The Guess Who at Hudson Gardens, 6/3/12 (review)

The Guess Who at Hudson Gardens, 6/3/12 (review)

By | June 4th, 2012 | 6 comments
The Guess Who's amazing publicity photo. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Guess Who's amazing publicity photo. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Who would have guessed that the Guess Who would still be performing 50 years after its formation? The band celebrates its golden anniversary this tour and opened the outdoor concert series at Hudson Gardens and Event Center Sunday evening.

The Guess Who recorded its first song in 1963, and had its first U.S. hit, “Shakin’ All Over,” in 1965. The band extended the song with an impressive guitar duet on Sunday. Aging Boomers applauded the group’s many hits from the days of yore and the band got the somewhat lethargic audience members to “Clap for the Wolfman” and eventually rise from the gravitational pull of lawn chairs to get their groove on and sing along to tunes from their youth: “Laughing,” “She’s Come Undone,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “Hand Me Down World.”

The Guess Who’s vintage music holds up, though, sadly, all band members have not. Two have passed on to that big stage in the sky; another is tethered to an oxygen tank. The band now includes only one original member, Jim Kale. (Randy Bachman broke away to form Bachman–Turner Overdrive.)

Lead vocalist Derek Sharp lends fresh energy and staying power, keeping the antique music alive. The band’s hippie-era songs often pushed progressive nuances. Introducing “Share the Land,” Kale said, “This is a song about giving a damn about the next guy.” Enthusiastic audience vocals added to the band’s barber shop harmonies — a bittersweet moment amped up with nostalgia.

“American Woman” brought the crowd to its feet. The Guess Who’s final song, “No Time,” summed up the evening with the wistful lyric: “Seasons change and so did I.”

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Colleen Smith, a longtime freelancer at The Denver Post, is the author of the novel “Glass Halo” and the gift book “Laid-Back Skier.”

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  • Larry

    Correction: Burton Cummings was never part of Bachman–Turner Overdrive.

  • Willopad357

    Burton Cummings was not in BTO; he split with Randy Bachmann over creative differences long before that all happened.  Fact check, there, bud, fact check.

    • John Hendrickson

      Thanks, we’ve notified the writer and made the correction.

  • John J. Wood

    Allow this longtime fan to be
    blunt: You may have the original rhythm section (Jim Kale & Garry
    Peterson — yes, there’s two member!) but this version of the Guess Who is a COMPLETE fraud! This
    entity exists because Jim Kale owns the rights to the Guess Who brand,
    and toured with fake versions for a span of nearly two decades. If the
    touring band does not include the great Burton Cummings and Randy
    Bachman, it is NOT The Guess Who!! Period! That’s probably why the reviewer noted a lethargic audience:  How can you be excited about paying money to watch a cover band for all intents and purposes.

    By the way, Burton toured with his own band this Summer, but sadly, that tour has yet to make it to Colorado.

    If you want to find out what The Guess Who could have sounded like, find the 2001 DVD release of Runnin’ Back
    Through Canada: Then you’ll have a taste of the real thing! I saw the reunited band three times in 2001 & 2002, and the band always played a crisp, high-quality show.  

    The band member that passed away was Kurt Winter (with the GW from ’70-’73), and was generally Bachman’s replacement (along with Greg Leskiw). 

    Again, if you went on Friday, I’m sorry to say you did not see the real thing.  And if you think I’m being not-so-nice, ask Mr. Cummings about Jim Kale sometime.  Be sure you’re wearing a suit of armor when asking.

  • John J. Wood

    To clarify, Randy Bachman left The Guess Who in 1969 not only to start BTO, but his lifestyle (Mormon) did not agree with the rest of the band’s — you can guess the rest there.

    Burton kept The Guess Who going until 1975, their last two albums being rather dismal.  There was a reunion in 1983 with the original four (Bachman, Cummings, Kale, Petersen) where they also had some new songs (which were sadly poor, IMHO).  Then there was the 2000 tour:  Uut was Kale (whom had problems with rehearsals and other issues), and in were two players from the early 70s versions:  Don McDougall (second guitar) and Bill Wallace (bass).  No, Kale was not there, but it did not matter because  it proved to be the real deal.  There’s also a fine live album, Runnin Back Through Canada, that documents the 2000 Canada tour (the DVD just covers a show in their hometown of Winnepeg, also delayed by a lightning storm).

    A good reference point for the history of the Guess Who is John Einarson’s book, “American Woman: The Story Of The Guess Who”, which is a good document of their history; and also some solid music criticism as well.

  • Colleen Smith

    Mea culpa! Thanks for reading, and moreover, for commenting.  =)