Journey and Donnie Iris turn back time to 1980s with HOF Fest stadium show

 CANTON −Donnie Iris and the Cruisers kicked off the Concert for Legends Saturday night with loads of energy and passion before Journey was scheduled to take the stage around 9 p.m.

The 79-year-old Iris was belting out lyrics while his bandmates kept up the energy with powerful guitars and percussion complemented by keyboards.

iris simply defied age with his signature high-pitched screams, vocal harmonies and occasional guitar shredding.

The entire band was sonically on point as it launched into a setlist of signature songs dating to its heyday in the early 1980s. Drawing enthusiastic responses were the band's biggest hits − "Ah! Leah!" and "Love Is Like a Rock."

The concert is capping a busy day of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, which started with The Canton Repository Grand Parade, followed by the enshrinement ceremony for the 2022 class of inductees: Tony Boselli, Cliff Branch, LeRoy Butler, Art McNally, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Dick Vermeil and Bryant Young.

Performing with Iris were guitarist Marty Lee Hoenes, of North Canton; keyboardist Mark Avsec, of Cleveland; drummer Kevin Valentine; and bassist Paul Goll.

After achieving chart success and touring nationally, including opening for Foreigner, Hall & Oats, Loverboy, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett and Bon Jovi, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers play about 10 shows a year in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Iris is a Pennsylvania native who lives in the Pittsburgh area.

Journey playing a parade of '80s hits and new song, 'Let It Rain'

Journey will have even more '80s mega hits to pick form, including a parade of songs from the 198s release, "Escape," 1983's "Frontier" and the 1986 album, "Raised on Radio."

Recent concerts have included the Soaring Eagle Casino in Michigan on Friday and a Lubbock, Texas appearance on July 30 at United Supermarkets Arena.

Set lists have included "Wheel In The Sky," "Any Way You Want It," "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Faithfully," "Lights," "Only the Young," "Stone Love," "Be Good to Yourself," "Lovin,' Touchin,' Squeezin'," "Escape," "Who's Crying Now," and "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)."

Journey also has been playing the song, "Let It Rain" from its recently released new album, "Freedom," the band's first since 2011's "Eclipse."

Neal Schon's guitar solo also has been featured.

Arnel Pineda is energetic frontman who can hit all the high notes

Other touring band members include Jonathan Cain (keyboards and backing vocals), who joined Journey in 1980 and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda.

This marked a return to Northeast Ohio for Journey, who performed in May at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Formed in the early '70s, the band has sold more than 100 million records, including two albums that individually have exceeded 10 million in sales.

Journey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Former lead vocalist Steve Perry has not been with the band since his second stint in the 1990s. Perry served as frontman during Journey's arena heyday and commercial zenith, which included a slew of Billboard-charting songs.

Perry last released a solo album in 2018, "Traces," his first since "For the Love of Strange Medicine" in 1994.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and [email protected]

On Twitter @ebalintREP