Last time Corey Hart played Vancouver, it was 1985 at the Pacific Coliseum. I was too young to go back then. It was always a concert regret for me. Out of the hundreds of concerts I’ve gone to in my life, his was one of the ones I wished I had seen (another was David Bowie’s Glass Spider tour). Especially when I watched the televised farewell concert Corey Hart held at the Bell Centre in Montreal years ago. He performed 38 songs and sang for nearly 4 hours!
I finally got my wish with the Never Surrender tour – Vancouver being the final stop in Corey Hart’s cross-Canada tour.
Bonus! Glass Tiger was the opening act! Now if you’ve grown up in Canada during the 80s, you’d know that this was an awesome double bill that would be hard to say no to.
When singer Alan Frew came onto the stage, he got a huge round of applause as many fans may not have seen him perform since he had a stroke in 2015. It was great to see him and the band in top form, belting out many of their chart-topping hits, along with songs from their latest album, 33. I only wish they performed my favourite song, You’re What I Look For.
With the crowd sufficiently warmed up, Corey Hart hit the stage. The crowd went nuts. Rogers Arena was not sold out by any means, but considering that he hasn’t played a proper tour (outside of Montreal) for over 30 years, there was actually a healthy number of fans in attendance – and all of them hardcore fans.
You can also tell that a lot of thought and money went into the stage show. I didn’t expect the show to be so on trend with the visuals, the lights, and video accompaniment. It was great to see.
Some pics:
It was a trip down amnesia lane with Corey Hart and us fans singing along to all his greatest hits. Such nostalgia, much memories. He even sang Komrade Kiev (which was performed for the first and only time on this tour) and brought Alan Frew back out to sing Jim Cuddy’s part in First Rodeo.
Hart engaged with the audience, many times talking about his appreciation for his fans who stuck with him since the 80s. He even made good for a fan who had won some contest for a meet and greet or autograph session in 1985 to come up and get something signed, as that concert had been cancelled.
There were a couple of covers (Coldplay’s Viva la Vida, really?), but what we really wanted to hear of course was the song that made him a household name, Sunglasses at Night.
Don’t switch the blade on the guy in the shades. Of course, the song brought down the whole house.
Closing the concert and tour out was of course, Never Surrender. The song, that sax solo, and the love Hart showed for his band, his fans, his family, and his wife.
What an amazing night. A throwback to my youth and undeniably 80s. The high school girl in me was jumping up and down the entire time. It was worth the wait.
Here’s the setlist for Glass Tiger and Corey Hart:
Check my Instagram for vid clips of Sunglasses at Night, and Never Surrender.
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