Original Valentine members join forces for Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute as Hugo Valenti’s tributes to Journey bring fresh focus to their shared history.
Gerard Zappa has come back together with his fellow Valentine founders Hugo Valenti, Adam Holland, and Craig Pullman as part of Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute, uniting longtime collaborators on stage once more, years after their earliest performances together.
This gathering occurs as Valenti finds himself in the spotlight again following unexpected guest spots with Journey during the group’s recent shows in Japan.
Valenti appeared with Journey on August 29 in Fukuoka, delivering a rendition of “Faithfully.” He returned to the stage on September 1 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, where he performed both “Faithfully” and “Keep On Runnin’” alongside the band. These appearances have since drawn coverage from Rolling Stone and various other music publications.
For Gerard Zappa and the other original Valentine members, these performances mark yet another milestone in a musical partnership that spans over forty years.
Zappa, Valenti, Holland, and Pullman were among the original members of Valentine, which rose during the rock scene of the 1980s. That group eventually became Open Skyz, which inked a deal with RCA Records and dropped its self-titled record in 1993.
Currently, these four musicians are back on stage together as part of Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute. Adam Augeri, the son of ex-Journey vocalist Steve Augeri, joins them on drums.
The ensemble’s ties to Journey go beyond just the tribute act. Earlier this year, Jonathan Cain, Journey’s keyboardist and songwriter, asked Zappa, Valenti, Holland, Pullman, and Adam Augeri to back him for a private event in Dubai. That gig brought the musicians together with one of the key songwriters responsible for many of the Journey tracks they now perform regularly.
“Watching Hugo step onto that stage with Journey was an amazing moment that brought everything full circle,” said Zappa. “We’ve known each other and made music together for a long time. Now, with the Valentine crew back together, having played with Jonathan Cain, and then seeing Hugo get asked to sing these songs with Journey themselves—it’s genuinely special.”
The bond between these musicians and Journey goes back even further. Valenti was among the candidates reviewed when Journey was looking for a replacement for Steve Perry in the late 1990s. Ultimately, the band chose Steve Augeri, and his son Adam now holds down the drum seat alongside the reunited Valentine members in Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute.
Gerard Zappa also went on to play with the Steve Augeri Band, creating yet another link between his own path and the broader Journey family.
The current reunion weaves those interconnected stories together. What started with Valentine decades ago now carries on as long-standing bandmates perform side by side again, joined by a new generation and tied to the creators of the music they honor.
“Music has a way of pulling people back together,” Zappa said. “Being back on that stage with Hugo, Adam, and Craig after all this time, and seeing where this journey has taken all of us—it makes this a truly special period.”
About Gerard Zappa
Gerard Zappa is a musician, bassist, songwriter, producer, and event organizer with decades of experience in the music industry. He co-founded Valentine in 1984 and later played with Open Skyz after the band’s signing with RCA Records. Zappa has also performed as part of the Steve Augeri Band and currently plays alongside Hugo Valenti in Hugo – The Ultimate Journey Tribute.
Lexi Walker
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