Bachman-Turner Overdrive holds a special place in the pantheon of Canadian rock. Born out of the ashes of The Guess Who, guitarist and vocalist Randy Bachman, along with his brothers Tim on guitar (soon replaced by Blair Thorton) and Robbie on drums hooked up with bassist and vocalist C. Fred Turner and created the explosive Bachman-Turner Overdrive. While Randy is the only member of the classic lineup still on the road to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, the current lineup continues to rock. Please scroll for my Bachman-Turner Overdrive live photos and review.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive took the stage a few minutes after 8:00, with no opening act, the crowd was ready for the show to start. The band kicked off with “Take It Like A Man” and “Rock Is My Life, This Is My Song”, the latter could also be seen as the theme of the night which is really the story of Randy Bachman’s career more than a true Bachman-Turner Overdrive concert. After “Rock Is My Life”, a seated Bachman began to tell the story of not just his career, but a great overview of the importance of Canadian rock.
His stories began with tales of teen bands featuring himself, Neil Young, Fred Turner, Burton Cummings, and many others. This led to how The Guess Who got its name as he played their first single, a cover of the classic “Shakin’ All Over”. This kicked off a mini-set of 5 tracks from The Guess Who, each with stories of how they came to be.
Three BTO songs followed, including “Stay Awake All Night” which featured Randy using a drumstick to play his guitar before the big hits began to kick in. First up was the ultimate Guess Who classic “American Woman”. The screen behind the band which showed vintage footage of Bachman and his bands throughout the night also showed clips of Lenny Kravitz who famously covered the song. Bachman then introduced the current lineup, Mick Dalla-Vee on bass and vocals, Brent Howard on guitar, Marc LaFrance on drums, and his son Tal Bachman on guitar, keys, and vocals. Tal then played his big hit “She’s So High” before a big finish of “Let It Ride”, “Roll on Down The Highway”, and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”.
When it was time for the encore, Bachman asked security to relax a bit and called the crowd down to the front, and asked everyone to dance in the aisles as the band tore through a medley of classic rock’s biggest hits. The night came to an end with perhaps the biggest Bachman-Turner Overdrive hit, “Takin’ Care of Business”.
While the marquee may say Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the band is essentially Randy’s backing band and the show is his history. He is a master storyteller and proud of his Canadian heritage. Considering all the legal drama surrounding The Guess Who recently, it’s great to hear those songs performed by one of the principal writers. I wasn’t very impressed with the sound, the whole show felt a little thin and tinny to my ears, but the performances were top-notch and it was a real treat to hear Bachman talk about his incredible life and career.
