Sam Reid of Glass Tiger on an ‘80s Revival at The Space

If you had the radio on in the mid-’80s, you’re familiar with the music of Glass Tiger, a Canadian pop band that scored four top-40 singles in the U.S., including two that hit the top 10 (“Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” and “Someday”). The band continued to have success in their home country, releasing six albums and picking up five Juno Awards (the Canadian version of the Grammys).

Now, Glass Tiger is back in Las Vegas for the first time since their ‘80s heyday, playing The Space on Friday, October 4 — their only U.S. date of 2024. Founding keyboardist Sam Reid says the idea is to give fans on both sides of the border an excuse to book a Vegas vacation — while having one themselves.

If I could go back in time to when you were in heavy rotation on the radio and MTV, and said to you, ‘In 40 years, you'll be playing Vegas,’ what would be going through your head?

“40 years and still playing in a band together? I can’t contemplate that. When you’re in your 20s, you don’t think about longevity and being together this many years. We’re still close friends, we tour extensively in Canada, and it’s been a while since we’ve been down to the U.S. It’s overdue really.

“The last time we played Vegas was 1988. We did a West Coast tour with the Moody Blues and played a couple of nights in Vegas. The venue doesn’t exist anymore. It was the Aladdin (Theatre for the Performing Arts). I’m a packrat and found an old poster and backstage photos. We spent a lot of time opening for bands like Journey, but the Moody Blues were the only ones who brought us to Vegas.”

Bryan Adams sang backup vocals on ‘Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone.’ How did you get somebody like that to appear on your very first album? Do all Canadians just know each other?

“It does seem like we’re all in the same fraternity, but the music business in Canada is a close-knit community of songwriters. The fellow who produced our first album was also Bryan Adams’ co-writer. His name is Jim Vallance, He’s written for the Scorpions, Tina Turner, Heart, and of course, Bryan. He’s just a hitmaker. Bryan used to hang out in the studio and got to hear a lot of the stuff as we were producing it. One thing led to another and he said, ‘Hey I can sing on that song with you,’ and the rest is history.”

Las Vegas is a little wound up at the moment. We're in a battleground state heading into a big election. Is now a good time for Americans to let go of their anxiety when it comes to current events and just enjoy a night of ‘80s pop music?

“The one thing about the ‘80s — it doesn’t matter if you’re in Canada, the U.S. or Europe — it’s such a good decade of music. The songs are very melodic. They’re singalongs. When we perform at The Space, it will be a night to get your ‘80s on and for at least a few hours, forget the world around you.”