In a pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration in downtown Chatham, Saskatchewan rockers The Sheepdogs brought their ‘Backroad Boogie’ tour to the Chatham Capitol Theatre on Saturday night, March 16, 2024.
With multiple fans decked out in green, clover-clad apparel, frontman Ewan Currie acknowledged the upcoming Irish celebration to the Chatham crowd.
“But tonight,” Currie said. “It’s Sheepdogs Day.”
Here are our photos from the performance:
The band decided to break away from “the well-trodden path of major cities and bustling music hubs” on their current tour, performing in the heart of communities across Canada, often overlooked by touring musicians.
Ryan Gullen, The Sheepdogs’ bass guitar player, told the Capitol crowd on Saturday that it was no coincidence that the ‘Backroad Boogie’ tour stopped in Chatham-Kent.
“I’ll tell you a little secret; one of the places that inspired this tour is playing right here,” Gullen said.
“You guys have always treated us great.”
Currie had nothing but positive comments to relay back to the hundreds of Chatham-Kent music fans in attendance.
“This is one of our favorite places to play; you guys are a fantastic crowd, so give yourselves a big hand,” Currie said.
“It’s a beautiful theater by the way; I love this Capitol Theatre. I was walking around today. I love the area, beautiful buildings.”
The frontman also sought some advice from the Chatham crowd on where The Sheepdogs should party after the show.
“Where is a good place for us to go tonight?” Currie asked.
“Tell us on social media. Let us know where we should go; otherwise, we’re going to go to Spanky’s.”
Having played the Capitol Theatre a couple of times over the course of their career, Saturday night’s show was a reunion of sorts for The Sheepdogs.
With current lead guitar player Ricky ‘Papa’ Paquette stepping away from the band temporarily to welcome his new child into the world, The Sheepdogs sought out a familiar face to fill in for Paquette.
The band announced that former guitar player Jimmy Bowskill would be handling the shredding reins for the first few shows of the tour.
Having played full-time with The Sheepdogs from 2015 to 2022, it appeared Bowskill didn’t miss a beat on Saturday, seamlessly transitioning back into his lead guitar duties for the band.
Stealing the show at times, Bowskill tore off on multiple face-bending guitar solos throughout the performance, along with multiple dueling guitar sections with Currie, which showcased their skill, obvious compatibility, and years of experience together.
The Sheepdogs’ diverse musicianship didn’t stop at the guitars.
Currie’s younger brother Shamus showcased his talent all evening playing the keys, trombone, and even the melodica, which is a handheld keyboard instrument, similar to a pump organ or harmonica, which is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument.
The unique instrument was a key feature when the whole band gathered together in the middle of the stage halfway through their set, with unplugged guitars, all huddled around a single microphone.
The Sheepdogs proceeded to perform a raw, campfire-like cover of ‘Lodi’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The band filled their set with the majority of their hits from over the years, including: ‘I Don’t Know’, ‘Who?’, ‘The Way It Is’, and ‘I’ve Got a Hole Where My Heart Should Be’.
In an interview with SWOMP last week, Currie said their objective in Chatham, and at every “soft-seater” show on the tour, was to get people out of their seats.
Given the fact that the front row was packed from the get-go and the near-capacity crowd was on their feet for the majority of the performance, Currie undoubtedly achieved his goal for the evening.
Listen to our full interview with Currie, below:
Showcasing a Daisy Jones and the Six vibe, the 1970s feel from opening act Daniel Romano’s Outfit perfectly complemented the headliners.
The four-piece Ontario-based band displayed beautiful vocal harmonies and pop-punk energy, reminiscent of The Strokes, during their opening medley of tunes.
Here are some photos from their performance:
Learn more about Daniel Romano’s Outfit on their official website https://www.danielromanomusic.com/.
To learn more about The Sheepdogs, and the remaining ‘Backroad Boogie’ tour dates, visit https://thesheepdogs.com/.