These Eyes, Star Baby, Clap for the Wolfman – just some of the rock and roll songs from my youth that were belted out by 69 year old Burton Cummings and his band of sixteen years, during a fantastic concert tonight at this, our winter home, Mesa Regal RV Resort!
Burton Cummings and his Band
The House was full, and I think the majority of the audience might have been Canadian. Burton was excited to learn that and “especially” for us they performed Running Back to Saskatoon, and the one song that he said was the most often played on the radio in Canada during the days of the original band, The Guess Who – Break It to Them Gently.
Burton played the keyboard and sang non-stop for two hours, mostly doing songs from the huge repertoire of The Guess Who, but during a twenty-minute break that he gave his band, he performed solo, doing some songs of other artists from the era, such as Bobby Darren’s Mac the Knife, Gerry and the Pacemakers’ Ferry Cross the Mersey.
They brought the show to an end with the popular American Woman and No Time, bringing us all to our feet with roars of applause.
Of course they had to come back out for an Encore, Share the Land.
This was all very exciting for me. I saw The Guess Who perform live in Toronto in 1970, the first and last time that I ever went to see a live Rock Concert until I took my daughter to see Bon Jovi seventeen years later. I guess I lived a sheltered life!
Mind Traveler 
Burton Cummings puts on a good show! We saw him in 1978 or ’79 in Sudbury. He’d been on his own for a few years and had at least one solo album. We have two, and that song you mention, “Break it to them gently” is on one of them. I always thought it was one of his solo numbers. I also saw him at the old Ontario Place forum. I went with my mother and a young Eric, so I guess that was the summer of ’82. He enjoyed bopping to the music although he might be loathe to admit that now.
Jim and I have seen Bachman-Cummings together a couple of times. Apparently one of their other former bandmates owns the name “The Guess Who” so Randy and Burton can’t perform under that name, but let’s face it: They ARE The Guess Who.
Of course, Jim remembers seeing them in the late 60s when they performed at his HIGH SCHOOL!
It’s great to relive the songs and times of our youth through these “old rockers” and Burton Cummings still can rock! Glad you had so much fun. Your photos are great. Thanks for sharing the experience.
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