STEVE PERRY: 'There Is No Reunion' With JOURNEY In The Works

Ex-JOURNEY lead singer Steve Perry has once again shot down rumors of a reunion with his former bandmates.

Perry made three surprise guest appearances with EELS in late May and early June, prompting JOURNEY's current frontman, Arnel Pineda, to write in a tweet that Perry would be welcome to reclaim "his righteous place."

Speaking to Fan Asylum, Perry dashed any hopes of him rejoining JOURNEY, saying "there is no [plan for a] reunion." Asked what he thought of current Pineda's statement that Steve could have his old job back, Perry said: "I don't know who or what would make Arnel want to say such a thing. He's their lead singer and I wish him all the best."

Perry told Fan Asylum he was surprised by the reaction his return to the live stage generated around the world. "I woke up in St. Paul, Minnesota (after my first appearance with EELS] thinking I'd have a little YouTube leak about the gig and that would be it. After 20 years of not singing live, I really thought I could just stick my toe in the Waters Of Love and then go home and start blowing the rust off my pipes… but that's not what happened."

Perry — whose rumored return to JOURNEY has been the cause of rock gossip and band denials for several years — performed two JOURNEY classics with EELS — 1981's "Escape" power ballad "Open Arms" and 1979's "Departure" album standout "Lovin,' Touchin', Squeezin'" — but didn't attempt to hit the highest notes, telling Classic Rock magazine, "I sounded more like Otis Redding than I did in JOURNEY; and I love Otis, so that's not a bad thing. But after twenty years, wherever you hit that golf ball is where it lands. I just wanted to go out there and hit the ball. I was pretty pleased with what I pulled off."

Perry's unannounced appearance with EELS in Saint Paul marked his first relatively high-profile public performance since his last solo tour in 1995.

The singer told The Pulse Of Radio that the passage of time only further solidified his opinion of how incredible JOURNEY was during its heyday. "What a great band we once were," he said. "What a great band. I think the older I get, the more I'm able to look back at the forest now, 'cause I certainly walked out of the trees. I think everybody was just following their heart and their nose and following that lead. Just doing what we do. We're a band. We record, we rock, we instinctually reach for what we believe's a good idea — and argue about stuff, agree, disagree and move forward. And we were just crankin'."