18 MONTHS!!! That is how long it had been since I had seen the boys live. 18 months is a LONG time but let me tell ya . . . it was definitely worth the wait!!
Mum and I left bright and early Saturday morning (can we say 6 am is morning on a Saturday?!?), stopping an hour later to pick up Julie and then driving cross-country (backroads really do cut miles!!!) - arriving in Orillia just before lunch.
Not being able to check into our room right away, we decided to tour downtown. I have to say that I have come to a conclusion about casino towns - there is the casino and not much else!! After our brief sightseeing tour and still not being able to check into our room, we decided to try our hand at the slots. Now, none of us are huge gamblers although I do generally enjoy playing $20 in the nickel machines - but not at this place. Don't get me wrong, the building is absolutely beautiful and I am sure if you had money to burn - it would be an awesome place to play some blackjack, spin the roulette wheel, or try a throw of the dice at the craps table. But it is definitely not a place to go unless ya got the dough!! This being said, you can come to the conclusion that we didn't play for long!
Back at the hotel, where we were finally able to check in, we met up with our other two gang members, Wendi and Brenda. Freshened up, headed off to meet a friend for dinner (great to see ya, Sylv!!) and then finally back to the casino for the main event!!
First off, let me say that this is a fantastic venue for a live show. Big stage with huge video screens on either side and very much an arena feel to it. This was the second night of a 2-night gig for the boys so everything seemed to run right on time, with the band taking the stage at 9 pm.
WOW!! That was my first impression and that feeling just stayed with me all night. Having caught the Mike Bullard show 2 nights previous - I knew the boys were looking and sounding great but there is just nothing like seeing LOVERBOY live!! For the close to two hours that they were on stage - they just rocked!! The crowd was so into it and being able to watch Mattie, up-close, playing his heart out (thanks to those great screens!!) was a definite highlight of the evening for me. The set list hasn't changed much from the last time we saw them, but hey- if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!
Other highlights of the show were Paul singing "Emotional", Doug and Spider's solos, hearing "Heaven" live again and last but not least, singing "Happy Birthday" to Mattie, who turned 50 on March 7th - let me tell ya...he ist the best looking 50 year old I know!!!
It was an awesome performance and a great evening! I just hope we don't have to wait 18 months for the next one!!
Oh yeah...the one downfall was that it was a casino show so there were no cameras allowed but we were able to sneak a few shots that I will hopefully post shortly....stay tuned!!