Journey and Donnie Iris electrify stadium crowd with rousing HOF Fest show

CANTON − As Journey's lead singer smoothly sang the chorus to the band's mega hit, "Open Arms," it felt like a perfect summer moment in Canton during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.

Most of the near capacity audience joined in with a singalong, the crowd becoming a massive choir at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Couples hugged and swayed back and forth. Arms and hands waved in unison. Cellphones were raised to record video.

And there were many other moments like it on Saturday night as Journey lived up to the name of the annual festival show ― the Concert for Legends.

Although some band members have changed, and a different lead singer now helms the rock juggernaut, fans didn't seem to notice a difference. And the band was sonically on point throughout the roughly two-hour performance.

Red, blue and white lights flashed and pulsed on a stage flanked by large video screens.

Founding member and guitar ace Neal Schon played famous licks from famous songs. Schon frequently grinned, making eye contact with excited fans who pressed up against the stage. Vocalist Arnel Pineda also smiled often while gesturing or pointing toward the crowd.

Besides engaging with fans and cheerfully calling out Canton by name numerous times, Pineda was vocally flawless, reaching skyscraper notes with ease and crooning softly during ballads.

Journey rolled out a reliable parade of smash hits: "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," "Lovin,' Touchin,' Squeezin'," "Who's Crying Now," "Girl Can't Help It," "Lights" and many others.

A wave of applause often greeted songs at the opening notes, including "Faithfully."

Donnie Iris defies age belting out lyrics

Donnie Iris and the Cruisers kicked off the Concert for Legends with plenty of its own passion before Journey took the stage around 9 p.m.

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

Wearing an AC/DC shirt and torn jeans, Iris defied age with his signature high-pitched screams, vocal harmonies and occasional guitar shredding.

The band played several of its 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." Other classic tunes included "Agnes," "Do You Compute?" and "That's the Way Love Ought to Be."

Iris also sang, "The Rapper," a former Billboard No. 2 hit in 1970 behind Simon & Garfunkel's iconic song, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Iris penned "The Rapper" as a member of The Jaggerz.

More:Cigars, Jack Daniels and loyal fans keep Donnie Iris rocking at age 79

The seasoned rocker often raised his arms jubilantly or lowered to his knees at the edge of the stage. Fans cheered him on as he unleashed his trademark screams, his face contorting. Other times, he jumped up and down.

During "Love Is Like a Rock" Iris paid special attention to a group of fans wearing Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys. The Pennsylvania native lives in the Pittsburgh area and is a fan of the NFL team.

Toward the end of his roughly 45-minute set, Iris extended the crowd favorite, encouraging the audience to join in the chant-like chorus: "LOVE IS LIKE A ROCK!" The Steelers fans pumped their arms in the air, singing along.

Presented by the Hall of Fame Village, the concert capped off 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. The band played with an easy chemistry forged over the decades, from a club show in the Canton area to opening for Journey in the summer of 1983 at Legend Valley in Ohio.

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

Journey's Canton show: A parade of '80s hits

Journey boasted even more smash hits, including several songs from 1981's release, "Escape," 1983's "Frontier" and the 1986 album, "Raised on Radio."

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

Another highlight has been Schon's guitar solo, where he impresses both with bluesy passion and technical prowess while evoking guitar greats like the late Eddie Van Halen.

Journey was inducted into rock hall in 2017

Touring band members include Jonathan Cain (keyboards and backing vocals), who joined Journey in 1980.

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.

Journey fans attend Canton concert as wedding anniversary gift

Journey, meanwhile, drew many fans wearing T-shirts representing various albums and tours from over the decades.

Cindy Urbansky, 54, of Strongsville, missed out on her chance to see Journey in concert when she was in high school.

"My parents were strict, so I wasn't allowed to go," she said, grinning.

"It was one of those situations where all your friends went, and the next day at school, they're all talking about it," she said, smiling again.

Saturday's concert was finally her chance. She had only seen Journey tribute bands before.

Urbansky attended the Concert for Legends with her husband, Don Urbansky, his brother, Bob Urbansky and Denise Urbansky.

Other Journey fans included Jeff and Katie Harmer, of the Apple Valley area in Knox County. Jeff purchased front row tickets for his wife as a wedding anniversary gift.

"When (Jeff) was a senior in high school, he had tickets for Journey with Steve Perry," Katie said. "And he was supposed to take his girlfriend. Well, his girlfriend and him split up on the day of the concert, so they didn't even get to go."

Jeff smiled at the story, later revealing he still has the unused tickets from the concert.

"So in 2009, it was his first (Journey) concert," Katie said. "And ever since then we've been hooked on them."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP