The Canadian band Loverboy has been around for nearly four decades — and it seems as if the group is making a comeback. They’ve been performing to more sold-out crowds, and 20-year-olds come to the show knowing all the lyrics to their hits, said Mike Reno, lead singer of the group.
Loverboy is Rick Springfield’s special guest Oct. 13 at the Genesee Theatre, and Reno said he’s ready for a good time.
The group will sing fan favorites including “Turn Me Loose” and “Working for the Weekend,” which was featured in a Saturday Night Live sketch with Patrick Swayze auditioning to be a Chippendale dancer.
“Longtime fans grew up with our stuff, so we carry these songs around like we carry the torch, we respect them. We know how much people love them and we play them exactly how you’ve always heard them,” Reno said.
Plus they’ve got a new fan base. “Every night we go on stage — there are people in their 20s, they’ve obviously done their research. They know all the words and they’re really getting into it,” Reno said.
The songs, he said, have a universal feeling that never dies. For example, people still work and love their weekends, he said. That’s why “Working for the Weekend” is a favorite, he said. “It’s got high-energy lyrics.”
Reno said he thinks Loverboy’s songs “reminds people of the good times. I think we need it especially today more than ever.”
The band’s latest single, “Hurtin,'” might not remind folks of good times, he added, but another one called “Some Like It Hot” will be on the group’s website soon, he said. “It’s a funky, rapid-fire tune with a lot of lyrics, a lot of words and a lot of really good playing. It’s really a lot of fun,” he said.
“It tells a cool story about how some people like things this way, and some people like things that way. We like it every way. We’re just happy to be alive.”
Loverboy doesn’t have any new albums planned — just releases of singles, he said. “To be honest, I don’t think people have the patience for a whole album anymore — it’s just my opinion. Whenever we feel like recording a song, we record it. We’re not making any deals. We put it on the website. We let people enjoy it,” he said.
“We remind people of an easier time — I really believe that — it’s all about fun and rock and roll. Our concerts are just about who can sing loudest — Loverboy and the band or the audience.”
Reno said he’s looking forward to coming to the Chicago area. “The Cubbies are my favorite. They’re so great,” he said. “And Chicago has been a favorite town of mine for many years. I could live there very easily. It’s just a mixture of nationalities. It’s a hardworking town. And we’re a hardworking band. We play 85 shows every year, no matter what. We like to be out there.”
Loverboy has been mentioned in a few commercials recently, including one that has a grown man deciding to finally take down his Loverboy poster.
“It’s like he’s saying, ‘I have to take this poster down now because I’m in my 50s. I’m putting my childhood away,'” Reno said. “But you notice he doesn’t actually take it all down” in the commercial.
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Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
Rick Springfield with special guest Loverboy
When: Oct. 13
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $42.50-$95
Information: 847-782-2366; www.geneseetheatre.com