This fall, “The 80s Club” brings the party and a plethora of unforgettable hits across Canada with a stop in Lethbridge Nov. 15 featuring Honeymoon Suite, A Flock of Seagulls, Men Without Hats and Spoons.
Gord Deppe of Spoons says this tour is exciting for the band in so many ways. “It’s the first time we’ve toured the country from coast-to-coast in decades, performing some places we haven’t been to since the eighties. There will never be another decade like the eighties and this line-up of acts represents it in a most stellar way.”
Darlings of Much Music, Spoons brought us the incredibly memorable Canadian hits “Romantic Traffic” and “Old Emotions.”
“The eighties are just unstoppable,” adds Deppe. “It’s really taken us by surprise. When the nineties hit, we seriously believed that was the end of it.”
“And when it started coming back, which was I think the mid-nineties, we thought it was just a passing phase and a novelty thing. But it’s steadily been building. We’re playing more now than we have since like the mid-eighties. It’s comfort food for people and we’re happy to be a part of it because we’re getting the same enjoyment out of it,” notes Deppe.
“The 80s Club” is going to be one huge, happy eighties flashback for people, says Deppe. “If you don’t know it already, you’ll realize how important it was to you. It’s going to be a variety show of all the songs you grew up on.”
Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance and “Pop Goes the World!” continue to dominate 1980s radio, playlists and even in the clubs.
Ivan Doroschuk from Men Without Hats says the band is having a blast out on the road. “It’s a lot of fun, these packages.”
Doroschuk says back in the day, being in a new band was like being on a hockey team. “You travel around the country and compete against other teams. That’s kind of what being in a band was like at the beginning. You’d travel around the country and you’re competing for places to play, there’s only limited places to play in each city and only so many spots on the Top 40.”
“But now, it’s a big happy eighties family, there’s no competition anymore. Everybody out there is doing it because they enjoy doing it. The work was done a while ago and we’re out there to have fun and touch base with our fans,” adds Doroschuk. “We touch base with our original fans, who more often than not, bring their kids and sometimes even their grandkids. It’s great to have been able to cross generations.”
According to Doroschuk, there were a lot of memorable tunes, a lot of melodies and it was happier times for a lot of people. “The nineties had a lot of great bands, but the songs were a bit more sombre. The eighties were a kind of joyful explosion of new technology, new clothing, neon, hairstyles and videos were new. Everything was new back then.”
“People have good memories of that. Our original fan base is at an age now where they’re ready to party again,” says Doroschuk. “People can still dance if they want to.”
“The 80s Club” starts at 7 p.m. at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. For more information about the show or to purchase tickets visit online at visitlethbridgearena.ca.
