Monday, February 10, 1997

Corey's heart still in it

  "It's taken 12 long years, but we're finally back together again," Corey Hart told an adoring audience early in his show at the Danforth Music Hall Saturday.

"I missed you too," the Canadian popster added with his trademark pout when the sold-out crowd of 1,300 went wild.

It was hard to doubt the singer's sincerity.

He made it clear throughout the hour-and-a-half performance: No one is more aware of the rise and fall and subsequent semi-rise of Corey Hart than Hart himself.

This, after all, was a guy who reached major international pop stardom only to fall from favor as an antiquated poster boy.

He reminded the audience that his last visit to Toronto took place at the CNE. He knows his fan base is narrower today, and is grateful for it all the same.

Hey, it could have been worse. Hart could have been going on before unfunny impressionist Martin Dube, who opened the show. (Let's just hope the young mimic's celebrity-karaoke act works better in French.)

Hart's slightly hangdog demeanor was part of his image back around '83, when he scored hits with Sunglasses At Night and Never Surrender. But it was about the only feature of Saturday's show that matched the stage's inexplicably gloomy, grey backdrop.

Hart's only 35, still young enough to look good in leather trousers. He was, in fact, there to rock.

These intentions were made clear during lead-off song Black Cloud Rain, from Hart's new self-titled CD. After the song's sullen opening chords, the singer sprung from his grand piano and led his workmanlike, six-piece band into a surprisingly bouncey bit of lite rock.

Hart got a revamped version of Sunglasses out of the way early. He couldn't do much with it - 14 years can take their toll on a pop tune. But he kept the show rolling by keeping the tortured ballads, like Sunflowers and a cover of Love Hurts, to a minimum.

Things sounded a bit forced as the band hammered wooden funk to Hart's glossy pop songs. But the group - featuring strong drumming from Kenny Aronoff and vocal support from Hart's wife, Quebec singer Julie Masse - gave him ample room to rock out with fists a-pumping for undeniably strong closers Kiss The Sky and Tell Me.

To his credit, Hart waited until the encore before slipping into oldie-revue mode.

Set List		Concert rating