Friday night, UFO touched down in Etobicoke for the first of two Canadian tour dates. Their arrival marked the first time the band had played in Canada since 1986. Since their last performance here, the lineup has changed greatly, yet the energy still remains. Their current lineup consists of Phil Mogg(vocals), Andy Parker (Drums), Paul Raymond (Keyboard/Guitar), Vinnie Moore (Lead Guitar) and Rob De Luca (Bass).
Entering to the sounds of cheers, UFO took the stage just after 10:00 breaking into their 1977 hit “Light’s Out”. For the next ninety minutes the band played a high energy set including songs from many of UFO’s earlier albums and a few from their latest studio outing “Seven Deadly”.
The set was filled with crowd pleasers such as “Only You Can Rock Me” and “Cherry” which the band performed with the same power that they had brought 27 years ago. During songs such as “Baby Blue” and “Rock Bottom”, Vinnie Moore would take center stage delivering masterful guitar solos that lived up to UFO’s Michael Schenker days. In between a few of the songs, Moore would tease the audience with licks from bands such as Rush and Led Zeppelin.
Phil Mogg’s voice was spot on throughout the night as he sang all of the bands early hits with a swagger and passion that not many vocalists still have at age 65. He constantly joked with the audience between songs, even suggesting at one point that “since we are in Canada, I guess we should play some Gordon Lightfoot songs”. Mogg’s personality was most certainly welcomed as the packed house sang, danced and cheered to every song. The biggest cheer came near the end of the set when Moore started the instantly recognizable hit “Doctor Doctor” which had the crowd pumping their fists and singing along.
Overall, UFO gave an out of this world performance Friday night. When talking with fans after the show, many stated that they would be going to see the band again the next night at the new Rockpile that had just recently opened up in Scarborough. It is clear that the band has a dedicated following as many of the fans at this performance had seen them the last time they were in the area. The show last night made it clear that good things truly do come to those who wait.
Setlist:
Lights Out
Mother Mary
Fight Night
Wonderland
Baby Blue
Let It Roll
Cherry
Burn Your House Down
Only You Can Rock Me
Love to Love
Venus
Too Hot To Handle
Rock Bottom
Encore:
Doctor Doctor
Shoot Shoot
All Photos by BackstageAxxess correspondent Kris Gelder.
We would like to thank Jon Freeman of Freeman Promotions for the credentials to review the show.
