Blimp Time-Hop: Loverboy Keeps It Up With A Packed Civic Center

37 years ago, Loverboy sold out the Civic Center once again.

The Keep It Up Tour came to Blimpville with the totally rad Canadians from Calgary. They also played the Augusta Civic Center the night before the Portland show.

On August 16,1983 it was the second of three Loverboy shows during the 80s at Portland’s largest venue. All of their appearances at Cumberland County Civic Center were sellouts according to our official book of concerts in chronological order. The book was a gift from our friends at the box office a few years back. It's a very handy reference that lives in the WBLM studio.

Keep It Up was Loverboy’s third album. WBLM was crankin’ a track called Hot Girls in Love from it in the summer of '83. This was along with along with Lucky Ones, Take Me to the Top, When It’s Over and of course the eventual signature classic, Working for the Weekend from the previous year’s monster record, Get Lucky.

It’s good to know the band remains pretty much intact these days. Original members Mike Reno (vocals) Paul Dean (guitar) Doug Johnson (keyboards) and Matt Frenette (drums) are still touring together and most recently played Bangor in 2017. Original bassist Scott Smith died in 2000 and was replaced by Ken Sinnaeve.

Here's what Loverboy played the last time they were in Maine.

One of our favorite parts of this classic MTV video for Hot Girls In Love is when drummer Matt Frenette uses gas pump nozzles as sticks.

Ha,ha! What the frig is up with that? Seemed cool at the time...ahh the charming cheesiness of the 80s.