Gerard Zappa and Valentine Founding Members Reunite for Journey Tribute as Hugo Valenti Gains Attention

Valentine founding members reunite for Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute as Hugo Valenti’s Journey performances renew attention on their musical legacy.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Gerard Zappa has reunited with fellow Valentine founding members Hugo Valenti, Adam Holland and Craig Pullman as part of Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute, bringing longtime bandmates back together decades after they first shared the stage.

The reunion comes as Valenti receives renewed attention following surprise appearances with Journey during the band’s recent performances in Japan.

Valenti joined Journey onstage August 29 in Fukuoka to sing “Faithfully.” He returned September 1 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, performing “Faithfully” and “Keep On Runnin’” with the band. The appearances have since attracted attention from Rolling Stone and other music outlets.

For Gerard Zappa and his fellow Valentine members, the performances add another chapter to a musical history that stretches back more than four decades.

Zappa, Valenti, Holland and Pullman were founding members of Valentine, which emerged during the 1980s rock scene. The group later evolved into Open Skyz, which signed with RCA Records and released its self-titled album in 1993.

Today, the four musicians are sharing the stage again through Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute. Joining them on drums is Adam Augeri, son of former Journey vocalist Steve Augeri.

The lineup’s connection to Journey extends beyond the tribute itself. Last year, Journey keyboardist and songwriter Jonathan Cain invited Zappa, Valenti, Holland, Pullman and Adam Augeri to serve as his band for a private concert in Dubai. The performance brought the musicians together with one of the principal songwriters behind many of the Journey songs they now perform for audiences.

“Seeing Hugo walk onto that stage with Journey was an incredible full-circle moment,” said Zappa. “We’ve known each other and made music together for decades. Now, to have the Valentine guys reunited, to have performed with Jonathan Cain, and then to watch Hugo get invited to sing these songs with Journey themselves is something really special.”

The connection between the musicians and Journey stretches back even further. Valenti was among the singers considered as Journey searched for a successor to Steve Perry in the late 1990s. Journey ultimately selected Steve Augeri, whose son Adam now performs on drums alongside the reunited Valentine members in Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute.

Gerard Zappa would also later perform as a member of the Steve Augeri Band, adding another connection between his career and the Journey musical family.

The recent reunion brings those overlapping histories together. What began with Valentine decades ago now continues with longtime bandmates performing together again, joined by the next generation and connected to the artists behind the music they celebrate.

“Music has a way of bringing people back together,” Zappa said. “Being back onstage with Hugo, Adam and Craig after all these years, and seeing where the music has taken all of us, makes this a special time.”

About Gerard Zappa
Gerard Zappa is a musician, bassist, songwriter, producer and event producer with decades of music industry experience. He co-founded Valentine in 1984 and later performed with Open Skyz following the band’s signing with RCA Records. Zappa has also performed with the Steve Augeri Band and currently performs alongside Hugo Valenti as part of Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute.

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Written By: EIN Presswire