• Blog,  Concerts

    The Guess Who/Don Felder Concert Review

    Let me start off by saying I have been a fan of The Guess Who almost my entire life.

    I grew up listening to their songs on the radio, recording their songs on cassette from the radio and listening to them so much.

    Some of my favorite songs ever are by The Guess Who.  These Eyes, No Time, Undun, Laughing, American Woman, Share The Land and soooooo much more.  Classic stuff.

    So, when singer/keyboardist/flutist/guitarist/harmonica/songwriter/founding member Burton Cummings and guitarist/singer/songwriter/founding member Randy Bachman won back The Guess Who name in a lawsuit (the band for the past few years was basically a sanctioned tribute band with no original or classic members), they announced a tour that I was not going to miss.

    And adding Don Felder (Eagles lead guitarist and a great singer too) to the tour was a great bonus.

    This show, at my favorite venue the Riverbend Music Center just outside downtown Cincinnati, was the second show of The Guess Who’s US tour (they had already done a bunch of dates in their native Canada).

    I’ll start off by saying Don Felder is awesome!!

    This was the second time I had seen him.

    He sings and plays a lot of Eagles songs, as well as a few of his solo songs.

    His latest album, The Vault, is a great collection of songs he has written over the years but never released.  It’s an awesome album and he played one of the songs at this show.

    His band is awesome too.  Along with Don on vocals and lead guitar, he has Dave Amato (REO Speedwagon lead guitarist for 36 years), Matt Bissonette (has played with David Lee Roth, Jeff Lynne, Ringo Starr, and Elton John just to name a few) on bass, and Seth Rausch (plays with Keith Urban and has played with many Country acts) on drums.

    The band rocks and I got to say Don does a great job singing Eagles songs and of course his guitar playing is second to none.

    Rock on sir!!

    Now to the main event and boy was it.

    Like I said, I’ve been a fan of The Guess Who most of my life and to finally see Burton and Randy together (I was supposed to see them in 2020 and 2021 but COVID happened and the tour was cancelled.) was a dream come true.

    I know I say that all the time about concerts, but it’s true.

    They played lots of Guess Who songs (including my favorites I listed above), along with songs by Randy’s other awesome group Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and a couple of Burton’s great solo songs.

    Along with Burton on lead vocals/keyboards/guitar/flute/harmonica and Randy on vocals/guitar, their band includes Tim Bovaconti (guitar), Joe Augello (guitar), Jeff Jones (bass), Sean Fitzsimons (drums), and Nick Sinopoli (percussion).

    Burton is one of my favorite singers ever and his voice is still quite strong and at 78, he has more energy than I’ll probably ever have.  This show was about 2 hours and to have that stamina at any age is incredible.  Randy is 82 and still sings and plays great, and their band rocks.

    Burton and Randy are very appreciative of their fans and the fans gave back their appreciation in spades by singing and clapping along to their amazing catalog of music.

    This was a very special show for me and I’m soooooo happy that I was able to attend.

    Backstory:  I had a lawn ticket (I could not afford one under the roof this time.) but when I got there and was going to the edge of the lawn to get the best view I could, one of the workers asked me if I wanted to be under the roof.  I said yes if possible, and he told me where to go, and I ended up being under the roof after all.  Also, since it was supposed to rain, I was very grateful I was not going to get wet.  

    Awesome show.  I love Burton and Randy sooooo much and I love Don Felder too.

    Thank you all for your amazing concert and your amazing discography all around.

    Rock on always!!

    The Guess Who Set List:

    1. Runnin’ Back To Saskatoon
    2. Proper Stranger
    3. Hand Me Down World
    4. These Eyes
    5. Albert Flasher
    6. Let It Ride (Bachman-Turner Overdrive song)
    7. Clap For The Wolfman
    8. Laughing
    9. Guns Guns Guns
    10. Undun
    11. Star Baby
    12. You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman-Turner Overdrive song)
    13. My Own Way To Rock (Burton solo song)
    14. Bus Rider (tour debut)
    15. American Woman
    16. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
    17. No Time
    18. Encore:  Share The Land
    19. Takin’ Care Of Business (Bachman-Turner Overdrive song)

    Don Felder Set List:

    1. Already Gone
    2. One Of These Nights
    3. Victim Of Love
    4. Seven Bridges Road
    5. Free At Last (New Song)
    6. Heavy Metal (Takin’ A Ride-solo song)
    7. Heartache Tonight
    8. Life In The Fast Lane
    9. Hotel California

    Photo Gallery (click on thumbnail to view larger image)

    Video Gallery (click on thumbnail to play video)

  • Blog,  Concerts

    Paul Simon Concert Review

    I saw another musical icon Thursday night: Singer/Songwriter Paul Simon!!

    I went with my Aunt Kim and our mutual friend Barry to see Mr. Simon play a fairly quiet/intimate show in the Cincinnati area.

    Mr. Simon was not touring anymore as of a few years ago, due to most of his hearing going away in his left ear.

    However, last year, he decided to go back out and tour with a relatively low volume show that helps him hear enough of the musicians around him so that he can sing his amazing songs.

    Mr. Simon is very much a storyteller. If you listen to his phenomenal body of work, you will see that every song tells a story.

    This show is maybe not your typical Paul Simon show, however, Mr. Simon has always done things his way and this show is no different.

    This show was in two parts. The first is every song (7) from his latest album released in 2023 called Seven Psalms.

    Even though the album has 7 songs, each song flows together as essentially one piece of music, which lasts about 33 minutes.

