The Guess Who brings 60 years of rock-and-roll to San Diego
It’s not every day that you’re able to see a band that made rock what it is today… a band that pushed the envelope of popular music along from ‘nifty 50s’ bop to the raw rock-and-roll of the 70s.
Guess Who’s still touring???!
That’s right, the Canadian rock band from Winnipeg ain’t givin’ up yet. Formed in ’65, the group (under the name ‘Chad Allen and the Expressions’) shot to #22 on the U.S. charts for “Shakin’ All Over”, a little ditty that could be classified as “surf rock” today. Now why the name change? As it turns out, it was an accident: the band’s Canadian label, Quality Records, thought it would be a cool publicity stunt to disguise the single by crediting it to ‘Guess Who?’, hoping that people would buy the record under the impression it was by a more famous band out of the UK. We have to remember that this was smack dab in the middle of the “British Invasion” era, after all. After the label finally gave credit to Chad Allen and the Expressions, the damage had already been done — radio deejays continued to announce the group as ‘Guess Who?’.
Luckily, this poorly planned mishap didn’t impede on their success in the slightest. Over the next decade, The Guess Who released 11 studio albums, charted within the United States Top 40 14 times, and cemented their rock-and-roll status with live shows on the somewhat lewder side (at least, for the times).
To be frank, I never thought I would be able to see The Guess Who live…
The band broke up in 1975; what chance did I have being an 80s baby? The band did reunite for fans over the years, most notably from 2000-2003 when classic-era members Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Garry Peterson, Donnie McDougall, and Bill Wallace decided to give it one last run. Well, considering I was in junior high, that window of opportunity wasn’t open for me. But just as I thought it would never happen, my patience paid off 20 years later.
Although only sporting one founding member, Garry Peterson on drums, The Guess Who has resurfaced for fans after many years dormant. Accompanying Peterson is Derek Sharp on lead vocals, nothing short of incredible when it comes to embodying Cummings’ energy. If you can tear your eyes away from Sharp long enough, you’ll see Michael Staertow on lead guitar (one of the few guitar players to work with Lou Gramm), as well as Greg Smith and Teddy Andreadis on bass and keyboards (best known for backing Alice Cooper, among others). You might think this more of a “tribute band” if it wasn’t so expertly executed.
From the moment members took The Magnolia stage in San Diego on February 9th, it was all dancing, shouting, kicking, and bending. In between hits like “Undone”, “Bus Rider”, and “Laughing”, members joked and laughed with each other, poking fun at each other’s age, the state of rock music today, and whether or not Garry was sitting naked at his drum kit. A highly entertaining night only got better when jams like “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature” and “Hand Me Down World” were played, leading elderly audience members to freak at their seat, an obvious remnant from hippie days past. The band even played some newer items off Plein D’Amour, an album recorded with the current touring members!
Mid-show, the players paused the instrumentals for a pristine rendition of The Beatles’ “Because”… I almost started crying.
A full a cappella medley later, the band launched into the 1970 hit that ripped through this great nation and beyond — “American Woman”. Cheering, the band left the stage only to re-emerge a few minutes later for the encore. The three final songs consisted of the title track off the band’s latest offering, as well as “These Eyes” (cue my soul erupting) and “No Time” — an appropriate track to cue the end of the show.
Was this night anything less of extraordinary? I think not. It wasn’t the lineup I grew up listening to, but beggars can’t be choosers. The current ensemble did a brilliant job and that’s a blessing in itself in my eyes. Cheers to The Guess Who, now and then!
Photography by Kristy Rose
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That is not and never will be the guess who!!!! nobody can ever replace or attempt to sing the band music like Burton Cummings or play guitar like Randy Bachman, they are frauds! Just like to currant lineups of Foreigner and Lynyrd Skynyrd no original members😡🤬
Hi Dave, we hear you. We know that there is current friction between the original members of The Guess Who, but we have no control over how the current band members are presenting themselves. We did note this in our article and appreciate your feedback.