Whenever I listen to my Loverboy Classics CD the same thing always happens to me – I start wondering how any human can create music that sounds so good! As other fans know, there are a lot of artists out there, but only the best of the best can literally move your soul by their work. Loverboy’s music puts a feeling of happiness in mine and gives me a tremendous rush, a feeling of Euphoria where you forget all of life’s little problems for awhile.
I had promised myself to see them at least once in my life and I was following this site to check out the tour dates to see when they would be close enough to make it happen. Finally, I noticed a show that was going to take place in Trois Rivieres, Quebec Canada last year, a little more than three hours away. It had to be in a place that would permit the presence of my 15 year old daughter who really wanted to see them, and any other show that was close was in Casinos where she wouldn’t be allowed in.
When I tried to buy the tickets I was deeply disappointed to learn that for some reason the show had been cancelled. So I thought to myself, “Dammit, if I can’t go to see them, I’ll get them to come see me!” “Yeah… Right …” thought my daughter. So I got on my computer and I started writing an E-mail to the organizers of a national fireworks competition that is held in my hometown every year. It lasts for a full week and every night there are two concerts before and after the fireworks. The organizers always choose well known Canadian or Quebec artists for the music. Last year we had April Wine and BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive) on the same night. I reminded the organizers that the BEST Canadian group that they could get would be LOVERBOY, and I had a feeling that if they were contacted for the event they would surely come. Well you can imagine I was ecstatic when, 8 months later, I learned that they WOULD be coming to Sherbrooke, Quebec. I slated a week’s vacation for that time period because I wanted to enjoy the event to it’s fullest without being tired from the job. Well the show has come and gone and I have some wonderful memories to share with other fans thanks to this site that is dedicated to them.
We arrived at the park at around 6:30 – four hours before the Loverboy show. Honeymoon Suite would be playing at 8:00. My daughter and I placed ourselves dead center at the metal gate in front of the stage and waited. The stage would be hiding the fireworks over the lake in back of them but I thought to myself: “Screw the fireworks tonight; I’m not budging from here.”
Honeymoon Suite gave their rockin’ performance that I really enjoyed, and the fireworks went off and before I knew it was time for Loverboy ! By then the crowd had swollen to around 27,000 people in the park in spite of the ominous black clouds that threatened to empty themselves over the crowd during the first concert. It was scary to look in back of us at the wild, screaming crowd. It was a very intense show to say the least. Mike Reno was wearing a bright red shirt and bandana that really drew the eye. The fog produced by the dry ice coupled with the lighting made for some fantastic visual effects during the show.
I tell you, it’s not the same when you are almost sitting up on the stage watching every little gesture rather than being in the middle of the crowd trying to get a glimpse of the screen. I managed to get some pretty good pictures that I am proud of. At one point, Paul stepped off the stage and stood up on the cement block in front of the gate just in front of me. With a smile, he presented his guitar to us so that we could play a few notes for the crowd and I tapped him on the shoulder to thank him before he stepped down.
Mike Reno really got the crowd prepared to sing “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It” and people were going wild. After that number he pulled his red bandana off, lifted it high, and wrung it out. I’m not kidding; you should have seen that thing dripping. Then he wrung it out again and it was still full of sweat. He threw it to one lady that was flinging her arms in all directions and he made a gesture of exhaustion showing us he had given us everything. Not long after, they stepped off stage, and of course the crowd was screaming for more. So they did an encore with a few of their best songs and left the stage again.
Finally, the crowd was screaming so loud that Mike came out again to thank the crowd and he told us we REALLY rocked. He turned towards the backstage and waved his arms for the others but they wouldn’t come out. He almost looked annoyed at the whole thing and he kept waving and calling for them. I saw a lady behind that was looking at him and she was gesturing as if she were saying O.K. but ONLY one more! Mike really looked like he was having fun when the others stepped back out as he clowned around to the tune of Prissy, Prissy. I think that is your favourite, Tami – you would have enjoyed seeing it. Believe it or not, they played for another full 30 minutes. They started at 10:40 PM and finished the show at 12:40 AM. Normally the artists are supposed to have things wrapped up by midnight but they just kept going.
It was a hell of a show that I will remember for a long, long time. I think that is what is wonderful about an experience like this. Many events in our lives tend to fade away as soon as they are over, but something like a Loverboy concert stays stuck in your head and becomes more and more intense as you go over all of the details of it once it is over. There is so much going on so quickly during the show that you would like to slow everything down to see it in finer detail. I wish I could rewind the whole experience and live it over again a few times.
They made themselves available for autographs afterwards and we got to congratulate all of them. I showed them a copy of the E-mail I sent to the organizers demanding their presence and they all autographed it for me. When you idolize these guys for years they almost become like gods to their fans because of their unique talent that seems to separate them from mortals. Then you get to meet them and talk to them and see that they are human after all. They are just ordinary people like everyone else that share an incredible gift that makes others happy. Isn’t that what life is supposed to be all about?