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Opening night of the 2024 PNE Summer Night Concerts was just what the crowd ordered: Mostly well-rendered renditions of classic rock chestnuts from two adored Canadian musicians who know how to bring it live. Colin James and Burton Cummings gained their fame writing hooks that go down as easy as a classic cinnamon sugar-coated little doughnut.
The thing is, even those little doughnuts can start to blend into one another if the set list never takes any chances. This affected headliner Cummings more than James.
The blues rocker was up first and he and his crack septet burned through a set that included every one of his best-known singles and some perfunctory blues boogies to keep the crowd’s blood pumping after a fairway dinner. As always, James sounded great and had the crowd in the palm of his hand for upbeat takes on Five Long Years, Just Came Back and other well-known tunes from his back catalogue.
This was definitely his cruises, festivals, corporate gig set and therefore didn’t include any of the material that has been winning praise all-around in blues circles of late. Those wanting to hear material from his fine new album, Chasing the Sun, will have to wait for his next turn round. Those who were in the mood to hear James’ tasty guitar shredding through an extended medley of blues classics that even people who have never listened to the blues would know weren’t disappointed.
The sound was clean and not-too-loud, and the energy levels were high.
I just would have preferred one or more less ZZ Top-type, John Lee Hooker boogie and one-slow burner of a ballad in its place. He certainly has them in his catalogue. Either way, the set delivered the requisite rev-up and bassist Steve Marriner played one heckuva blues harp solo at one point while still holding down the I-V-IV tempo.
As the voice, keys and writer or co-writer of the finest moments of the Guess Who’s career, Burton Cummings is a true Canadian rock icon.
He strolled on stage in a black T adorned with the Beatles A Hard Day’s Night album cover and a satin tour bomber that had a wee Jim Morrison patch on the left side and wasted no time hitting the keys like a pro on Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon. At 76 years, the Winnipeg legend can still put on some fine lead piano face moves and make the black and white keys boogie woogie.
His voice has held up better than the majority of his ’60s-era contemporaries, still carrying that lovely blend of just a little bit of gravel with choirboy clarity. He absolutely nailed such gems as Laughing, Hand Me Down World, No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature and Clap for the Wolfman. The random crowd clapping for that last tune had me wishing for the sound of one hand clapping, as there was a clear lack of consensus on exactly when, and how, the palms should connect on the chorus.
It happens to all of us from time to time. And to most concert audiences, all the time.
Which brings us to what was certainly one of the highlights of Cummings set, the harmony-laden No Time. With its moody descending break and slightly psychedelic groove, the song stood out for its enduring appeal. The same really can’t be said for the closer Share the Land, a song Cummings admitted he wrote in the ’60s that reflected the love vibe of the era.
It has not aged well and I would have even taken the overstated ballad Stand Tall as a preferred closer, but that’s nitpicking when you get barrelhouse versions of My Own Way to Rock and a spirited cover of the Equals Baby Come Back that the singer seemed to truly enjoy belting out.
Where Cummings didn’t seem very interested in was his stage banter.
After dissing the group presently touring as the Guess Who that has no actual members of the band in it as a bad karaoke joke — which was funny and true — he managed to mention that someone somewhere might have heard this or that song on the radio at some time five times. He also noted that the West Coast/Vancouver was a real rock ‘n’ roll town four times and a few other odd non-sequiturs.
Everyone is still wondering how far was the “really long way” the bassist came to be there.
If you tell the story three times introducing your band but never let the crowd know, it’s a bit like missing the punchline becoming the punchline. I wasn’t around back in the days when you could get a drink at Pharoah’s or any other long-shuttered nightspots back in the day. Maybe that’s how jokes went down there and then?
Either way, it was a lot of fun hearing a legend still in fine form with sound in the Coliseum so good that it had me wondering if all the mixers at the sound board back in the venues’ 1980s heyday were deaf hacks.
In other words, expect a good production for all of the coming PNE Summer Night Concerts. The series continues tonight with Amanda Marshall and Serena Ryder.
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