Thirteen Canadian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s rolled back the clock on Thursday as they were inducted into Canada鈥檚 Walk of Fame with a night chock full of good memories and even greater radio hits.
Glass Tiger, Loverboy and Trooper were among the bands toasted at Toronto鈥檚 Massey Hall as part of a 鈥渕ega-induction鈥� ceremony dubbed 鈥淩ock of Fame,鈥� which celebrated a time when the country鈥檚 rock pulse was pounding.
Between a packed lineup of live performances, the night was loaded with laughs about time passed, hair lost and the follies of aging.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all here on the same ride tonight,鈥� Loverboy鈥檚 Mike Reno proclaimed early in the ceremony.
His sentiment was shared by many of his fellow inductees on the pre-show red carpet, where they described the familiar faces they passed backstage.
鈥淲e鈥檙e certainly among friends here,鈥� noted guitarist Al Harlow, who was honoured as part of Vancouver rockers Prism.
鈥淪o we鈥檙e just saying, 鈥榃ell, hi! How are the grandkids?鈥�
Chilliwack鈥檚 bassist Ab Bryant said that with the combination of summer music festivals and casino gigs, many of the honourees see each other quite often.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 fantastic to have everyone come together and all be honoured in the same place,鈥� the inductee added.
Even with so many of the era鈥檚 Canadian musicians together, there were still notable absences, Bryant added. In the Vancouver band鈥檚 case, some former Chilliwack members have died over the years.
鈥淵ou think about them when you get here,鈥� he said.
Onstage, the notion of mortality peeked through the festivities every so often.
Rocket Norton of Prism led the crowd in a defiant and expletive-charged chant against cancer, a fight he鈥檚 been waging in recent years, while 75-year-old Myles Goodwyn supposed that April Wine鈥檚 induction might be the last time he鈥檚 in the room with so many Canadian legends of his career.
Rough Trade鈥檚 Carole Pope addressed leaving a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community after drag queen Brooke Lynn Hytes commended Pope鈥檚 bravery during the Toronto band鈥檚 induction.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been out, I鈥檝e always been myself,鈥� said the 鈥淗igh School Confidential鈥� singer.
鈥淪o I just encourage everyone to be themselves.鈥�
Among the surprises, former 鈥淭he New Music鈥� host J.D. Roberts made a live video appearance from Washington to trade memories with the evening鈥檚 co-host Jeanne Beker, who used to work with him on television.
鈥淚 know that we鈥檝e lost so many great artists along the road, but to see so many artists play tonight just warms my heart,鈥� said Roberts, who now goes by John Roberts on the Fox 亚洲天堂 Channel.
For all the talk about legacies, Max Webster bassist Mike Tilka said the night was more about seeing friends and having a good time, than worrying about his Toronto band鈥檚 spot in history.
鈥淟egacy is something that other people impart on you,鈥� he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 just happy I got to be in a band 鈥� and that I got to play in a good band.鈥�
Other honourees of the night included Platinum Blonde, the Parachute Club and Lighthouse, as well as solo female rock singer Lee Aaron and Montreal鈥檚 Michel Pagliaro.
The event was co-hosted by Beker and radio and TV personality Terry David Mulligan, once the creator and face of the 鈥淢uch West鈥� series on MuchMusic. Together they reappeared throughout the show to conduct brief casual interviews with the inductees about their memories.
Fellow MuchMusic VJs Steve Anthony, Erica Ehm, Christopher Ward and Michael Williams were presenters alongside a number of radio personalities.
A mixture of performances from the inducted musicians and tributes to them carried on throughout the night.
The Trews members Colin MacDonald and John-Angus MacDonald opened the show with a faithful rendition of Trooper鈥檚 鈥淩aise a Little Hell,鈥� while pop-rock singer Fefe Dobson joined Aaron in a growling duet of 鈥淲hatcha Do to My Body.鈥�
Members of Glass Tiger, Platinum Blonde and Rough Trade were among those who played their own songs.
Organizers say the rock inductions are part of bigger plans to mark the Walk of Fame鈥檚 25th anniversary.
The music-themed bash will be followed by the annual induction ceremony set for Dec. 2, when hockey superstar Connor McDavid and satirist Rick Mercer will be among the honourees.
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