There are times when you arrive at The Rockpile that you wonder how the night is going to be. When the parking lot is full, you know you’re in for some fun.
We arrived at The Rockpile later than expected due to the driving conditions, so finding parking was a little difficult. Once inside it was easy to see that Honeymoon Suite was indeed the main attraction. H.S. T-Shirts we in abundance as we squeezed our way into the filled to near capacity Rockpile. Surprisingly the crowd was a very mixed bag. People of all ages were gathered around the stage waiting for Honeymoon Suites arrival.
Rockpile Toronto, February 1st 2013
Photography By: Ted Van Boort
I wanted to review all the bands of the evening but our late arrival put the kibosh on that plan. We managed to arrive during an intermission. First up (for us) was Seeing Red. Claudia Rox and her band are full of energy and did a great job of getting the crowd warmed up… and it was warm in there.
Our last visit to the Rockpile was somewhat disappointing. The stage lighting was horrible, but this time I was impressed. The Rockpile invested in some LED lighting that made a world of difference.
Honeymoon Suite hit the stage shortly before midnight and right from the opening chords of Other Side Of Midnight You knew the band was ready to rock… and they did. Johnny Dee was in great form interacting with the audience with a smile on his face that was genuine.
We were treated to a solid 80s style rock show complete with guitar, drum and keyboard solo’s. This is what the crowd came to see and they loved it. This band is tight and have lost nothing musically. The near sold out crowd of 400 + became part of the show with Johnnies calls and the audience returns,it was pure 80’s rock heaven.
When they rolled out the familiar songs like Stay in The Light and Burning in Love the crowd was dancing, singing and completely involved. You could tell some of these people were reliving the spandex and hair days.
I was never fortunate enough to see Honeymoon Suite in their heyday but this show brought me back to the days of the real club scene mini skirts, tight jeans and big hair. Granted the guys and most of the audience were older but seeing bands like Honeymoon Suite bring it all back loud and clear.
The band gave it their all for a full 90 Minutes. I can’t say much more except if you get the chance to see Honeymoon Suite, don’t miss out. They still have it.
Honeymoon Suite is: Derry Grehan, Johnnie Dee, Dave Betts, Peter Nunn, Gary Lalonde
