LOVERBOY.EQC I-5 Showroom, 11:30 p.m., DEC. 31
A free NEW YEAR’S EVE concert Dec. 31 at the Emerald Queen Casino will showcase Loverboy on their way into their 30th year of making music.
No stranger to the EQC, the long-time Canadian pop group will be performing the New Year’s Eve show with another of the Queen’s house performers, the sultry, groovy sounds of Reanne’s Groove.
In 1980 Loverboy introduced themselves to the world with their self-titled debut album. They quickly became one of America’s and MTV’s most popular rock bands.
In March 2009 Loverboy was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
From 1980 through 1987 Loverboy garnered four multi-platinum albums and numerous international gold albums. Their tours sold out arenas and stadiums nationwide. Their hit singles came one after another and went on to become the anthems and party songs of an entire generation of rock fans. Loverboy’s red leather pants, bandannas and big rock sound defined the band’s trademark image and high-energy live show.
The band consisted of vocalist Mike Reno, guitarist Paul Dean, bassist Scott Smith, keyboardist Doug Johnson and drummer Matt Frenette.
The band began in Calgary when Mike Reno was introduced to Paul Dean at The Refinery Night Club. Paul Dean was rehearsing a new band out back in a warehouse with a friend of Mike Reno’s and he stopped by to jam. Paul Dean heard him sing a couple of songs and that was that. Over the next few weeks they began writing songs. Doug Johnson began to hang out and jam. It was during one of those jam sessions that Loverboy was born.
After being rejected by all the major United States record labels Loverboy signed with Columbia Records Canada. In 1980 they went into a studio to record their debut album.
The summer of 1980 saw the record fly out of the stores, setting record sales for a debut album – more than 700,000 records in Canada. Columbia U.S. had no choice but recognize that 700,000 people could not be wrong. They released the album in America in November 1980 and by April 1981, it had gone gold. The album went on to sell more than 2 million units in the United States and 4 million worldwide.
They quickly became MTV darlings, being one of the early bands featured on the music channel. Between playing more than 200 shows in 1981 the band wrote and recorded their second multi-platinum selling album, “Get Lucky.” It featured “Working For The Weekend,” “When It’s Over,” “Take Me To The Top” and “Only The Lucky Ones.”
In 1983 they released their third album, “Keep It Up,” which scored hits with “Hot Girls In Love” and “Queen Of The Broken Hearts.”
In 1986 they recorded “Heaven In Your Eyes” for the blockbuster movie “Top Gun.” This was followed by the 1987 release of “Wildside,” their last studio album of the 1980s.
After nine years of being ruled by recording, touring, television appearances, videos and interviews, the band decided to take a rest.
In 1992, Loverboy re-united to play a benefit show for a fellow musician battling cancer. This led to a tour the following year. The never-tired pop legends have continued to tour locally and nationwide since then.
Check them out for free Dec. 31 at the Emerald Queen Casino’s New Years Eve bash. Must be 21 and over. Visit http://www.emeraldqueencasino.com for more info.
