Reader here, and I’m still buzzin’ off Saturday night’s show in Saskatoon, as the Guess Who brought their “Takin’ It Back” tour to SaskTel Centre.
For Christmas, my Mom got tickets for my Dad, and when they knew I was interested in going, they got me one, too (so I was kind of the third wheel on my parents’ date, but they didn’t mind at all! Haha!)
On Saturday night, my parents and I made the one-hour drive from the farm into Saskatoon to catch the show, and it was so worth the trip.
The show got going with the special guest, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, and he got the crowd going with several of his solo hits, but the audience really got excited when he broke out some of the many hits he had with the Eagles, including “Life in the Fast Lane,” “One of These Nights,” “Heartache Tonight,” and, of course, their signature tune, one that he co-wrote – “Hotel California.” HIs guitar was in full flight all night long!
Former Eagle Don Felder (centre) got the crowd warmed up in style!
With the crowd sufficiently warmed up, it was soon time for the Guess Who to hit the stage. But before they did, we had a surprise in store for us.
My youngest brother, Barrett, picked up the tickets for Mom, and what we didn’t realize at the time, is that our tickets were “considered to be “obstructed/restricted view” seats. So we were a bit worried about what our view of the show would be.
Once in our seats, our fears proved to be unfounded, as we had a clear view of the stage, and the only thing blocked at all, was the smaller video screen on the far side of the stage.
Our original seats, which weren’t too bad at all. But a surprise was in store…
After Don Felder wrapped up, with about ten minutes to go before the Guess Who were to take the stage, a SaskTel Employee came to our section, to see if anyone would be interested in a free upgrade, as they were looking to fill a few floor seats. I didn’t hear him at first, but my Dad did, and caught my attention, to see if I was wanting to move. I said “heck yeah,” and snagged three seats on the floor. When we got down there, we found that those tickets were for seats in the eighth row on the floor!
From the nosebleeds to the floor! An amazing surprise!
From the 14th row in the upper deck, to eighth row on the floor. What an awesome upgrade, and a stroke of luck that made for an even better evening!
Within a few minutes, Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman and the band took the stage, and kicked off an amazing night of music and memories that spanned generations.
From the upper deck for the opener, to eighth row on the floor for the Guess Who! A surprise upgrade for me and my parents made a great night even better!
How else could they start a show in the Bridge City, but with a rockin’ rendition of “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon!”
It was the perfect opener, as set the tone for a superb night of iconic Canadian Rock ‘n’ Roll.
A great mix of hit after hit, a couple of deep cuts, and even some tunes from Randy’s “other” band, Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO), and one of Burton’s solo hits!
Here’s the night’s set list:
- “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon”
- “Proper Stranger”
- “Hand Me Down World”
- “These Eyes”
- “Albert Flasher”
- “Let It Ride” (BTO)
- “Clap for the Wolfman”
- “Laughing”
- “Guns Guns Guns”
- “Undun”
- “Star Baby”
- “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (BTO)
- “My Own Way to Rock” (Burton Cummings)
- “A Wednesday in Your Garden”
- “American Woman”
- “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature”
- “No Time”
- “Share the Land” (ENCORE)
- “Takin’ Care of Business” (BTO) (ENCORE)
The music was superb, the band was tight, and you could see that Burton and Randy were enjoying being back on stage together again under the “Guess Who” moniker, especially after the prolonged legal action involving securing the rights to the band name. But I won’t get into that.
Burton did most of the talking onstage, telling stories on the creation of some of their biggest hits, adding that he and Randy have known each other for more than 60 years, and noting several times how excited he was to be a Saskatchewan resident, living in Moose Jaw. He also gave a shoutout to some neighbours, friends, and Casino Moose Jaw, where he admitted to enjoying playing the slot machines several times a week!
One awesome thing about our seat upgrade, was that we wound up being close enough that we could watch the action on stage, rather than viewing everything on the video screens!
-
- Randy and Burton, together again!
-
- It was awesome to see Burton break out the flute for “Undun!”
Randy Bachman is as smooth as ever on the guitar!
Randy Bachman… larger than life!
My Dad and I were playing a lot of air piano along with Burton all night long! We were all singing along, as were so many in the crowd.
Burton Cummings at the piano. Pretty tough to beat!
I loved seeing Burton break out the flute for “Undun,” one of my fave Guess Who tunes, that I was lucky enough to sing a few years ago, when they “All That Jazz” Big Band performed it at one of our concerts!
I admit, there was a few times during the show, that I found myself getting a little emotional, with that swelling in the chest of happiness, as this was definitely a bucket list item to me, to see Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman on stage together, after all the history and ups and downs between the two of them, playing that music we all know and love.
The whole band rockin’!
And to be there with my Mom and Dad, and seeing them enjoy it as much (or more) than me, made it even better.
Burton is 78 now, and Randy is 82, so who knows how many more opportunities we’ll have to see them together onstage, you’ve gotta go. They still sound fantastic, and you will not be disappointed!
After the show, one younger guy that was sitting behind us, said he wasn’t even around when the Guess Who was in their heyday, but he still knew most of the tunes. I said that I think as Canadians, we’re pretty much born already knowing those timeless tunes!
What more can I say, but thank you to the Guess Who… Prairie boys who made it big, never forgot their roots, and made music history along the way.
Randy and Burton, proudly playing under the “Guess Who” name once again!
Now, we’re just got to get them into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame!
Comments