By JT Szabo

For a building that over its sixty years of history has seen the likes of Elvis Presley, Gene Autry, Liberace and a few political figure heads, Troy's cozy Hobart Arena added yet another notch in its entertainment belt on Thursday night with legendary rock group Foreigner taking the couple thousand fans in attendance back in time with classic rock n' roll hits like "feels like the first time", "cold as ice", "jukebox hero" and many more.

Tickets for the concert had been selling quickly over the past several weeks in anticipation for the group's first-ever appearance in the Northern Miami Valley, and their only Ohio stop on their current "Can't slow down" tour. VIP seating was the first to sell out, and at a reported $132 a pop, the first five rows held some of the most devout Foreigner fans in the building. No show would be complete without the customary "meet and greet" held...out of all places....the chilly Park Department maintenance barn adjacent to the arena's north entrance (why can't we just add a community room/zamboni room like Hobart's arena staff wants?...this rant is for another time), with the band before they took the stage a little past 8pm. After rocking the mostly middle-aged crowd's faces thoroughly off, they hit their stride with several power ballads that would literally spark the hundreds of real lighters into the air (most concerts nowadays see the ominous blue glow of cellphones thanks to my younger generation) before finishing in veteran style with their encore performance at precisely 10pm.

With the latest slate of concerts to the arena (modern hard rockers Skillet and motown superstars The Temptations in December, as well as Bruins hockey games, Motorcycle Ice Racing and more), fans from across the Miami Valley have been treated to a rejuvenated Hobart Arena...one that is beginning to recapture some of the glory it once had sixty years ago.