aaron Dilks, who rest in peace, I met him in Frankfurt actually before we were both working with Fernandez. So he knew about me. I knew of course he knew who Neal Schon is. But few years forward he was putting a band together and he had Dean Castronovo on drums and he had Jeff Scott Soto on vocals. He was looking for a bass player for Soul SirkUS.”
Mendoza went on to describe how his audition for Schon happened in an unexpected and spontaneous way.
“Aaron said to Neal, ‘Neal, this is your guy. This is your guy. You need, you know, he sings, he plays fretless vibe, da da da,'” he continued. “He did the whole thing, the whole cell thing. And he said, ‘Marco, well, do you have anything recorded or anything live that that you’re doing?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m going to be on stage in 15 minutes with Sheila E and said to all these artists on stage playing some stuff,’ and like, ‘Oh, cool.’ So, he came in, gave me my number, he gave me his and as soon as I got off stage, he called me. He says, ‘Bro, you’re in. Can you come up and, you know, and start writing with us and all that?’ And that was it.”
Mendoza also spoke about the personal bond he developed with Schon beyond music, and how that connection eventually led to him filling in for Randy Jackson in Journey.
“It was amazing. Again, you know, it’s sad that it didn’t move forward for whatever the reason. I was getting at is that my connection with him got really deep also like a brother to be honest and we stayed in touch and I love that guy, you know, all the respect and he he deserves it all, man. He’s a powerful cat spiritually, emotionally, and you know, he’s the boss, man. He handles everything the way it should be handled,” he said. “A lot of people don’t agree, but people don’t live in this industry. They don’t work in the industry. They don’t understand what needs to happen. I do, and I for that, I give him a lot of love and respect.”
He then recalled how Schon reached out to him for a benefit show in California, which further deepened their relationship.
“But so, we connected in a very personal way other than music and all that. We stayed in touch and and then he called me a few years later and says, ‘We’re doing this benefit to raise funds for the the fire, you know, that went up here in California, Northern California. We had a lot of a lot of families lose their homes and and so we’re trying to raise funds and uh we’d love you love for if you want to be participate if you want to be part of this idea,’ and I said, ‘Of course.’ So, we went up there and I met Greg Raleigh for the first time, which is another eventful thing for me and being such a fan of the Santana sound,” Mendoza said. “And so we did that show and it was being recorded and videotaped and all that. We had no idea that it was going to be released, but it ended up being released.”
Mendoza then described the unexpected call that brought him into Journey as a fill-in bassist for Randy Jackson.
“But shortly after, fast forward, another year and a half, two years maybe, I get the call, I was in Copenhagen finishing up what ended up being New Direction album. ‘Marco, where are you?’, I said, ‘I’m Copenhagen, man. I’m recording. I’m finishing a track here.’ Like, ‘Oh, no, man. How long are you going to be gone?’ I said, ‘I’m coming home in two in a few days.’ ‘Oh, really?’ ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Call me. Please call me when you get home.’ And I called him before I went to the airport,” he recalled. “And he says, ‘We can’t find our bass player, man. He’s gone. You know, Randy Jackson, he’s gone lost. We don’t There’s no emails, no phones, uh no texts, nothing. And we have rehearsals starting in a few weeks and we have some big shows. Can you help us out?’ I said, ‘Absofreakingutely, man. Are you kidding me?’ And so, I got to play with Journey, too.”
When it came to the question of whether Schon might invite him into a new band after Journey’s farewell tour concludes, Mendoza was candid about the uncertainty.
“And that was something that came out of nowhere. I had a great time. I had a lot prior commitments, a lot of prior commitments that I I always try not to reneg on no matter what the opportunities are. And I think that was a bit of an issue. And I don’t know, they were looking for somebody. I don’t know what it was, but I was in reality, I was sitting there filling in for Randy. Randy was going to come back. And so I was cool to be there for a minute. And so we talked, man,” he said. “Neil and I talk all the time. I think he’s going to finish this thing and see where he’s going to go next. And would I like it to be something I’m involved with? Yes, absolutely. Is it going to happen? I don’t know.”
Mendoza’s comments come as both he and Schon find themselves on separate but active musical paths in 2026. The future of any collaboration between them remains an open question.
Journey is currently in the midst of its Final Frontier farewell tour, a massive 60-date North American trek billed as the band’s last run on the road. Schon is fully committed to seeing that campaign through before any new project takes shape. Mendoza is not part of the current touring lineup.
The history between the two musicians runs deep. In 2019, Schon announced a tour under the banner of Neal Schon’s Journey Through Time. That project featured Deen Castronovo, Gregg Rolie, and Mendoza on bass, and it marked one of the most significant joint ventures between the two. It also laid the groundwork for the ongoing personal and professional bond Mendoza described in the interview.
While Schon is occupied with Journey’s farewell commitments, Mendoza has been keeping a busy schedule of his own. He has been actively touring in 2026 under his Shoot for the Stars project, with European dates earlier in the year and U.S. shows lined up for August, including stops in Massachusetts and Connecticut. His solo activity underscores that he remains a highly active figure in the rock world regardless of what may or may not materialize with Schon.
With Journey’s farewell tour still ongoing and no new joint project announced, the door between Mendoza and Schon remains open but undefined. Mendoza has made clear that he would welcome the opportunity, but the decision ultimately rests with Schon. As the Final Frontier tour moves toward its conclusion, the rock world will be watching closely to see what Neal Schon’s next chapter looks like — and whether Marco Mendoza will have a place in it.
