Hot Night: Guess Who rolls out the hits; St. Paul & The Broken Bones deliver blistering set

Grand Rapids boasted a twin bill of high-profile concerts on a high-temperature night with The Guess Who at Acrisure Amphitheater and St. Paul & The Broken Bones at Meijer Gardens. Reviews, photos.

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES

“It’s a hot one tonight,” The Guess Who’s lead singer Burton Cummings said to a sweaty but enthralled crowd gathered at Acrisure Amphitheater on Wednesday night.

Indeed it was. Temperatures rose to 93 degrees and only became more bearable as the sun sank into the sky around 9 p.m.

The now 78-year-old frontman was right, it was sweltering, but he and Randy Bachman and a few thousand of their fans were saved by a few breezes and the collective cool of nearly six decades of music.

Billed as the “Takin’ it Back Tour,” the duo and their ace bandmates proved that age is just a number when it comes to the enduring power of rock ‘n’ roll.

Launching into “969 (The Oldest Man),” an ode to the Canadian prairies from whence they came seemed fitting for this Canada Day show, but other than a couple of shout-outs to their hometown, the band focused on the music that binds their home country with the country they were playing in.

They had a deep vault to dig into, and several times Cummings expressed his hopes that the crowd’s memories would be stirred by the music.

“Hand Me Down World,” a jangly protest song, paid tribute to former member Kurt Winter, who wrote the song when he replaced Bachman in 1970. Images of Winter, who died in 1997, flashed on the big screen behind the band.

“This song changed the lives of a few guys from Winnipeg, Manitoba,” Cummings said, by way of introducing “These Eyes,” one of several songs he said was written by himself and Bachman in the house he still shared with his mom and grandma in 1969.

The song put the band on the musical map and earned them a gold record that still gleams in the sunlight, according to Cummings, whose voice showed the strain of those passing decades, particularly on more robust rock numbers. But if some of that power was absent, his enthusiasm was not.

Bachman, 82, stayed seated for the whole show but his strong voice and vigorous guitar playing belied his age. Cummings was obviously the showman of the two, but he would intermittently kick it over to “Rand,” who fronted the band Bachman Turner Overdrive. “Let it Ride,” about a real life altercation with some American semi truck drivers, was BTO’s first Top 40 hit in the US.

“Let’s see if anyone remembers this one, Rand,” Cummings said, commencing with “Laughing” and then its flip side, “Undun,” a hippie reverie with jazz and Bossa Nova beats. The double-sided record was certified gold.

“American Woman,” The Guess Who’s biggest hit and a famous anti-draft song, was hypnotic, mesmerizing the crowd with its iconic lyrics, soaring vocals and tempestuous guitar riffs.

The two old bandmates, who disbanded and reunited a few times, were obviously in harmony with one another as they performed together, backing each other with joy as they played on through a cavalcade of hits.

“No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature,” was a fantastic medley that had the crowd on their feet dancing to the classic rock banger.

“No Time,” also written in Cummings’ childhood home, showed a different side to the group with its psychedelic, swirling guitars.

“Thank you for buying all those eight track tapes and records,” Cummings said. He wished the crowd peace of mind and heart before the encore, featuring the dove-like “Share the Land.”

But it was a BTO hit to end the night, with “Taking Care of Business” pumping up the crowd one more time.

Opening the show was Don Felder, the former lead guitarist of The Eagles, and his band, The Don Felder Band.

Along with a tight and accomplished band, including former REO Speedwagon guitarist Dave Amato, Felder regaled the crowd with a caravan of hits from his days with The Eagles, including “One of These Nights,” “Take It Easy” and “Heartache Tonight.

Highlights included the Southern-flavored “Seven Bridges Road,” with its multi-part harmonies taking wing over the amphitheater, “Life in the Fast Lane,” which got the crowd on its feet, and “Hotel California,” the monster hit Felder co-wrote with his former bandmates, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. – By Lorilee Craker

UP NEXT AT ACRISURE AMPHITHEATER: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic performs at 8 p.m. Friday (July 3). Tickets, $43.45-$98.65, available here. Four-pack lawn-seat tickets are $24.75 each.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Guess Who, Don Felder at Acrisure Amphitheater
Photos by Adam Briggs

---

St. Paul & the Broken Bones spread gospel of rock in spirited return

 

Hot enough for ya? That’s been the resigned theme of the week across much of the country — and certainly here in West Michigan — as the nation endures an extreme heatwave worsened by a thick, disgusting, damp blanket of humidity.

But for Paul Janeway, vocalist and frontman for Alabama-bred band St. Paul & The Broken Bones, our Michigan heat is “nothing” compared to his Southern homestate’s clime. Janeway and the rest of his crew — Jesse Phillips (bass), Browan Lollar (guitar), Kevin Leon (drums), Al Gamble (keyboards), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), Chad Fisher (trombone) and Amari Ansari (saxophone) — certainly didn’t let the near-100-degree temps slow down their dynamic performance Wednesday evening for a nearly-full house at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

For their part, much of the summer concert series’ audience Wednesday seemed to take the weather in stride, with an impressive number of folks on their feet (and even dancing!) for a good portion of the show. No doubt a testament to the band’s infectious soul/funk/retro sound and tight performance.

A blistering 90-minute set spanned the band’s decade-plus catalog, including tracks (among them, “Sushi and Coca-Cola”) from their 2025 self-titled release. Highlights from the evening included the peppy “Call Me,” “Apollo,” the tender ballad “Grass is Greener” and a killer cover of the Otis Redding heartbreaker, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” (or, as several online setlists from this tour have confusingly identified the song; “Loving wrong”).

A show-closing barn burner of “Sanctify” found Janeway — resplendent in gold, sequined robes; a costume change for the encore — with his arms held aloft, standing on a step ladder set at the top of the hill. Set among a sea of adoring fans, it was a fitting end for an enrapturing evening of music and showmanship.

Chicago singer-songwriter Nathan Graham wowed in his half-hour opening set with a bluesy take on Americana/folk and a particularly great cover of the classic Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young protest song, “Ohio.” If Graham returns to town — particularly for a longer set in a smaller venue — it would be one to watch.

Missed the show? St. Paul & The Broken Bones and Nathan Graham perform tonight (Thursday, July 2) at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo. Tickets are $54.20, available here. – By Tricia Boot Woolfenden

UP NEXT AT MEIJER GARDENS’ SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: Matteo Bocelli, with Stephan Moccio, performs at 7 P.M. Thursday, July 2. Tickets start at $58, available here.

PHOTO GALLERY: St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Nathan Graham at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek

Copyright 2026, Spins on Music LLC