Hugo Valenti built one of the country’s most successful Journey tribute acts from the ground up — first as co-founder of Voyage, now operating under his own name. The credential he carries is specific enough that, when he auditioned to replace Steve Perry, he was told he “looked too much like Perry.” Most tribute artists would kill for a line like that. Valenti just kept working.
About the Show
Hugo — The Ultimate Journey Tribute comes to LECOM Event Center in Elmira on Friday, November 20 at 6:00 p.m., delivering Journey’s catalog to an audience that has grown up with it. The act covers arena staples: “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Separate Ways,” and “Wheel in the Sky,” performing with what the act describes as “The Voice. The Look. The Legacy.” Fan reviews on the booking page describe the experience as “that holy shit moment when you feel like you’ve been transported back to seeing Journey in 1981 for the first time.”
What sets Valenti apart from the field of Perry imitators is a career that extends well beyond the tribute circuit. He fronted Valentine, a melodic rock band whose self-titled album appeared on Warner Bros. Records in the early ’90s, then wrote approximately 24 songs during the pandemic, eventually signing to Frontiers Music Srl and releasing original material under the Hugo’s Voyage banner. He was tapped as a last-minute replacement for Extreme at the M3 Rock Festival after Nuno Bettencourt was injured, then performed with Bettencourt in attendance at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. The Elmira date falls within a 2026 tour that has already run through Rhode Island, Illinois, and other New York venues. No support act has been announced for the LECOM show.
Venue & Logistics
LECOM Event Center, at 155 N Main St in Elmira, holds 4,500 and has been in operation since 2000. The venue describes itself as “Elmira’s premier multi-purpose arena,” and the setup matches the claim: NHL-sized ice sheet, 31 luxury suites, two bars, and a calendar that exceeds 60 events a year. For touring acts in the Southern Tier, it’s the room that matches the scale of the material.
Tickets
Tickets go on sale Friday, July 31, with VIP presale at 9:00 a.m. ET and general public on sale at 10:00 a.m. ET. A meet-and-greet add-on is available for 0 (first section only; limited availability). No general admission ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Group pricing is available for parties of 10 or more. Buy tickets