When Bachman–Turner Overdrive rolled into Toronto for their April 26th, 2025 performance at The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort, fans knew they were in for a night of rock nostalgia and Canadian pride. What they might not have expected, though, was just how much fuel BTO still had left in the tank. More than fifty years after their rise to fame, the band delivered a career-spanning set that balanced heavy hitters, deep cuts, and tributes to Randy Bachman’s extended legacy—from The Guess Who to Tal Bachman—before capping it all off with an encore medley that felt like a jukebox tribute to rock itself.
It wasn’t just a concert—it was a reminder that BTO’s music has never been about subtlety. Their blend of blues-based hard rock, arena-ready choruses, and blue-collar storytelling still resonates, and in Toronto, that connection was as strong as ever.
The Setlist
Main Set:
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Take It Like a Man
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Gimme Your Money Please
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Rock Is My Life, and This Is My Song
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Not Fragile
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Blue Collar
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Four Wheel Drive
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These Eyes (The Guess Who cover)
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Laughing (The Guess Who cover)
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Undun (The Guess Who cover)
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No Sugar Tonight (The Guess Who cover)
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No Time (The Guess Who cover)
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Lookin’ Out for #1
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Stayed Awake All Night
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American Woman (The Guess Who cover)
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She’s So High (Tal Bachman cover)
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Let It Ride
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You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
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Roll On Down the Highway
Encore:
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Hey You / All Right Now / Rock’n Me / You Shook Me All Night Long / Honky Tonk Women / Get It On (Bang a Gong) / (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction / Old Time Rock and Roll / Hey You (reprisal)
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Takin’ Care of Business
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Maybe Tomorrow (the Littlest Hobo theme song)
Setting the Tone
Opening with “Take It Like a Man,” the band wasted no time in pulling from both their hits and the wider Bachman songbook. It was a smart choice: not only did it immediately showcase Randy Bachman’s songwriting strength, but it also set the tone for the rest of the night. This wasn’t going to be a greatest hits show in the most obvious sense. It was a curated journey through decades of Canadian rock, and the audience was invited to come along for every twist and turn.
The early stretch of the set leaned into BTO’s meat-and-potatoes hard rock identity. “Gimme Your Money Please” and “Rock Is My Life, and This Is My Song” hit with the kind of swagger that only seasoned veterans can deliver. Both tracks are reminders that BTO never tried to be flashy or complicated—they thrived by writing songs that sounded just as good blasting from a car stereo as they did onstage.
Classic Rock Muscle
By the time “Not Fragile” and “Blue Collar” rolled around, the band had settled into a groove. The former, a defining anthem of 70s hard rock, still carries weight with its chunky riffs and working-class bravado. The latter, slower and moodier, gave the crowd a chance to breathe while also highlighting the group’s versatility. It’s one thing to crank up the amps for a raucous rocker—it’s another to let a song simmer and draw the audience in with dynamics.
The inclusion of “Four Wheel Drive” reinforced the band’s love for car and road imagery, a recurring theme in their catalog. In a way, it was a metaphor for the night itself: dependable, powerful, and built for the long haul.
A Nod to The Guess Who
One of the night’s biggest surprises came when the band pivoted into a run of Guess Who classics. Randy Bachman’s history with Burton Cummings’ group is, of course, legendary, but hearing him revisit songs like “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “Undun,” “No Sugar Tonight,” and “No Time” was a special treat for the Toronto crowd.
These weren’t just covers—they were reclamations of a past that Bachman helped create. The band performed them with reverence but also with a freshness that kept them from feeling like museum pieces. “Undun,” in particular, stood out, with its jazz-influenced chords and moody atmosphere. It was a reminder that Bachman has always had a knack for bending genres without losing his rock core.
By the time “American Woman” hit, the energy in the room was electric. Few songs in Canadian rock history carry the same weight, and even without Burton Cummings on vocals, the band made it their own.
