Hugo brings his Journey tribute to First Arena in Elmira

Hugo Valenti, who founded the tribute band Voyage before striking out on his own, plays Elmira on Friday, Nov. 20.

Every Journey tribute singer is chasing the same thing: that moment when the opening piano of "Don't Stop Believin'" starts and an entire room knows exactly what comes next. Hugo Valenti has been chasing it for two decades, and on Friday, Nov. 20, he brings it to Elmira.

Hugo: The Ultimate Journey Tribute plays First Arena in Elmira on Friday, Nov. 20, with a 6 p.m. start. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. It's a drive from Ithaca, but for an early Friday show built on songs everyone knows, it's an easy one to justify. There is no earlier Ithaca-area show for this act in our records, so this is a first visit to the region as far as we can tell.

The man at the center of it has an unusual résumé for a tribute singer. Valenti founded the Journey tribute band Voyage in 2005, and before that he worked as a Steve Perry impersonator. Earlier still, he was the lead singer of Valentine, a melodic rock band that emerged in the early '90s. In late 2024 he left Voyage and launched Hugo: The Ultimate Journey Tribute, the show that's touring now. Ultimate Classic Rock covered the move, and since then the new act has been working through theaters and venues across the Northeast, from the Patchogue Theatre on Long Island to Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pa., and the Westmoreland Cultural Trust's stages in western Pennsylvania.

One note that will save some confusion: Voyage is still out there as a separate act, so if you've seen "Journey tribute" listings around the region, check the name. This show is Hugo's.

What you get is the catalog. Promotional listings for the show point to the songs you would expect: "Don't Stop Believin'," "Any Way You Want It," "Separate Ways" and "Wheel in the Sky." This is a night built for singing along, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

The 6 p.m. start is the other selling point. A Friday show that begins before dinner is over leaves room for the drive home, for a late meal in Elmira, or for anyone who would rather not be on the road past midnight in late November.

Before you go: check Ticketmaster for seating details, and give yourself time for parking and getting in, since an early start leaves little slack. Weather in late November can be unpredictable, so keep an eye on the forecast before you leave.

Friday the 20th, First Arena, 6 p.m. Bring your voice; you'll need it by the second chorus.

Sources: Journey tribute singer Hugo Valenti — Ultimate Classic Rock (ultimateclassicrock.com); Hugo The Ultimate Journey Tribute — Patchogue Theatre (patchoguetheatre.org); HUGO – The Ultimate Journey Tribute — Penn's Peak (pennspeak.com); HUGO – The Ultimate Journey Tribute — Westmoreland Cultural Trust (westmorelandculturaltrust.org); Hugo The Ultimate Journey Tribute at First Arena — JamBase (jambase.com)