Canadian classic rockers Holly Woods and Toronto served up a steaming plateful of ’80s hits for an enthusiastic audience at Casino Lethbridge, May 23.
I arrived in the middle of a great rendition of “Ready To Make Up,” one of their biggest hits.
I wasn’t sure if lead singer Holly Woods could still hit those piercing high notes she hit in the ’80s, but her voice retained it’s massive power which reminded me of fellow Canadian classic rockers the Headpins. I could tell she was holding back, so it made me laugh that as I was leaving to overhear a Casino patron complaining about the volume of the music. It seemed just about right to me.
Lead guitarist Scott Shelski played straight to the point leads, while keyboardist Kevin “Toad” Saulnier played ’80s riffs and some excellent organ lines especially on a hot cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” which was a smooth segue from a hot version of “Delirious” from their debut album.
She got the audience shouting “Girls Night Out,” then played that song. She took a break while the band played an instrumental version of “Smooth Criminal,” returning to say, everybody needs to take a break and sit down.” Bassist Stephanie Sakie left the stage as keyboardist Toad took over and played the sultry bass line of the jazzy number “Who’s Your Love” which was one of the highlights. Another highlight was “All I Need” as was “Even the Score.”
Drummer Barry Connors kept the beat going throughout.
They ended with getting everybody, men and women singing in turn to help sing their big hit “Your Daddy Don’t Know.”