Deep Cuts and Family Ties
One of the charms of the night was how personal it felt. When the band launched into “She’s So High,” Tal Bachman’s late-90s pop-rock anthem, it was both unexpected and heartwarming. The crowd sang along joyfully, bridging generations in a way that few concerts manage. It wasn’t just about BTO’s past—it was about the family legacy of music that Randy has cultivated.
Similarly, songs like “Lookin’ Out for #1” and “Stayed Awake All Night” showed that the band wasn’t afraid to reach into the deeper corners of their catalog. For longtime fans, it was a reminder that there’s more to BTO than the radio staples.
The Big Guns
Of course, no BTO concert would be complete without their signature hits, and the band delivered them with gusto. “Let It Ride” got the crowd moving, its upbeat groove turning the theatre into a singalong. “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was as infectious as ever, with Randy’s stuttering vocal hook still hitting the sweet spot. And “Roll On Down the Highway” proved that sometimes the simplest riffs are the most effective, closing the main set on a high-energy note.
The Encore: A Rock and Roll Jukebox
Then came the encore, and it was nothing short of wild. Instead of just hitting one or two final songs, the band launched into a medley that blended “Hey You” with snippets of some of rock’s most iconic tracks: “All Right Now,” “Rock’n Me,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Get It On (Bang a Gong),” “Satisfaction,” and “Old Time Rock and Roll.”
It was less about note-for-note perfection and more about spirit. The band played these songs as if to say: “This is the music that shaped us, the music we love, and the music that connects us all.” For the audience, it was like stepping into a time machine that covered three decades of classic rock in one extended jam.
The medley reprised back into “Hey You” before kicking into the one-two punch of “Takin’ Care of Business” and the night’s unexpected closer, “Maybe Tomorrow” (the Littlest Hobo theme song). That last choice might sound strange to anyone unfamiliar with Canadian TV, but for those in the know, it was a perfect wink to national culture. Ending the night on that note gave the show a uniquely Canadian stamp that few international acts could ever replicate.
Performance and Atmosphere
What stood out most about the show wasn’t just the setlist but the way it was delivered. Randy Bachman, despite decades in the business, still carries himself with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely loves being onstage. His guitar tone remains as recognizable as ever—thick, crunchy, and unapologetically loud.
The band around him was tight and professional, clearly well-rehearsed but also willing to loosen up when the songs called for it. Vocals were shared, harmonies held strong, and the rhythm section kept everything anchored. It was a reminder that while BTO has gone through various lineups over the years, the spirit of the music has always been bigger than any one member.
The audience, meanwhile, was a mix of longtime fans who grew up with BTO and younger concertgoers curious to see what the hype was about. The generational spread only added to the energy in the room. When thousands of voices sang “Takin’ Care of Business” in unison, it felt less like a concert and more like a celebration of Canadian rock identity.
Legacy on Display
The Toronto performance was more than just a greatest-hits concert. It was a showcase of Randy Bachman’s place in rock history. Between The Guess Who, BTO, and his family’s continuing contributions, his fingerprints are all over Canadian music. This concert highlighted that legacy without ever feeling like a history lesson. It was fun, it was powerful, and it was deeply personal.
What’s remarkable is how timeless many of these songs feel. While the music industry has shifted dramatically since BTO’s heyday, their brand of straightforward, riff-heavy rock still gets crowds moving. There’s something refreshing about that in 2025—a reminder that sometimes, the old ways still work best.
Final Thoughts
Bachman–Turner Overdrive’s concert at The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort wasn’t just another stop on a nostalgia tour. It was a living, breathing affirmation of why this band mattered in the first place—and why they still matter today. From the heavy crunch of “Not Fragile” to the universal joy of “Takin’ Care of Business,” the night offered proof that BTO’s music endures not because it’s complicated but because it’s honest.
For the Toronto crowd, the show was a homecoming. For the band, it was a victory lap. And for everyone in attendance, it was a chance to roll on down the highway one more time with one of rock’s most reliable engines.