Canadian rockers April Wine turn “50 Years Strong,” John Payne’s Asia heats up the Genesee

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

One of Canada’s longest-running rock bands officially hit the half-century mark, and while the bulk of its shows are up north these days, April Wine brought its “50 Years Strong” Tour to an appreciative Genesee Theatre. It might not have been an arena setting, like during the unprecedented stretch from 1975 to 1982 when all of its albums sold gold, platinum or multi-platinum, but the carefully restored and acoustically fine-tuned venue was even better for an up close view and cranked up volume of the foursome led by founding singer/guitarist Myles Goodwyn.

Other April Wine specials included “Say Hello,” “Enough Is Enough” and “Rock N’ Roll Is A Vicious Game,” which despite being performed for decades, continued to unfold with aggression and excitement.

Together, April Wine tailored its set list towards American audiences, cherry picking tunes from “Harder…Faster,” “Nature Of The Beast” and beyond with the front man remarking at one point how pleasantly peculiar it was to be amongst the very first acts ever played on MTV. In fact, they fired off one gritty stomper after the next from before, during and after that era with “Anything You Want, You Got It,” “Big City Girls” and “All Over Town” to name but a few early examples of everyone firing on all cylinders.

Other April Wine specials included “Say Hello,” “Enough Is Enough” and “Rock N’ Roll Is A Vicious Game,” which despite being performed for decades, continued to unfold with aggression and excitement. The “Roller” rockers kept right on roaring and fans returned the favor with their fists as toasts for a prosperous second half to a group that’s sonically aged like its moniker might suggest.

Bonus enhancement to the evening came from Asia featuring John Payne, led by the replacement singer/bassist for John Wetton (whose version Goodwyn shared he was personally asked to produce prior to passing the baton to Mike Stone). In any case, Payne’s tenue kicked off in 1992, initially spanning 14 years and eight studio recordings, prior to launching his own edition after the founders’ reunited.

Though still active in the studio under the Asia banner with “Recollections: A Tribute To British Prog” and the leader’s Dukes Of The Orient side project, the latest line-up basically looked back its entire hour, shining some much-deserved light on melodic gems from the 1990s and 2000s such as “Who Will Stop The Rain?,” “Desire” and “Silent Nation.” The ‘80s weren’t in short supply either thanks to “Only Time Will Tell,” “Sole Survivor,” “Heart Of The Moment” and others covering the late Wetton’s tenure, all of which were vital slices of pop-minded progressiveness at its finest.

Click here for more photos of April Wine and here for more photos of Asia featuring John Payne at the Genesee Theatre.

For additional information on April Wine and Asia featuring John Payne, visit AprilWine.Ca and JohnPayneAsia.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Genesee Theatre include Three Dog Night (Oct. 4); “A Night With Janis Joplin” (Oct. 5); Ben Folds (Oct. 17); Kansas (Oct. 19); Travis Tritt (Oct. 24); Queen Machine (Oct. 25); The Ides Of March, Mark Farner and Bo Bice (Oct. 26); ZZ Top (Nov. 2); The Drifters, The Platters and Cornell Gunter’s Coasters (Nov. 14); The Orchestra starring former members of Electric Light Orchestra (Nov. 21); The Piano Guys (Nov. 22); Beatles Vs. Stones (Nov. 23); Alice Cooper (Nov. 30); Chris Isaak (Dec. 7) and Cimorelli & Voiceplay (Dec. 13). For additional details, visit GeneseeTheatre.com.

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Canadian rockers April Wine turn “50 Years Strong,” John Payne’s Asia heats up the Genesee

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