Photographs by Lee-Ann Richer.
2014 has been a year for getting to experience some great music and see a number of legends in the music industry. Well we put another notch in our 2014 musicians to see, belt. Eric Burdon and the Animals performed at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts on Thursday November 20th, 2014.
Let me take one second to say a few words about this venue. What a beautiful and comfortable place to see performances. The acoustics were amazing! They say that in the 485 seat venue that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The furthest seat is a mere 55 feet from the stage. Our seats were at the very back of the theatre and they were great. With the incline you could see perfectly; no heads in the way. Check them out to see who is playing at http://www.oakvillecentre.ca . We liked the venue so much we purchased tickets for Alan Parsons Project. Thanks for all the help Ronnie Brown!
Ok back to the artist. This is the second time we have seen Eric Burdon’s performance. At the age of 73 years young he is still aggressive on stage with his commanding presence. His vocals are still on the mark and have plenty of power behind them. While being rough and gruff in his performing you can see a very personable side to him while he talks to his audience.
The evening started with his five piece band coming out on stage and setting the stage for their first song “Don’t Bring Me Down”. The stage was very simple and classic. All the extras like video screens and props were not necessary and would be a hindrance in this performance. This sold out crowd was here to see Eric Burdon and the Animals, and be entertained, and they were. He greeted the crowd and held up a bottle of water to toast the crowd for their attendance and set it up for the next song “Water” and followed by “When I Was Young”.
Something interesting is I have always been a Grand Funk Railroad fan. The band started the next song “Inside Looking Out” and I thought, very cool, they are doing a GFR cover and discovered it was the other way around! “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” is another classic mega hit; however, Eric Burdon updated it with a reggae feel to it. The crowd sang along while Burdon held the mike out coaxing them to fill in the blanks. This was greatly received judging their generous applause. I am a fan of the original recording but it was still great to hear these British Invasion hits. Hits that were at the top of the charts the same time as bands like The Beatles, The Kinks and the Rolling Stones.
Another segment in Burdon’s past was the formation of the band War. Staying true to his rhythm and blues roots he pushed “Spill the Wine” to the top of the charts in 1970. He sounded like the man he was in the 70’s. Hearing that song was a highlight of the night!
Next he dedicated the song “Wait” to his wife, who was in the audience. While shielding his eyes from the light (he couldn’t find her!) he good-naturedly added she was probably getting into trouble somewhere. It was nice to hear the stories and meaning behind many of his songs. He mentioned that when he first heard the Ray Charles song “I Believe To My Soul” as a kid he loved it and decided later that he had to cover this song.
The band consisted of Red Young/keys, Tony Braunagel/drums, Wally Ingram/percussion, Bill Watts /guitar and Terry Wilson/bass guitar. They were spectacular. My favorite was the keyboard solos. I didn’t want them to end! These road dogs knew their instruments inside out. They were having a ball being on that stage laughing and telling private jokes during their approximately 90 minute set.
Burdon was doing the Hand Jive dance during “Bo Diddley Special” and then followed by “Before You Accuse Me”. He was always moving and being the showman he is known for. He closed out the evening with a medley of “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”, “”Peace In The World” and “River Is Rising” and last but not least “House of the Rising Sun” which received a standing ovation. After a few bows they put the icing on the cake with “It’s My Life”
We were fortunate to catch the second to last date on his tour that started in February. His impressive tour is listed on his web site http://www.ericburdon.com/tour . Well worth keeping an eye on it for a chance to see one of music history’s greats.
