Expect the hits.
That’s the word from lead guitarist Derry Grehan of Honeymoon Suite, which headlines the Canada Day festivities in Port Moody on July 1.
The iconic pop band, known for songs like “New Girl Now,” “Feel It Again” and “Wave Babies,” will be on the stage at Rocky Point Park at 8:30 p.m. to lead the crowd through its extensive catalogue of top tunes made famous in the 1980s and beyond.
“We would be remiss if we didn’t play the big songs,” Grehan told the Tri-City News from his home in Illinois, where he’s lived for 20 years.
“We’ve got an album out this summer and a new single soon, but it’s likely we won’t be playing these so we’ll just stick with our biggest hits.”
Grehan said the summer line-up is busy for Honeymoon Suite, a five-piece group formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls with Johnnie Dee on vocals.
Its tour kicked off June 15 at the Iceberg Festival in St. John’s, NL, followed by two dates in Ottawa. Before the Port Moody gig, the band will play Countryfest in Dauphin, Man., and then bounce between Vancouver Island, the U.S., the Prairies and East Coast; their final summer show is in St. Louis, Mo., with fellow 80s and 90s bands April Wine and Aldo Nova.
“It’s nice to finally get back to work,” Grehan said. “The pandemic was an eternity, but now people are happy to be out and not wearing a mask.”
As for performing on Canada Day, the American resident said he’s typically north of the border for the national celebrations. After all, “Canada is our bread and butter because the band has been going for so long and people know us very well.”
He added, “I love Canada and touring the country. No show is the same and every one is special. What we try to do is pack it with great music.”
“We just get up there and have fun.”
Presented by the City of Port Moody during the Golden Spike Days Festival, the concert by Honeymoon Suite is on Saturday, July 1 at 8:30 p.m. at Rocky Point Park (2800-block of Murray Street, Port Moody). To get to the park, take the bus or the Millennium Line to the Moody Centre SkyTrain station (2916 Spring St.). Admission to the Golden Spike Days Festival is by donation (debit or credit card, or cash accepted). Visit goldenspike.ca for more details.
