Smith was sailing four miles off the San Francisco coast when he was swept overboard by a 25-foot wave on November 30. He was not wearing a life jacket.

Touring in his stead is Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve, a Winnipeg native and a member of Loverboy precursor band Streetheart. Sinnaeve is long-time friend of several members of the band, including Smith.

Loverboy did play a few February dates, making up shows that were cancelled in December after the accident. “It’s tough, definitely tough for them,” a spokesperson for the Canadian band told Pollstar.

“It’s been a little slow going. The first couple of shows were very difficult. But as with everything else, as they go on it gets a little easier.

“Normally our touring months are May, June … summer dates. So what we have now is more sporadic – a couple of shows and home – and that kind of helps break everyone in slowly.”

The power-pop outfit is preparing to release a live album – which was in the works at the time of Smith’s death – featuring performances from its 1981-1986 heyday. Live, Live and Loose will be released in May on the Sony/Legacy label and spotlights some of the band’s biggest concerts.

While they’ve played a few scattered dates already in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, Loverboy’s tour begins in earnest April 5 in Boise. The band so far has 25 fair, festival and club gigs lined up across North America. Additional dates will be announced as the tour progresses.