“I remember seeing him in a video and he looked exactly like Perry, which I thought was really weird,” Schon told Melodic Rock<\/a> in 1998. Journey ultimately hired Steve Augeri<\/a>. “I said if we are going to get somebody with him looking exactly like Perry,” Schon added, “I thought that was a little too weird.”<\/p>\n Instead, Valenti started the Journey tribute band Voyage in 2005. “As it happens, people in the Journey organization decided too many similarities may have been a detriment to the continuation of the band,” Valenti told Melodic.net. “It was a hard one to swallow, but hearing Steve Augeri fit so well, it was the right decision for the band.”<\/p>\n Boasting an uncanny soundalike in a period when Steve Perry was off the road dealing with a chronic hip issue<\/a>, Voyage quickly found an audience of loyal Journey fans. “It went from just doing clubs, to then clubs and theaters,” Valenti told MassLive, “and then from theaters to casinos and private [shows].” <\/p>\n He remained with Voyage for some 20 years, with occasional detours into studio work like 2008’s The Dream<\/em> with Josh Ramos as Ramos-Hugo<\/a>, the Valentine reunion project<\/a> Soul Salvation<\/em>, and 2023’s Inception<\/em> with the newly rechristened<\/a> Hugo’s Voyage.<\/p>\n “In honesty, what makes Voyage so inviting and exciting is the fact that people miss Steve Perry,” Valenti told Rock Pages<\/em><\/a> in 2023. “No matter who sings that stuff, people miss Steve \u2013 that’s the truth. The fact that I could get people close to that experience, it’s exciting for them and for us, as a band.”<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Jonathan Cain\u2019s Best Songs With Journey, the Babys and Bad English<\/a><\/p>\n Inception<\/em> grew out of down time during the pandemic era. Valenti completed a batch of original material that led to a new deal with Frontiers Music. Soon, however, he was back on stage singing Journey songs. In late 2024, he left Voyage<\/a> and then launched Hugo: The Ultimate Journey Tribute. There was a full-circle moment, as Valenti’s group included drummer<\/a> Adam Augeri \u2013 the son of Perry’s initial replacement Steve Augeri.<\/p>\n “With Journey in particular, they’re one of the bands where when you hear it, you want to hear it again, and again, and again,” Valenti told MassLive. “It’s not like they’re old and ‘God, I can’t hear that song again’ \u2013 well, probably with the exception of ‘Don’t Stop Believin,” because everyone’s heard it a thousand times,” he added with a laugh. <\/p>\n So, how did Journey shift from Neal Schon describing Valenti’s obvious Perry affectations as “really weird” to appearing on stage together? It seems to be connected to President Donald Trump<\/a>‘s relationship with Cain, who would later introduce Valenti in Japan as “a dear friend<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Cain’s wife serves as the president’s spiritual advisor<\/a>, while Cain has participated in a number of Trump-related events. (Much to Schon’s very public consternation<\/a>.) One of them was the May 2025 announcement party<\/a> for Trump Tower Dubai, where Cain first appeared with a band including Valenti. Perhaps inevitably, the evening featured a performance<\/a> of “Don’t Stop Believin’.”<\/p>\n Cain and Valenti apparently hit it off. Valenti returned to perform<\/a> “Faithfully” \u2013 a six-times-platinum Cain-written power ballad that hit No. 12 for Journey in 1983 \u2013 during Journey’s Aug. 29 stop at the Greatest Rock Fukuoka Festival at Mizuho PayPay Dome and then again on Sept. 1 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Valenti also sang the Escape<\/a><\/em> deep cut “Keep on Runnin'” during the second show. <\/p>\n What’s next for Valenti? He’s set to appear with Hugo: The Ultimate Journey Tribute again on Sept. 11 at the decidedly smaller Hoboken Italian Festival<\/a> in New Jersey. The show happens just one day before<\/a> Journey plays the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available now at all major bookseller websites<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Which original albums best showcase Steve Perry as a writer, singer, arranger and producer?\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n You Think You Know Journey?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nListen to the Title Track from the Debut Album by Hugo\u2019s Voyage<\/h3>\n
Hugo Valenti Moves Into Journey’s Orbit<\/h3>\n
Hugo Valenti Makes a Surprise Appearance With Journey<\/h3>\n
Ranking Every Steve Perry Album<\/h2>\n