Hicks kicks off Summer Games countdown show
Loverboy and Poesy also play ‘Rise with Glowing Hearts’ event
Tim Hicks has done plenty of homecoming concerts over the years. But few will feel as satisfying as Wednesday at Meridian Centre.
The Niagara Falls singer twice had shows at the St. Catharines arena bumped because of the pandemic. He’ll finally get to cut loose with his full band for the gala “Rise with Glowing Hearts” concert, starting the100-day countdown to the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.
It’s a show that will include rising Canadian pop singer Poesy and — no stranger to Hicks’ playlist — classic rockers Loverboy.
“I’m really looking forward to shaking those guys’ hands,” said Hicks.
“We used to cover ‘Working for the Weekend’ in bars. I’m going to be standing at the side of the stage with a clipboard seeing what I can steal.”
The long-awaited concert, postponed from its original Jan. 20 date, is also one of the first concerts Meridian Centre has hosted since the pandemic shut its doors. Before last week’s Glorious Sons show, the last concert there was Blue Rodeo in February 2020.
“Things are finally starting to feel normal again,” said arena spokesperson Kay Meilleur. “We are anxiously awaiting postponed shows like Jann Arden, Bachman and Cummings and Jeff Dunham. And we have some big announcements coming up shortly.”
She said about 3,500 fans are expected for Wednesday’s show.
Hicks recently released the singles “Whiskey Does” and “High Rollers,” and has “lots of new material floating around” he may play for the homecoming.
But he’s grateful to just play anything after the past two years.
“It’s emotional, to stand on a stage next to my friends,” he said. “There was a moment there where I thought I was never going to get to do that again. The world was going to change so drastically.
“I felt like the wind got sucked out of our sails as performers. Any momentum that we had going into the pandemic was lost. The entertainment business is a fickle lady, right?
“To get to do it at any level, at any venue at this point to me is gravy.”
While Hicks and Loverboy are well-known across Canada, the show’s wild card is Poesy. Last year, her single “Steel Heart” was chosen as the official anthem of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.
The Games will begin on Aug. 6 and continue to Aug. 21.