Written by Dave Clements

Last night inside the beautiful Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas, I found myself in a familiar place — camera in hand, ready to photograph and review the Takin’ It Back – The Guess Who Tour as it rolled through Houston. Don Felder, former guitarist for the Eagles, opened the evening, and the tour continues its sweep across North America.

But before I talk about the show we just witnessed, I need to set the stage. Because this review isn’t only about last night. It’s about two shows, separated by 56 years, nearly 1,300 miles, and an entire lifetime of living.

Let’s start with Felder.
This is a man whose fingerprints are on some of the most recognizable guitar licks in American music. A man who, early in his career, helped teach Tom Petty how to play guitar — a gift that ultimately gave the world decades of Petty’s brilliance before his untimely passing in 2017.
Felder’s set was short, sharp, and built almost entirely from the Eagles catalog. If you even remotely like the Eagles — or terrific guitar work — you had to enjoy what he delivered.
He opened right on time with Already Gone, then rolled through One of These Nights, Victim of Love, and Seven Bridges Road. He closed with a powerhouse trio: Heartache Tonight, Life in the Fast Lane, and Hotel California. Every one of them was played with precision, warmth, and that unmistakable Felder tone.
In the middle of the set, he paused to sing a song he wrote for his girlfriend, Jaden Osborne — I Like The Things You Do — accompanied by a video on the big screen. It was a sweet moment, unexpected and sincere.
But what impressed me most was his passion for something far beyond the stage. Felder spoke about his work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and specifically the Rock & Roll Retreat Sweepstakes he supports. It’s worth a serious look on his website — a reminder that some musicians give back as fiercely as they play.

Now, back to the main event.
The Takin’ It Back Tour features Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, the two original architects of The Guess Who — the men who started it all in Winnipeg Canada in the late ’60s. If you want to read a novel’s worth of drama about the band name, the rights, the battles, and the eventual reunion, feel free. But that’s not what this review is about.
This is about two nights — one in 1970, one in 2026 — and the long line that connects them.

Show One: October 24, 1970 — University Hall, Charlottesville, Virginia–
It was billed as the Circle K Concert. Don’t ask me why. There was no opener. No frills. Just The Guess Who.
I had just graduated from college. I was about to start a career. I was worried about dying in Vietnam, like so many of my friends. And I had never traveled that far from home to see a national touring act.
I can’t tell you what Cummings or Bachman looked like on stage that night — not precisely. But I can tell you what it felt like.
The audience sang along to almost every song. The energy was electric. And when American Woman hit, the place absolutely exploded.
It was one of those “moment in time” experiences you will never forget.
Thank you, Randy and Burton, for giving that to me all those years ago.

Fast‑forward 56 years.
Last night, I stood in front of these two musical icons with a camera, humbled to photograph them. In 1970, they were roughly my age. Now, like me, they’re approaching 80. Their bodies and voices have changed — of course they have.
But something hasn’t changed at all.
Two brilliant songwriters, still crafting and delivering arrangements of words and notes that will outlive all of us. Songs that are larger than life. Songs that aren’t just hits — they’re cultural landmarks.
The setlist was a reminder of just how deep their catalog runs:
• Hand Me Down World
• These Eyes
• Let It Ride
• Laughing
• Undone
• You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
• No Sugar Tonight
• No Time
• Share the Land
• And of course, American Woman

Every one of them is known. Every one of them is loved. And if you were in the room last night, you felt that love.

A Final Thought — And a Frustration

I left the venue humbled and honored to have been part of the night in Sugar Land. But I also left with one disappointing thought:
How are these guys not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? It’s baffling. It’s wrong. And it needs to be corrected.

Until Next Time
Please help keep live music alive every chance you have.
dwc