Lovin' Every Minute of It....80's pop icons "Loverboy" headline Rotary 4th of
July
2000 Family Fun Day at Chenango County Fairgrounds, Norwich, NY ~ July 4, 2000
Courtesy of Cheryl D.
"It's an all-nude show." That may not sound like your idea of family entertainment, but that's how Loverboy lead singer Mike Reno describes what fans can expect when the group performs at the Rotary Fun Days at the Chenango County Fairgrounds on July 4.
All kidding aside, Reno said the band will be playing all of their hits for fans and a little bit more when Loverboy plays here. The Evening Sun recently had the opportunity for an exclusive interview with Reno as he described what the band is doing and what their future holds.
Reno said the public can be guaranteed to have a great time when they come to the concert.
"I can tell you my pants are tighter," Reno said. "We are having fun. We are playing 10 to 12 shows a year and having a ball; the pressure is off. We've got a sense of humor and are having a lot more fun playing the hits like we do. We owe a lot to the public because they turned these songs into hits."
Those songs include "Lovin' Every Minute of It", "Dangerous", "Notorious", "Hot Girls In Love", "Turn Me Loose", and "This Could Be the Night."
Reno takes pride in the fact that he and fellow band member Paul Dean wrote most of their songs. What's his favorite?
"That's kind of a toss-up between 'Lovin' Every Minute of It' and 'Turn Me Loose,'" Reno said. "We're putting out a live album this summer through SONY and we're always working on new songs. We've been in the studios last few months recording a few songs and we're trying to get some new songs on a soundtrack."
He added: "We're kind of doing anything we can to stay in the game."
Reno said he always enjoys it when those fans of the 1980's come to a concert bringing along the kids - who don't want to be there. Yet they leave there having had a great time.
"There are always the 60 year-olds that don't know what to expect and they listen to 'Notorious' or 'Jump' and get into it," Reno said. "Then there are the kids that come with their parents expecting to be bored. As soon as we start playing the toes tapping and that's a great experience to see us turn the young generation right out of nothing. They come thinking it's going to be crappy and they enjoy it."
The unique thing about Loverboy is the band still has all of its original members which includes Dean, Reno, Scott Smith, Doug Johnson and Matt Frenette.
"I've heard people say that we sound better than we used to, which is a compliment," Reno said. "We hear that a lot."
Reno said the band will be signing autographs at the show in July as well as "signing body parts and collecting underwear."
No one can say Reno doesn't have a sense of humor, but he says he and the band feel more stress-free and can finally enjoy things now that there's not the pressure there was int he 80's.
"You've got to have fun," he said.
Loverboy's self-titled first album brought out two big hits including "Turn Me Loose" and "The Kid is Hot." Seven albums would follow including "Lovin' Every Minute of It" in 1985 and "Six" in 1997.
After five successful albums Loverboy released a greatest hits album titled "Big Ones." According to Reno, the aggressive touring pace caught up with them and they decided to take a rest from Loverboy. That was in 1989.
In 1992, they reunited to perform at a benefit concert in honor of a cancer stricken friend and fellow musician, Brian McLeod. That performance rekindled their interest and they reunited and haven't stopped since.
Reno's wife Pamela and three kids go to as many shows as possible. He said the break the band took gave him some time to relax, but as time went on he was ready to come back.
"If you were retired like I was at 32, that grows old pretty fast," Reno said. "I'm not an investment banker, I'm not a doctor and I'm definitely not a professional golfer. I think I needed some shows and now everything seems better for me."
Reno lists his hobbies as three main loves - family, boating and fishing on the ocean. He also said golf is big for him.
"We do so many shows," he said. "I sometimes love to get out to wake up early and go out to the local golf courses. It depends on what time the show is."
So what can you expect from attending the Loverboy concert?
"You can expect something old classic and heavy classic," Reno said. "You can expect something comfortable along with something you know you're going to have a good time listening to."