The Guess Who — Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida - March 1st 2026 Takin’ It Back Tour
The Guess Who — Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FloridaMarch 1st 2026 — Takin’ It Back Tour
Review by Robert Corich
There are some bands where the opening notes are enough to transport you straight back through the decades. The Guess Who are certainly one of them — and at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, Randy Bachman and company proved that these songs still have plenty of life left in them.
The Takin’ It Back tour did exactly what it promised, revisiting the music that made The Guess Who such an important part of rock history, while throwing in a healthy dose of Bachman-Turner Overdrive along the way.
“969 (The Oldest Man),” “Proper Stranger,” “Hand Me Down World,” “These Eyes” and “Albert Flasher” set the tone before “Let It Ride” shifted proceedings firmly towards BTO territory.
And what a reaction those BTO songs received.
Randy Bachman’s guitar and songwriting have, of course, been responsible for an extraordinary amount of Canadian rock history, but special mention has to go to Burton Cummings, who was superb throughout the evening. His voice retains all its character and authority, and he was particularly impressive on the BTO numbers. He didn’t simply sing “Let It Ride,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and “Takin’ Care of Business” — he attacked them with real enthusiasm and vocal power.
In this part of the world, those BTO numbers really took the roof off — nearly!
Back in Guess Who territory, “Clap for the Wolfman,” “Laughing,” “Undun” and “Star Baby” kept the journey rolling, before the big guns arrived.
“American Woman” was magnificent. That opening riff still has the ability to stop a conversation dead, and live it sounded every bit as powerful and provocative as it did all those years ago. Cummings was outstanding once again, giving the song the authority of a man who has lived with it for more than half a century.
And given the events across the border, perhaps there was a little extra significance in having “American Woman” roaring out across Florida that night. Had she made it through all the noise, distraction and political theatre back in December 2024, perhaps she might have found herself residing in La Casa Blanca instead.
But enough politics — this was rock ’n’ roll. “No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature” and “No Time” followed, both delivered with the conviction and energy that had characterised the evening.
The encore was perfectly chosen: “Share the Land”, followed by that BTO roof-raiser, “Takin’ Care of Business.”
And judging by the reaction to the BTO material, I reckon it’s high time Randy Bachman got another version of Bachman-Turner Overdrive together and took those songs back out on the road. If this is the response they can generate in Florida, there’s clearly an audience waiting.
Indeed, both The Guess Who and a proper BTO outing are long, long overdue in the UK. I’m sure both would be given a very warm welcome on this side of the Atlantic. There are plenty of us over here who would happily turn out to hear these songs played by the men who helped create them.
And considering what Canada has recently had to put up with from the bully in the White House, perhaps there’s never been a better time for a little Canadian rock ’n’ roll retaliation. Enough political shenanigans from south of the border would be enough to keep any Canadian band “Stayin’ Awake All Night.”
And I can even suggest the BTO tour name:
“Gimme More of Your Money Please.”
Now there’s a BTO reunion tour I’d happily pay to see!
The Takin’ It Back tour may have been looking backwards, but there was nothing backward-looking about the energy in that room.
The Guess Who brought the songs, Randy brought the guitar, Burton brought that remarkable voice, and the audience brought the noise.
A terrific night of Canadian rock history — and one hell of a reminder that some songs really do refuse to grow old.
