BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WENY) -- "Led Zeppelin" and "Journey" tribute bands are set to perform at Tags in Big Flats this weekend. For Matt Coddington, the lead guitarist in “CAPTURED: The Ultimate Journey Tribute,” this will be a special performance. 

It has been over 40 years since Coddington played in the Southern Tier. He chose to celebrate his Horseheads High School Class Reunion of 1983 with a performance as Neal Schon, the lead guitarist in “Journey.” 

“Just the idea of coming home to be able to play to family, who would come back home for occasion...and then, all the friends,” he said. “I come from a large graduating class...there were 466 people in our class.” 

Coddington said the last time his friends and classmates saw him perform was in May of 1983, when he performed in a senior year show. 

“So, here, 40 years later...it's just a very exciting prospect,” he said. 

Coddington is living out his dream. He said he loves being able to put on wigs, makeup, and outfits because it gives him the chance to connect with fans on a deeper level. 

“We are from an era,” he said. “We are doing the 'Captured' album from, like, 1981...granted, we're playing songs that were created after that. However, the look, the aesthetic that we're giving for the show would take somebody back to that time frame.” 

Coddington teamed up with his friend Rob Maupin, who performs in the band as Steve Perry, back in 2016. After realizing they had a special talent when it came to singing Journey songs, they decided to become a tribute band in 2019. Fast forward a few years, Coddington jumped on the opportunity to open for a Led Zeppelin tribute band, called 'Get the Led Out,' at Tags. 

“Once they realized it was a homecoming for me...that this is the 40th...they were very excited,” he said. “They were like, 'That is so cool, what a story...yes, we would love to do that.'” 

“CAPTURED: The Ultimate Journey Tribute” will perform at 6:30 p.m. at Tags on Saturday.