Neal Schon Accuses Prog Rock Cruise of Ripping Off Iconic Journey Album Cover

Guitarist Neal Schon has accused the Cruise to the Edge prog rock festival at sea of ripping off the artwork for Journey's classic 1981 album, Escape.

Just a few days ago, the lineup for the 2024 edition of the festival cruise was revealed in a promotional flyer that also featured a not-so-subtle nod to the Escape cover. The original artwork features a scarab-like space ship bursting out from a shattered planet and, in the Cruise to the Edge poster, that scarab ship has been replaced by a cruise ship which is flying outward from, yes, a shattered orb resembling a planet.

The imagery caught the ire of Schon, however, and he vented his frustration on Twitter, declaring, "What the fuck do people think? That your [sic] not going to see this? It's a blatant rip off."

In the comment section of the announcement made on the InsideOut Music record label's Facebook page, Schon even says, "Give me a fucking break. It's Journeys [sic] Escape art." As of the current date/time (Nov. 16, 10AM ET), that Facebook comment seen in Schon's tweet appears to have been deleted, as it is no longer part of that comments section.

Regarding the lineup, Marillion, Steve Hackett, Flying Colors, Big Big Train, Adrian Belew, The Flower Kings, Martine Barre, PFM, Symphony X, Queensryche, Haken, Lonely Robot, Protocol, Gryphon, Airbag and Baraka are all set to perform on deck, with more bands to be announced.

The 2024 Cruise to the Edge will set sail from Miami, Florida on March 8, with stops in Jamaica and Grand Cayman before returning to port on May 13. Get more details here.

Journey, meanwhile, will embark on their 50th anniversary Freedom Tour with Toto next year. See all of the scheduled dates here and, for tickets, head to this location.