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Trooper in Concert
If you've ever found yourself in a loud bar, at a sporting event in Canada or passing by a convertible Camaro at some point in the past 40-odd years, there's a good chance you've had a Trooper song soundtracking the experience. From the mid-to-late 1970s, the Vancouver quintet pumped out a steady stream of Top 40 singles that encompassed everything you'd want in a rock band: arena-sized riffs, huge shout-aloud hooks and lyrics about cars and having a good time. Trooper was formed by frontman Ra McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith, whose creative relationship dated back to their late-'60s psychedelic combo Winter's Green, which later changed its name to Applejack. After catching the ear of Guess Who/Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist Randy Bachman (who offered the band their first record deal), the group rebranded itself a final time as Trooper. Early singles like "General Hand Grenade" and "Santa Maria" betrayed traces of their hippie roots with their easygoing, acoustic-driven melodies, but with their 1978 foot-stomping anthem "Raise a Little Hell" and the following year's dramatic, hard-charging "The Boys in the Bright White Sportscar," Trooper proved they could hold their own alongside the era's rowdiest rockers. (The band's hitmaking legacy was cemented with the essential 1979 compilation Hot Shots, which hit No. 2 on the Canadian album charts and went five times platinum.) The hit parade slowed in the ‘80s, and the band haven't released an album of new material since 1991, but Trooper has remained sporadically active as a touring outfit over the years, becoming firmly entrenched in the Canadian pop-cultural canon. In 2001, they were the beneficiaries of a punk-themed tribute album, Shot Spots, featuring hardcore legends like D.O.A. and SNFU, while a 35th-anniversary campaign in 2010 saw them performing at such high-profile events as the Vancouver Winter Olympics and the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup. Contrary to the mantra espoused by one of their most beloved sing-alongs, "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)," Trooper are indeed here for both.
Firstly, the volume was extreme. Ears buzzing for days. Distorted sound. Lead singer is not the original. His voice was way off. Not a good concrete. Will never pay to see Trooper again.
Would have been good to know to go to Ticketmaster.ca before buying tickets. Went on a website for US funds and paid more money.
Trooper was excellent. Played all of the great hits. Fun onstage presence. Only drawback was that the sound seemed to be too loud for the venue to handle.
I didn’t realize that there’s only One founding member of Trooper left. The sound was still good, and the songs Always great, but it just wasn’t the same without Ray McGuire. Congrats to Ray for finding someone who could imitate his voice. Fans, young and old, enjoyed it and sang along and danced. This was special, but to me, Trooper has become a Tribute Band to Trooper. It’s the last time I will see them live. No concerns with the venue whatsoever. River Cree Resort was very well staffed.
Fantastic had wonderful time it was a blast from my past and at one time I knew original band personally through an opening band so was awesone
It was a long time coming ( on the bucket list) but throughly enjoyed the concert. My only disappointment would be that originals recently retired Ra McGuire, Brian Smith weren’t there. That being said the others did a great job in their place, loved the music brought back a lot of memories!! Looking forward to seeing the one April Wine 😊
Never seen Saga or Prism in concert and it was amazing to finally see them they both sounded awesome as for trooper I have seen them before but they sounded better that night than ever I am am so fortunate to have grown up listening too these bands
Very surprised Prism opened! Very disappointed in Prism especially the singer. And these guys are one of my favs. Tons of hits way more than Trooper!! Then there was Saga…. They were ok. Trooper hit better than ok but I’ll never go see them again. Sorry boys time to pack it in! 6 sad faces….
Trooper is still one of the best bands ever. Songs are still the best
The band was supposed to start at 1100 pm but came on stage after 1130. They sang a couple songs then had a guitar solo and then a drum solo to fill the time until midnight. To say the least very disappointed with Trooper as I grew up listening to them. However the casino did put on an excellent buffet and the staff were excellent. Would I recommend my friends to see trooper if they were there next year I would answer with a resounding no If it was a different band maybe.
Went to the nye show in Calgary and the show was great. Second time I have seen them and the boys still can rock it out. Ra can still hit his notes and has a couple new tunes that were great and added a blend. Would recommend to anyone of the era to see their show.
Trooper was totally amazing. Totally loved the concert!
My god this was an awful concert. Trooper didn't even take the stage until 11:35, and then proceeded to -- well -- be awful. One of the worst concerts I've ever seen, to be honest.
Great show...very well done. Vocals could have been highlighted a little more in the mixing...what a voice, it needed to be more in the forefront on some tunes!! Guitar licks as excellent as ever...Great show for the money. Only thing...the crowd seemed a little disengaged...maybe the rules of the venue. My wife couldn't stop dancing. Highly recommend it to new and old Trooper fans!!
Can believe these guys still rock. Excellent show. They rocked the whole venue.
