April Wine entertained a packed house at London Music Hall this past Saturday February 21st with London’s own After The Lounge starting the evening.
Around 9:15 the Canadian Music Hall of Famers took the stage opening with the hard rocking classic Oowatanite, the Jim Clench penned anthem popular for its opening school bell. Vocals were handled by Brian Greenway, the only remaining member from the classic 70s era lineup.
Founding member Myles Goodwyn retired from touring in 2023 and passed away not long after that at the age of 75. Make no mistake, Myles was an integral part of April Wine, but this version of the band put on a great show! It was Goodwyn’s wish that April Wine continue without him and he was part of the search for his replacement. Marc Parent has done a stellar job of keeping the band’s legacy alive.
The band’s set was greatest hits compilation consisting of ballads like “I'm on Fire for You Baby” and “Just Between You and Me” and rockers like “Big City Girls” and “I Like to Rock” which was a big cross border hit and took the band to the next level in the US. The main set finished hard with the Lorence Hud cover “Sign of the Gypsy Queen” and “Roller”.
Make no mistake, Myles was an integral part of April Wine, but this version of the band put on a great show!
The encore began with one of their most popular slow songs, “Tonight Is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love” and ended with one of my favorite songs, the cover of Elton John’s “Bad Side of the Moon”
Supporting act, After The Lounge has been entertaining the London area and beyond for over a decade and has a dedicated following in the city. Their spirited opening set contained hard rocking original songs and covers led by the talented Scotty Bollert on vocals. He is an engaging personality on stage and got the crowd properly wound up for the headliners. Some in the crowd were not aware of the band before Saturday night but were fans by the end of the set.
I have to mention the recent makeover of London Music Hall with the new main entrance on Dundas Street for their 20th anniversary. Owner Demetri Manuel has done an amazing job over the years with some major renovations and the new entrance with the Forest City Music Hall of Fame integrated into the main lobby is fantastic. There is now more space in the venue and also a food area with seating in the space formerly occupied by an A&W which wasn’t accessible to the main venue in the past. These improvements should help boost business on Dundas and add to the vibrancy of London’s downtown. Bravo Demetri!
April Wine
After The Lounge
