Steve Perry, former Journey frontman, performed onstage for the first time in almost 20 years on Saturday night.

Steve Perry Performs With The Eels

Perry surprised fans when he appeared unannounced at the Eels concert at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn. Perry took over from the Eels during their second encore and performed two Journey classics, “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” and “Open Arms,” as well as the Eels’ song “It’s a Motherf—ker.”

“The interesting thing about this guy, is he hasn’t sung his songs for some 20, 25 years… He walked away from it. Because it didn’t feel right, you have to respect that.… And for some reason only known to him, he feels like tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota, it feels right. Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Perry,” said Eels frontman Mark Everett in his introduction.

This was Perry’s first time performing in front of a crowd since 1995, and he told the 1,000 people in the Fitzgerald Theater that he wanted to return to the stage to perform “It’s a Motherf—ker” with the Eels.

“I’ve told [Everett] over and over again, ‘I love that song.’ When I first met him, I couldn’t believe it. [I said], ‘Someday, I want to sing that song,’” Perry told the crowd.

Perry, now 65, has not recorded with Journey since 1996, and the band currently tours with new lead singer Arnel Pineda. Though he has teased fans with the possibility of new music, Perry has not declared any plans to return to the stage anytime soon.