Last night was electric as Gowan brought his 40 Years of Strange Animal Tour to the Bronson Centre Music Theatre.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since that breakthrough album. As an 80s kid, there is nothing that anchors me to childhood nostalgia more than music, and I fondly remember the days of watching MuchMusic, and seeing the videos for “Strange Animal” and “Criminal Mind” and being mesmerized by Gowan’s music and his videos.
So here we are 40 years later, and with many albums and successes to his credit, both as a solo artist, but also as the vocalist/pianist for Styx for the last 25+ years, Gowan has a lot to be proud of.
Last night’s show was opened by indie/pop artist Hans, who played a short set of catchy tunes, and reminisced fondly about his time living in Ottawa, before relocating to Montreal.
Gowan and his band hit the stage with the high-energy punch of “Awake The Giant,” which immediately had the first few rows of fans out of their seats and crowding the front of the stage. The set continued with hits like “Dancing On My Own Ground” and “All The Lovers in the World,” punctuated by Gowan’s witty banter and many memories of Ottawa over the years, including the time his previous band was booked at Barrymore’s a for a full week, but had to take one night off to allow a U2 to play a show, to which Gowan quipped, “I knew with a name like that, they weren’t going anywhere.”
Gowan is a consummate showman, and for someone who’s been around for 40+ years, he shows no signs of slowing down. He was constantly in motion, standing on his piano stand, weaving around the stage, and having a blast with his bandmates, who are all excellent musicians. Accompanied by lighting, smoke and sound that rivalled a small arena show, the night was definitely worth more than the price of admission, and it was easy to see why both of Gowan’s shows at Bronson Centre this weekend were sold out.
After weaving their way backwards through his catalog, Gowan took a moment to discuss the Strange Animal album — the reason for the tour, before asking the crowd if it would be OK if they played the album in its entirety and after uproarious approval, that is exactly what they did.
Joined by his brother Terry Gowan on bass, Bob McAlpine on guitar, Ryan Bovaird on keys, and legendary drummer Todd Sucherman on drums, Gowan and the guys tore through the album in a way that makes great songs even greater, adding an enthusiasm and musical force that just isn’t present in the studio version, and can only be experienced live.
They closed out the set with the two big hits from that album, “A Criminal Mind,” and of course, “Strange Animal” before capping off the night with an encore of “Moonlight Desires.”
The 40 Years of Strange Animal tour continues with more dates across Ontario in May.
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