Here's Shelley's take on THE GUESS WHO "Takin' It Back" CONCERT ...
(NOTE: all photo credits: Mike Von Villas)
I am staring at the stage. Nine guitars, elevated drum set, conga drums, later a piano will appear front and center stage. I learn later that the reason the drum set is elevated is so the drummer can talk down to the other musicians.
Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings on their Takin' It Back Tour!
Since this is the first tour they have had since takin' it back, it is obviously the first time I have seen them together. I am aware that they had a few mid-west and Canada dates together before they were officially The Guess Who again. No, you don't have to guess who! They ARE the GUESS WHO and always have been. Unfortunately, their hiatus from this group was longer than anyone wished it to be. I don't know what to expect. Actually, I have never seen Don Felder alone in concert. I just cannot get to every concert everywhere. That isn't fair, is it? I know many of you feel the same. If you are a steady Forgotten Hits reader … and you should be … you know that Kent put up a review on Wednesday, July 8th. Flip back and combine the two of both Chicago area thoughts and my Connecticut insight.
Watching Don Felder onstage singing “Already Gone,” “One Of These Nights,” “Victim Of Love” and “Southern Sky” gets the night off to a happy high. Don continues to move across the stage, guitar in hand and smiling as though we have given him life. Well, in a way we all have. We are here because we love the music he and The Eagles have given to us. Mutual admiration? Then so be it.
His band consists of Jeff Coffey (Chicago) Seth Rausch (Keith Urban) and Dave Amato (REO Speedwagon), seasoned musicians who are having the time of their lives here tonight at Mohegan Sun. This is the second to the last concert on this tour and I am here to proclaim that all the performers have had the time of their lives working together and meeting the people who have kept their music alive.
The Mohegan Sun Arena is packed. The fault I find with this venue is the sound. It is so loud that the vocals can get lost when singing or speaking. This is not just tonight. It is every show. Being an arena built primarily for sporting events may have something to do with this.
Still Felder is fantastic. To hear a heavy metal song he wrote for an adult anime, as well as “Party Tonight,” “Life In The Fast Lane” and “Hotel California” live and in color (OK I stole that from the NBC peacock of old) was energizing.
As Kent told you, Don is running a charity raffle for St Judes Children's Hospital with prizes that are amazing. It includes a trip, time with Don touring the guitar museum, a signed double neck guitar and more. Look it up, folks. One of us should win!
And now These Eyes just Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. What joy there is when Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings take back the stage as The Guess Who. The fact is that after all they went through to get back their name, they might have been disappointed with the outcome. The audiences might not have shown up. The thrill for them might have been gone. BUT NO! They are so happy to be The Guess Who. Over and over, they talk about meeting 61 years ago and remaining in touch ever since. They wrote songs together and separately. They performed together and separately. They extol the virtues of all they have done over these 61 years and cannot stop Laughing in the love of it all. They have not come Undun. They alternate songs between Guess Who, BTO, Randy Backman and Burton Cummings recordings and they love holding the other one up to the recognition and applause of the arena. This American Woman is surrounded by people singing, dancing and jubilantly yelling their approval.
Since this was the second to the last concert on this tour, what I say here will not encourage you to see them soon, but it does affirm the success of Randy and Burton Taking Back their rightful place on the stage with all their group names intact.
Can we Share the Land with another tour gentlemen? I'm ready.
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
NE Correspondent
Forgotten Hits
