Big Sugar leaves Vancouver hot sweaty and satisfied

Big Sugar leaves Vancouver hot sweaty and satisfied
written by Chris van Staalduinen

Big Sugar came to the Commodore Ballroom on a cold, rainy November night and lit the place on fire. Gordie Johnson and the boys showed why they are without a doubt one of the top live acts in this country. It was truly the most rocking party ever thrown by five older guys in suits, eight if you include openers Triggerfinger.

The latter came out looking like 3 hit men and their set was just as deadly – an excellent 3 piece rock/punk band with incredible energy. The guitarist/singer is an engaging front man who can rip it up, the bassist was hitting on all cylinders and the drummer beat the drums like they had killed his dog. It was a great set up for what was to come next.

Big Sugar came out of the gate storming, energizing the crowd with hits at the start before hitting new stuff. They played one of my favourite all-time covers – “Dear Mr. Fantasy” early on and another B.T.O. cover later and the crowd ate it up with a double-necked spoon to match Johnson’s double necked guitar. The expert mixing of new and old, covers with hits, and skilled musicianship throughout, made for one of the best shows I’ve ever been to – and that’s saying something! I’ve been to a lot. They certainly played like much younger men; there wasn’t a slow moment from these true icons of Canadian blues-rock.

Triggerfinger‘s front man came out and joined them on stage towards the end of their set and they all meshed well. The encore was a no-doubter – only about a minute of fans bouncing the dance floor and they were back. The Commodore Ballroom was the perfect venue for Big Sugar – excellent acoustics, fun atmosphere and plenty of good seats around the dancing throngs on the floor. The show was long enough, loud enough and rocking enough to have every single person leave hot, sweaty and satisfied.

Regrettably, I’d never been to see Big Sugar live before, but I won’t make that mistake again. If they came back tomorrow, I’d be there in a flash. Take it from me – if you like Big Sugar or even blues rock and they come through your town don’t make the mistake I have in the past. Go see them and it’ll be two of the best hours of your musical life. Once again, I’ve been to a tonne of concerts and this one’s in my top ten for sure, pushing my top five – don’t miss out…

Want to know how the bands fared in Kelowna the next night in Kelowna? Read our editor’s review HERE

Big Sugar Leaves Vancouver hot sweaty and satisfied