    After this set, he and the band take a roughly 20-30 minute intermission then come back to play some of Mr. Simon’s hits and deep cuts from his massive discography.

    Like any set list, not everyone is going to be happy, most especially with that much newer material. Although I think most of the audience had a good time, I heard some grumbling, but as I said, you can’t make everyone happy.

    Some reviews have said Mr. Simon is not as good as he used to be. Well, he’s 84 years old, he’s basically half deaf, and as of about a year and a half ago, he was not doing this anymore. I’ll take this Paul Simon over no Paul Simon.

    And you know what? This Paul Simon is not too bad.

    I think his voice is still fine, he looks great, and even with the volume not being too much, the show is still enjoyable. And his band is great.

    Along with Mr. Simon, his band includes Edie Brickell helping him out on some of the vocals and whistling, Mark Stewart on guitar, Bakithi Kumalo (the last surviving member of Mr. Simon’s Graceland band) on bass , Andy Snitzer on saxophone, Jamey Haddad on percussion, Mick Rossi on piano and keys, Gyan Riley on guitar, Matt Chamberlin on drums, Nancy Stagnitta on flute, Caleb Burhans on viola, and Eugene Friesen on cello.

    They deliver Mr. Simon’s songs very well and everyone gets to shine, musically.

    Again, I thought this was a fun show and frankly, I love his latest album, so I think hearing all of it live like this was really cool.

    And I seriously will never understand why anyone goes to get food/drink/restroom breaks every time they don’t know a song.

    These concerts cost a lot of money to go to, and yet, so many miss so much of the show. If you are really hungry/thirsty/have to go, then so be it. Otherwise, enjoy the show. But I digress.

    Anyway, I know Kim, Barry, and myself had fun.
    I’m glad we got to see this musical giant!!

    Thank you Mr. Simon for returning to the stage and for all of your great albums over the decades, on your own and with Art Garfunkel.

    Thank you.

    P.S. Photos/videos were not permitted, but I did sneak some pictures right at the beginning and right at the end.  Sorry I couldn’t help it.  I’m a fan, not a paparazzi.

    Set List:

    Set 1-Seven Psalms Album

    1. The Lord
    2. Love Is Like A Braid
    3. My Professional Opinion
    4. Your Forgiveness
    5. Trail Of Volcanoes
    6. The Sacred Harp (w/Edie Brickell)
    7. Wait (w/Edie Brickell

    Set 2

    1. Graceland
    2. Slip Slidin’ Away
    3. Train In The Distance
    4. Homeward Bound (Simon & Garfunkel song)
    5. The Late Great Johnny Ace
    6. St. Judy’s Comet
    7. Under African Skied (w/Edie Brickell)
    8. Renee And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War
    9. Rewrite
    10. Sprit Voices
    11. The Cool, Cool River
    12. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
    13. Encore:  Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
    14. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
    15. The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel song)
    16. The Sound Of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel song-Paul played this without the band)

    Photo Gallery (click on thumbnail to view larger image)

  • Blog,  Movie Reviews

    Masters Of The Universe (2026) Movie Review

    I went to my local movie theater on June 6th to see the new Masters Of The Universe movie, which had just been released the day before.

    I’m a huge fan of He-Man, Skeletor, and all the characters in the MOTU stories.

    I love the cartoon shows and the 1987 movie that Dolph Lundgren did.

    So, once this movie was announced, I was all in.

    It’s exactly what it should be, which is a fun ride.

    It has lots of action, some good humor, lots of Easter eggs from the original 80s cartoon and even the 87 movie (Dolph has a cameo!!), the cast is really good, and the look of the movie is great.

    Awesome hearing Brian May (Queen guitarist) playing some guitar on some of the music score, and even some Queen is featured at times.  The Darkness (very good band) did a song for the movie too!

    It’s just a really fun movie.

    I know it’s not a HUGE blockbuster, although it’s doing fine at the box office, but my theory is that movie theater business across the board is soft now.  And that’s because most people want to just watch movies and shows on apps.  Also, going to the movie theater is expensive, as is everything.

    But if you want to see a good movie, go see Masters Of The Universe.  And if you’re a fan, DEFINITELY see Masters Of The Universe.

    Also, I pre-bought some MOTU movie theater merch a few weeks before the movie was released and even ate some MOTU themed donuts from Krispy Kreme, which were delicious.

    I’m a geek and I’m proud of it.

  • Album Reviews,  Blog

    Triumph Discography Rankings

    A miracle happened late last year:  Triumph announced a reunion tour!!  First tour in over 30 years and almost 40 years since Rik Emmett (vocals/guitar) was in the band, aside from a few one off appearances.

    I saw the show in Michigan on May 30th and it was phenomenal (review here).

    So, now that I have seen the band, I would like to rank their albums, like I have with so many bands/solo artists I am a fan of.

    Like the others, it’s difficult because I think every album is very good, but hey, I have to rank them someway. 

    Depending on the time of day, I may change my mind.  But here it goes:

    1. Thunder Seven
    2. Allied Forces
    3. Triumph (My copy is called In The Beginning.)
    4. Edge Of Excess
    5. Progressions Of Power
    6. Rock & Roll Machine
    7. Never Surrender
    8. The Sport Of Kings
    9. Just A Game
    10. Surveillance
    11. Live At Sweden Rock Festival
    12. Stages
    13. Live At The US Festival

    Again, it’s tough because I like them all, but that is my ranking as of this typing.

    Triumph rocks!!  Please check out these albums and if they play somewhat near you, go see them.