Loverboy remains weekend warriors

Kirk Baird

Friday, Feb. 23, 2001 | 10:02 a.m.

To say it's been a tough few months for Mike Reno is an understatement.

After all, the Loverboy vocalist lost both his bassist and best friend, Scott Smith, not even three months ago. Smith was taking his 37-foot sailboat to a marina in Southern California in late November when he was swept overboard by a powerful wave 4 miles off the coast of San Francisco. A two-day search by the Coast Guard proved fruitless.

For Reno and other members of Loverboy, which plays tonight and Saturday at Sunset Station's Club Madrid, there was a moment when calling it quits seemed a possibility.

But then the calls began to flood in from fans on a toll-free number where messages of condolences to the band could be left.

"It was nearly a consensus: 'We're so sad and sorry for your loss, but it would be a travesty to let the music die ... it would just multiply the sadness we're feeling now,' " Reno said in a recent phone interview from Miami Beach, Fla. "People were begging us basically not to get so bummed out that we quit playing. And that meant a lot to us.

"Plus, I knew Scott would have wanted us to go on."

Reno called his manager in January and told him to find a replacement bassist. That turned out to be Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve, who had worked with members of Loverboy and was a friend of Smith's.

After some emotionally difficult rehearsals, the band was ready to return to the road and, in the words of Reno, "help in the healing process."

It was difficult at first, Reno said, with 21 years of memories flooding his emotions as he stood onstage.

"That first night I kind of lost it a few times," he admitted.

But the crowd knew the situation and responded in kind, giving the band a standing ovation for every song. It was obvious to the members of Loverboy they'd made the right decision, and they continued with the tour.

This success has Reno not only looking to the future, but, he said, feeling good about it.

And why shouldn't he? The band, he said, is sounding tighter than ever and is receiving enough concert offers that the members can choose which shows they'll take. Plus, Loverboy can do something it could never do before: enjoy rewards of its hard work.

Formed in 1979, the Canadian band experienced immediate success with its self-titled debut album, spawning the radio hits, "Turn Me Loose," and "The Kid is Hot Tonite." It was much the same for the next three albums in the '80s, with singles such as "Working for the Weekend," "When It's Over" and "Queen of the Broken Hearts."

The songs featured a mixture of new-wave textures, crunching guitars and a pop sensibility unlike most anything else on the music scene. The novelty of the sound, plus a made-for-video singer in Reno, whose tight, red, leather pants elevated him to sex-symbol status, helped the albums go multiplatinum, selling 23 million in all.

It was a wild time, Reno said of eight years' worth of radio and television interviews, videos and record company parties. And then record execs lost interest in Loverboy and moved on to a the next big thing: grunge.

In a VH1 special, Reno said late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain killed the band's career. The sound bite proved too irresistible for the network to pass up, and it ended up being played over and over again, almost painting the Loverboy frontman as bitter.

That, however, is not the case, he insists.

"It just so happens that we got pushed over by the whole grunge thing. The Nirvanas were all No. 1s and (the record company) didn't even want to deal with us," Reno said. "It's kind of like the Cinderella thing, (in) that you don't get invited to the party."

Frustrated, Reno said the band stopped performing; although, he's quick to add it wasn't a breakup, simply that everyone going their separate ways because plans weren't going as well as expected.

"Our feelings were a bit hurt by the record company. So, we said, 'Let's go golfing, let's go fishing. Let's do some of the things we dreamed about doing when we were on the road and in hotel rooms,' " he said. " 'Let's not let this get us so bummed out.' "

That was in 1988. After playing together several times last decade, the band made the reunion permanent in 1995, releasing its latest studio album, "VI," two years later. Although it failed to find commercial success, the band continued to find work on the road -- albeit in smaller venues than during its heyday.

As a result of many of those shows, Reno said the band plans to have a live album in stores sometime this spring; additionally, it has put together a few songs for a new album.

It's that commitment to recording new material, he said, that keeps Loverboy relevant musically and from becoming just another band riding the retro wave all the way to the bank.

Still, as important as the band is to Reno, it places a distant second when it comes to his family. Because of this, the image of the rock star has never fully made it into the home of the husband and father of three.

"My kids have always been amazed that people go crazy when we walk onstage because they just know me as Dad," he said. "I mean, my kids never cheer when I walk into the kitchen."

But that suits him fine, he said. In light of Smith's death, he's approaching life with a different perspective.

"I walk a little more tenderly and I cross the street a little more cautiously. I kiss the kids a little longer and hug them a little harder," Reno said. "Life is precious to us all right now, considering what we went through. There's a lot of love going on right now."

Kirk Baird

is an Accent feature writer. Reach him at 259-8801 or kirk@lasvegassun.com.