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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Bachman Happy With Guess Who Reunion Tour
Toronto Canada Sun 31May00 A2
By Jane Stevenson: Toronto Sun
ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA -- LDS guitarist Randy Bachman says he has
finally found closure with fellow members of the classic rock band "The
Guess Who." Bachman starts tonight the tour he says he could have done 30
years ago at the height of the band's success. Bachman left the band at that
point following his conversion to the LDS faith.
Bachman left the band in 1970 as it was about to tour and with its song
"American Woman" on the top of the charts. But Bachman was suffering from
gallstones and was at odds with the other band members over their
rock-and-roll lifestyle.
Now, having resolved their differences, the band is on a reunion tour.
Bachman, in an interview in his hotel room, explained how it feels to be
back, "I left in May of '70 and here it is May of 2000, where I've just
finished rehearsing with the band, and this is like I'm getting to do the
American Woman victory tour
"I feel a lot of closure. I think the band feels closure. I think tempers
were high, emotions were high when I left the band. A lot of things were
done and said on both sides that I think we all regret. I feel very
fortunate, and possibly they agree, that we're able to go back and rebuild
this bridge that we burned between us. I really feel complete. I feel like
I'm with my buddies again."
The band started in 1962 when Bachman got Chad Allan, pianist Bob Ashley,
drummer Garry Peterson and bassist Jim Kale to join. They had some success
as Chad Allan and the Expressions, recording "Shakin' All Over" in 1965. But
they ended up changing names because of a publicity stunt. In the stunt they
used the name "The Guess Who" to suggest they were a British band incognito.
The name stuck and "Shakin' All Over" went to No. 22 in the U.S. Singer
Burton Cummings replaced Ashley and Allan left shortly afterwards. The band
continued after Bachman left in 1970, and even after Cummings also left in
1975.
Tonight, the band kicks off their tour on The Rock, where the group will
include Cummings, Bachman, Peterson, bassist Bill Wallace (a last-minute
replacement for Kale) and rhythm guitarist Donnie McDougall. They plan to
play about 30 songs over at least two hours and 15 minutes. Bachman will
also perform three Bachman-Turner Overdrive songs during the concert,
"Lookin' Out For No. 1," "Let It Ride" and "Takin' Care Of Business." The
tour then moves to the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto on June 15. All 8,000
of the reserved seats in the venue sold out in the first day.
A reunion show came together after Bachman played with Cummngs, Kale and
Peterson at last year's Pan Am Games in Winnipeg. They began rehearshing in
Winnipeg on May1st, and played at a small community centre for 350 people on
May 20th.
But Kale decided to leave to deal with "family issues," and the community
centre performance is the only one of the tour that will have had the entire
group together. His departure was an emotional moment for the group, "We're
just all sitting there, we're all in tears, we're all hugging each other and
shaking hands saying, 'We're really sorry,' and him saying, 'So am I,' "
said Bachman of Kale. "It was just really a realization that he had so much
family stuff to take care of at home, and pressures and stuff, that he
couldn't deal with it long distance. He couldn't deal with it daily there.
It was affecting our rehearsals just because his mind wasn't there."
And as the tour begins, Bachman says that its magic to him, "All that really
matters is you can do something that affects thousands and thousands of
people and it's as simple as your childhood dream of playing a guitar in a
band," explained Bachman. "And now, after 30 years, it has become magic to
play these songs and see the reaction of the people -- it's an unbelievable
intimate moment, without even speaking. It's like an ESP kind of thing."
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