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Loverboy books February date at CN Centre |
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Written by FRANK PEEBLES
Citizen staff
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Monday, 24 November 2008 |
Still lovin’ every minute of it, Loverboy is heading back out on the road in advance of their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the Juno Awards in Vancouver at the end of March. The legendary rockers are making a stop at CN Centre in Prince George on Feb. 5. The band is made up of guitarist Paul Dean, left, keyboardist Doug Johnson, singer Mike Reno, drummer Matt Frenette and bassist Ken Sinnaeve. (Submitted photo)
CN Centre will turn Loverboy loose on Feb. 5 for a cabaret show that brings the venerable Canadian legends back for their first appearance here this century and their first time at this location.
Last week the organizers of this year's Juno Awards announced that Loverboy would be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the Juno extravaganza March 26 to 29 in Vancouver. Local fans will get a heaping helping of their party rock just prior to that massive honour.
It isn't hard to find Loverboy on radio today. Their many hits still wind through classic rock playlists across Canada and around the world. They sold millions of their two first albums (Loverboy released in 1980 and Get Lucky in 1982, both of which went multi-platinum) and pushed multiple hits up the charts those years. Everybody's Workin' For the Weekend, Turn Me Loose, When It's Over, and several more.
Other albums followed and still the hits came. They added Hot Girls In Love, Queen of the Broken Hearts, This Could Be the Night, Notorious and the ever popular Lovin' Every Minute of It before the end of the '80s. In 1982 they set the record that still stands today for the most Juno Awards ever won in a single year: six.
They also built a massive reputation as live entertainers, with friendships built between themselves and fellow bands like ZZ Top, Journey, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Bon Jovi and many others.
Loverboy was the first Canadian band to launch their careers entirely in Canada using Canadian production and record company support then make a sustained career jump into the United States. They were so popular in the U.S. that they became MTV video darlings in the early years of the music channel, they wrote and performed the theme song for not Canada but the American Olympic team for the 1984 summer Olympics, and their hit song Heaven In Your Eyes (a duet with Anne Wilson of Heart) was a big part of the successful Top Gun movie soundtrack.
They have always been massive in Canada, too, performing live at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary where the group originally formed before they moved permanently to Vancouver. Live and greatest hits albums did well in Canada, and Loverboy were proud to lend their celebrity to a number of charitable causes in Canada, and still do.
All of this in spite of the fact Loverboy suffered a massive tragedy in 2000 when original bass player Scott Smith died at sea in a boating incident. The other original members still soldier on together - vocalist Mike Reno, guitarist Paul Dean, keyboardist Doug Johnson, and drummer Matt Frenette - with noted rock bassist Ken (Spider) Sinnaeve now a permanent member.
They also made a reputation for befriending and supporting a number of other Canadian rockers in their career aspirations.
The Quesnel band Hot Rash becomes the latest to share the Loverboy stage, opening the cabaret event on Feb. 5 before Loverboy unrolls their big ones. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Prices range from $28.50 to $34.50, available at CN Centre box office, Studio 2880 and online at ticketmaster.ca.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 November 2008 )
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