Hugo Valenti - Journey Tour Japan
JOURNEY BROUGHT OUT HUGO VALENTI FOR A SECOND TIME — AND THIS TIME HE NAILED IT
The longtime tribute band singer once again sang with Journey at a show in Japan, fronting the group on “Faithfully” and the 1981 deep cut “Keep on Runnin’”
As many fans noted, Valenti wasn’t at his best in Fukuoka, possibly due to nerves or audio issues, but he absolutely nailed it in Tokyo, and the crowd erupted.
This doesn’t mean that Journey frontman Arnel Pineda is out of a job. He was onstage for the majority of the night at both Japanese shows. But he’s taken vocal breaks every night of this long tour, passing the mic to keyboardists Jason Derlatka and Jonathan Cain and drummer Deen Castronovo.
“We’ve got lots of singers in this band,” Journey guitarist Neal Schon told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “Deen is a tremendous singer. Todd is a tremendous singer. So [Pineda] doesn’t have to feel all that pressure. It’s a long show. If he wants to take a break, take a break, and one of those guys can step up to the mic and sing.”