It was hot af in Hollywood Casino Amphitheater on Wednesday night. The temperature topped out at 85 degrees, but the stifling humidity made it feel like the pits of hell. With that said, the sweltering sweatbath seemingly unphased Foreigner and Loverboy.
The familiar sounds of Loverboy’s famous front man, Mike Reno, hit just right and fans were instantly on their feet and loud as hell. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen an opening band or first act of a double bill get such an overwhelming welcome as Loverboy did last night.
The heat affected several concertgoers which had Live Nation’s emergency staff busy caring for the folks battling heat exhaustion. However, watching the sixty-freaking-eight year old, Reno and the band crush the stage with hits like “Lucky Ones”, “The Kid Is Hot Tonight”, and “Turn Me Loose” made even my 46-year-old self reflect on my endurance, or lack thereof. What’s more is that nothing was tuned down as you might expect a band who has been rockin’ faces for 45 years. Reno hit every high note and his voice was unmistakable and (corny pun incoming), but I loved every minute of it.
Loverboy wrapped up their 8-song set with their powerhouse hit, “Working for the Weekend” and the eagerness in the crowd was evident as they wait for their beloved headliner. Mad dashes were made to the restrooms and concessions to ensure they were ass-in-seat before house lights went down.
Foreigner has been around since 1976, and they too were unphased by the fully saturated evening. They took the stage at 9:00 on the dot and opened their set with heavy-hitter, “Double Vision”. Frontman, Kelly Hanson, who mirrors the sound of the band’s original lead singer, Lou Gramm, was full of Steven Tyler energy and commanded the stage that he shared with an equalling commanding band.
Then this bullshit happened. During their opening number, a fan in one of the first few rows nailed Hanson in the face with a hat, but the singer moved on when someone in some band at Riverport Amphitheater on July 2, 1991 would have responded to said fan by throwing punches and ultimately ended in a full scale riot. That tool should consider himself lucky. I would’ve Axl Rosed his ass.
After a handful of treasured hits (see setlist below), the band perched at the front of the stage in a row of chairs for a short acoustic 3-song set. During that time, Hanson introduced each band member, including Jeff Pilson, formerly of the 80s rock band, Dokken, sharing a quirky fun fact that the bass player lives on a farm and has 75 chickens. He also praised the fans and shared in some cross talk asking, “Who remembers when you had to use a pencil to rewind a cassette tape?”, “Who remembers what number was on that pencil?”, “Who remembers calling radio stations to request songs?”, “Who wishes they could still do that?”. The crowd responded with enthusiasm, and on with the show.
Both bands gave their life-long fans everything they wanted and more. People of all ages filled the crowd, sang every word to every song, and stayed on their feet. I mean, who wouldn’t? This whole show was FIRE.
Loverboy Setlist
- Notorious
- Take Me to the Top
- The Kid Is Hot Tonite
- Heaven In Your Eyes
- Lovin’ Every Minute of It
- Hot Girls In Love
- Turn Me Loose
- Working for the Weekend
Foreigner Setlist
- Double Vision
- Head Games
- Cold As Ice
- Waiting for a Girl Like You
- Dirty White Boy
- Say You Will
- Feels Like the First Time
- Urgent
- Keyboard Solo
- Drum Solo
- Juke Box Hero
- Encore: I Want to Know What Love Is
- Hot Blooded
PHOTO GALLERIES:
Foreigner: https://photos.archcity.media/Mickolas/Music/Foreigner/Foreigner-at-HCASTL-71923/
Loverboy: https://photos.archcity.media/Mickolas/Music/Loverboy-at-HCASTL-71923/
