Burton Cummings

We often get so wrapped up in our own existence that we forget about those who came before us and who have lived similar experiences.  This thought dawned on me as I sat in the Scotiabank Centre on a Wednesday evening in late May, and I watched an older lady be assisted to her feet by her (presumed) husband to cheer on The Guess Who with a standing ovation.   It was a sight that warmed my heart and made me think that a lifetime ago, she was likely at one of those early shows when Burton and Randy were just starting out, and would have been equally excited to hear these beloved tunes.   The room on this night was filled to the rafters with a legion of grey-haired folks who were seizing the moment to once more revel in the tunes that provided a soundtrack to their lives.  

Tim Bovaconti & Randy Bachman

Personally, I was seated in the very same room over 25 years ago when Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman last toured under the Guess Who banner, and at that time, I was doubtful I’d get another chance to see this legendary duo.   Little did I know at the time that the only way they were able to tour under the Guess Who banner was to lease the name from former Guess Who bassist Jim Kale.  In the mid-eighties, Kale registered and trademarked the moniker The Guess Who, as it had largely been unused since the band’s dissolution a decade earlier.   Kale recruited former band member and drummer, Garry Peterson, to join this new incarnation of The Guess Who, even continuing to perform the songs that the former duo of Bachman and Burton had penned over the course of the band’s initial run.  The songs might have been those of the Guess Who, but without the legendary duo at the helm, the heart and soul of the band were absent. 

Randy & Burton

It wasn’t until 2024 that a lengthy court battle finally reached its conclusion, and the Guess Who moniker returned to its rightful holders.   With the lawsuit behind them, the road ahead was paved, and in mid-2025, the plans to reunite the Guess Who were made.  This tour brought the band back to Halifax for the first time since their June 2nd, 2000 stop.    Watching the way in which Burton and Randy interact on stage appears to be a case of opposites attracting, where Burton Cummings is animated, light-hearted and is clearly the ring-leader of the Guess Who, whereas Randy Bachman is more the stoic straight-man of the pair, occasionally chiming in to tell a story, or add an anecdote here and there, but he certainly has that air of an annoyed dad who is about to call someone a dumbass.  

Randy and Burton

No matter how odd their pairing seems, the magic they make on stage is undeniable.   Even with years of wear and tear diminishing Burton’s register and limiting its ability to reach the heights it did a lifetime ago, he is every bit as smooth and infectious as the band was in its heyday.   It was great seeing the pair lean into their post-Guess Who careers: Randy Bachman went on to form another massive Canadian band, BTO, while Cummings embarked on his own solo career, both with great success.   Burton explained that you can’t come all the way to the East Coast and not have Randy perform one of those big BTO hits, and we were treated to “Let It Ride”, and we would later hear “Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and “Taking Care of Business”, all iconic tracks.   Later in the set, we got to hear a cut from Burton’s solo work entitled “My Own Way to Rock”, a solid track, but certainly not a track that the casual fan will easily identify.   

Jeff Jones

The rest of the set was a litany of the Guess Who’s biggest and best hits, including “Undun,” which Burton praised as one of (if not) the best songs Randy Bachman ever wrote.  It was also the B-side to the massive Guess Who hit “Laughing”, and both tracks managed to achieve Gold status, which was a rarity in those days.   Looking around the room after each of those big hits, you could see pockets of fans on their feet cheering, even with a group of folks towards the back of the floor who were up and dancing throughout the show, but it was largely a seated affair aside from the occasional standing ovation.  When it came time for the band’s biggest hit “American Woman”, the band led in with the expanded bluesy intro before hitting that instantly recognizable riff.   All the while, the giant screen behind the band evoked a colourful pinball machine display, with these dimmed panels that would spring to life throughout the performance.  Once Randy launched into that iconic riff, the folks on the floor rocketed to their feet and proceeded to sing their hearts out alongside the band.    

Burton Cummings

The entire night felt like a triumph; the iconic duo celebrated the reclamation of the Guess Who moniker, and those in attendance had the opportunity to revel in these classic cuts of rock n roll one more time.  While some might argue that rock n roll is a young person’s game, all you had to do on this night was to look around the room and see the awe and wonderment etched on the faces of the sold-out crowd, as their hearts swelled from their love of rock n roll.   As much fun as it was to see a young girl singing Triumph’s “Magic Power” a month earlier in this room, it was the sight of someone’s grandma ripping a little air guitar after being helped to her feet that will stick with me.  It’s on a night like that, where you can see the healing power of rock n’ roll, where we are all united for one common cause.  

The Guess Who

Don Felder