It will be a warm homecoming for Penticton’s Mike Reno when he lights up the stage on Sept. 4 with Loverboy at the South Okanagan Events Centre as special guests for the classic rock legends Styx.
Founded in Chicago in 1972, Styx has the unique distinction of being the first band in rock history to have four consecutive certified multimillion-selling albums in a row: 1977’s The Grand Illusion, 1978’s Pieces of Eight, 1979’s Cornerstone and 1981’s Paradise Theatre.
Styx draws from over four decades of barn-burning chart hits, joyous sing-alongs and hard-driving deep cuts including The Grand Illusion, Blue Collar Man, Lady, Miss America and Come Sail Away.
For more than 30 years, Loverboy has been “Working for the Weekend” (and on weekends), delighting audiences around the world since forming in 1978, when vocalist Reno, was introduced to guitar hot shot, Paul Dean — both veterans of several bands on the Canadian scene. After being rejected by all the major U.S. record companies, Loverboy signed with Columbia Records Canada to record their self-titled debut album, which went on to sell more than 700,000 records in Canada.
Soon the band found themselves playing on mega tours with Journey, Bob Seger, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, Kansas and Def Leppard, to name a few. They quickly became MTV darlings, being one of the first bands ever featured on the music channel.
With their trademarked leather pants, bandannas, big rock sound and high-energy live shows, Loverboy has sold more than 10 million albums, earning four multi-platinum plaques, including the four-million-selling Get Lucky, and a trio of double-platinum releases in their self-titled 1980 debut, 1983’s Keep It Up and 1985’s Lovin’ Every Minute of It.
Their string of hits includes, in addition to the anthem Working for the Weekend, such arena rock staples as Lovin’ Every Minute of It, This Could Be the Night, Hot Girls in Love, The Kid is Hot Tonite, Notorious, Turn Me Loose, When It’s Over, Heaven In Your Eyes and Queen of the Broken Hearts.
Loverboy went on to win a still-record six Juno awards in 1982, and until a three-year sabbatical in 1989, were one of the top five grossing touring acts in the world, performing in over 100 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Their success made them the first Canadian group ever to earn Columbia Records’ exclusive Crystal Globe Award, celebrating the sale of over five million albums outside their native country.
Along with Reno and Dean, Loverboy still includes original members Doug Johnson on keyboards and Matt Frenette on drums, with Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve (a former member of Dean and Frenette’s pre-Loverboy band Streetheart), replacing the late Scott Smith on bass, and continues a healthy touring schedule around the world.
VIP and meet and greet packages for Styx with special guests Loverboy at the South Okanagan Events Centre will be available on Thursday, June 6 at 10 a.m. and can only be purchased online at www.valleyfirsttix.com.
General tickets go on sale Friday, June 7 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at www.valleyfirsttix.com, in person at the Valley First Box Office at the SOEC, or charge by phone 1-877-763-2849.
