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Three of the most popular bands of the 1970s and 1980s rocked Montage Mountain on Saturday night.

The Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain played host to a nostalgic night of music as Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick played their hits for an enthusiastic crowd at the Moosic amphitheater.

The evening began with a forty minute set by Cheap Trick, the quartet from Rockford, Il. Lead vocalist Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos treated the audience to sturdy renditions of their most popular songs in front of their famous black and white checkerboard backdrop.

Highlights of their set included “I Want You To Want Me,” the group’s first Top 40 single from 1979’s “Live at Budokan” album, “Surrender” and “The Flame,” the band’s No. 1 single from 1988. They closed their portion of the show with a rocking version of “Dream Police.”

Next up was Heart, the group from Seattle that has sold over 30 million albums and charted 21 songs in the Top 40. Ann and Nancy Wilson and their group, which now includes Alice in Chains’ Mike Inez on bass, played for about an hour.

The crowd was on its feet throughout Heart’s set, singing along to most of the songs. A rocking version of “Magic Man” preceded a great rendition of “Never” that featured Nancy Wilson on acoustic guitar and harmonica. That was followed by “Straight On,” which had a different arrangement than the hit version from October 1978.

Nancy Wilson stepped to the foreground to play mandolin and sing “These Dreams,” the group’s No. 1 single from 1986. Ann Wilson showed off her amazing voice on the following number, a stripped-down piano and acoustic guitar version of the band’s other No. 1 hit, “Alone,” which earned Ann and her band mates a standing ovation.

They then turned in a great cover of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me,” which again showcased Ann Wilson’s vocal prowess. After that, they did a rousing rendition of the crowd-pleasing “Barracuda.”

Following four minutes of wild applause, the group returned to the stage, thanked the audience and did an impressive version of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California,” which again featured Nancy Wilson on the mandolin. She then played an extended intro on the acoustic guitar, which led into their closing number, “Crazy On You.”

For the two opening bands, the music was probably too loud for the number of people in attendance. The music rattled off the empty chairs and sounded distorted as many of the concert goers waited in the parking lot for the night’s final band.

Journey, the headliners of the three-band tour, took the stage to uproarious applause about 25 minutes after Heart finished up. The group, which now features Arnel Pineda on lead vocals, opened with “Never Walk Away,” from their most recent album, “Revelation.”

Pineda, who was discovered on You Tube, has breathed new life into the old material. At times his voice is remarkably similar to that of Steve Perry, the group’s lead vocalist during their 1970s and 1980s heyday.

The group’s second number was “Only The Young,” which rocked harder than the original version. Neal Schon added an impressive guitar solo to the 1986 song from the film “Vision Quest.”

Schon then added another great solo as an introduction to the next number, “Stone in Love” from their 1981 album “Escape.”

The band, which also features Jonathan Cain on guitar, piano and keyboards, Ross Valory on bass and Deen Castronovo on drums, featured a total of four songs from their new album. On this night in August, the new music, especially “After All These Years” and “Change for the Better,” sounded just as good as the Journey classics.

Journey provided at least three great sing along moments for the Moosic crowd. The first came on “Lights,” their love song to their hometown of San Francisco. The second came on “Open Arms,” the band’s huge hit from 1981 (six weeks at No. 2). The final moment came on Tony Soprano’s favorite song, “Don’t Stop Believin.’” The song which was featured in the last episode of “The Sopranos” ended with a Journey logo on the big screen that was reminiscent of the one from the TV show, including a gun taking the place of the lower case “R.”

Other highlights included “Faithfully,” “Wheel in the Sky,” and “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).” All the members of the group chipped in with some impressive harmonies throughout the evening, especially on the latter two songs.

They ended their set with “Be Good To Yourself,” their Top 10 hit from 1986 and encored with “Any Way You Want It,” which reaches back to their 1980 album “Departure.”

The triple treat at the Toyota Pavilion featured three groups with a combined 105 years of musical experience, 47 Top 40 hits and countless millions of records sold. All three proved Saturday night that they still know how to get the job done.