Saskatoon’s The Sheepdogs put on a show last night at Sugar that showed all of rock’s ragged glory. The place was completely packed; shoulder to shoulder every face was turned to the stage with unwavering focus: music history was being laid down.
The spectrum of instruments the band uses has grown alongside their evolving talent. Pedal steel guitar and killer trombone solos carry tracks like the chilling “Help Us All.” The band’s aligned musicianship is incredible.
Through the hushed crowd and heightened tinkling of the keys at the end of “Learn & Burn” I couldn’t help but acknowledge the ghost of similarity between this band’s Currie brothers and the classic southern rockers the Allman brothers.
When The Sheepdogs returned for their encore, they said, “We’re gonna cover a little tune for ya by The Allman Brothers Band.” They rocketed into the classic track “Whipping Post.” The boys adapted this song like the pinnacle of live Allman Brothers tunes that it is. They poured themselves into it; not the 23-minute jam from Fillmore East, but the studio version from the Allman’s first album.
When the band exited the stage for good, I was left in the wake of a show so complexly colossal. This night proved that The Sheepdogs are going to become a cornerstone in modern day rock and roll.