I don't know if this really counts as a review because before the show I didn't consider myself a Loverboy fan.
I was in Atlantic City that night and won some money, so being an 80's rock music fan in general, I decided to see the show. I knew I liked some of Survivors songs and figured Eddie Money would be good. I was kind of looking at Loverboy as an afterthought.
As soon as I sat down, I struck up a conversation with a woman behind me who was carrying the Loverboy greatest hits CD. She told me that I was in for a treat. I smiled and figured she was just a groupie. I am a veteran of many recent concerts put on by the 80's groups (Poison, Cinderella, Def Lep, Duran Duran, Journey, Bon Jovi etc..) and figured Loverboy would end up somewhere near the bottom in my estimation.
Suvivor came out and played for 45 minutes. They played all the hits and in general put on a lively show. The main problem was that the lead singers voice was either shot or tired. He sounded kind of raspy, especially on the high notes. They left the stage to a good amount of applause, especially since they closed with "Eye of the Tiger"
After about a half hour delay to reset the stage, the lights dimmed. The crowd started to cheer. I sat there amused by it all. The band took their positions and started to play. About 20 seconds later, Mike Reno came out and grabbed the microphone. I'm not going to sugar coat this. His appearance from the 80's has drastically changed. He's heavier and balder. Fortunately for me and everyone else there, his voice hasn't changed. That dude can flat out sing.
Loverboy proceeded to do a set that included:
The Kid is Hot Tonite
Turn Me Loose
When It's Over
Hot Girls in Love
Lovin' Every Minute Of It ...and others!
I sat there extremely surprised at how great this band sounded. Mike Reno's voice seemed to get stronger as the show went on. The woman I had spoke to earlier was up dancing her butt off. People up front had their hands in the air and were singing along. Mike never had to sing the "Hot Girls In Love" part of the song, the crowd did it for him. Loverboy whipped the crowd into a frenzy when they closed with "Working For The Weekend". The entire showroom turned into one big party.
After the group left, the stage remained dark. The crowd chanted loudly for an encore. Unfortunately after about a minute the house lights came up. The crowd booed loudly.
To make an even longer story short, Loverboy still has it. Big time. I look forward to the next time I'll get to see them live.
TC from NJ