Inside the bergenPAC auditorium in Englewood, NJ this Wednesday, October 29, 2025 evening, fans of classic rock are takin’ care of business readying themselves for a NJ performance by the Canadian group, Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, BTO is led by founding member Randy Bachman who, with Burton Cummings, had great success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with their band, The Guess Who.
In 1973, along with brothers Robbie and Tim and their friend, Fred Turner, Randy formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive, a group which achieved international stardom selling over 30 million albums worldwide.
The auditorium lights dim and the crowd cheers as drummer Koko Bachman, guitarist/keyboardist Tal Bachman, guitarist Randy Bachman, bassist Lance LaPointe, and guitarist Brent Howard take the stage.
Opening with “Take It Like a Man,” LaPoint sings “I’m gonna get back where they want me,” expertly accompanied by the band on this driving rocker.
Lights flash and fog fills the stage as LaPoint also handles the lead on “Gimme Your Money Please” where Randy Bachman impresses with a dramatic guitar solo on this rhythmic rocker.
Concertgoers raise their hands in the air as Randy and friends sing, “When we come into a new town/Everybody’s there/When we play our music/Hands are in the air,” on the easy rock tune, “Rock is My Life and This is My Song.”
Randy exclaims, “Thank you to all you rockers for coming tonight!” before performing the title song from the group’s best-selling album, Not Fragile. Concertgoers clap along as band members play off one another’s energy on this hard rocker.
Randy Bachman explains the family nature of BTO in that the group was originally comprised of his two brothers and their friends and now features his son, Tal, along with his daughter-in-law, Koko on drums, and their friends.
Randy announces, “Here’s a Guess Who moment for all you fans!” as BTO performs The Guess Who’s 1969 hit, “These Eyes,” where LaPoint sings with feeling, “These eyes have seen a lot of loves but they’re never gonna see another one like I had with you.”
Flower-power images appear on screen behind the band as Tal sings lead on The Guess Who folk-rocker, “No Sugar Tonight.” Then, on “Undun,” LaPointe croons “She’s come undone/She didn’t know what she was headed for” on this appealing Latin-influenced pop tune.
Randy Bachman plays the iconic guitar intro to The Guess Who’s 1969 million-seller “No Time” where four-part vocals ring out as Tal and the group sing, “(No time left for you) On my way to better things/(No time left for you) I found myself some wings.”
Music fans stand and cheer and Randy declares, “This is for you guys who like the jazzy stuff!” as Brent Howard sings lead and Randy fingerpicks his guitar in octaves on “Blue Collar,” before Randy’s voice is featured on the Latin-jazz selection, “Lookin’ Out for #1.”
Concertgoers hoot and holler and Randy exclaims, “The rock keeps on rolling!” as he and the band power into the driving rocker, “Stayed Awake All Night,” where fans happily clap along before Randy plays a solo by striking the strings of his guitar with a drumstick under flashing lights.
Following up with “American Woman,” BTO rocks the house as LaPointe sings with authority, “American woman, stay away from me/American woman, mama, let me be,” on this 1970 Guess Who chart-topper.
Tal Bachman introduces his 1999 solo hit, “She’s So High,” explaining, “It was a hit all over the world but I never came to Englewood, so tonight is its debut!” Accompanying himself on guitar, Tal impresses with his easy falsetto as he sings, “She’s so high/High above me,” while music lovers clap along on this engaging pop tune.
Four-part vocals ring out as Randy and Lance LaPointe switch off singing lead on the 1974 BTO hit, “Let It Ride,” where Randy plays a guitar solo which crescendos into a Koko Bachman drum interlude and listeners clap and sing along on the song’s hypnotic, “Try, try, try to let it ride” refrain.
Randy sings, “B-b-b-baby, you just ain’t seen n-n-n-nothing yet,” on the 1974 Billboard chart-topper, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” after which the crowd responds with a standing ovation. Then, Koko plays her drum set with power on the rockin’ “Roll On Down the Highway,” where music lovers dance as they play air drums under flashing lights.
Fans stand and cheer while band members take a bow and exit the stage. After they return, Randy exclaims, “You guys are rockers! We’re gonna play a jam-up of a whole bunch of songs. Are you ready to rock?”
The crowd hoots and hollers and the band powers into a rockin’ medley of BTO’s “Hey You,” Free’s “All Night Long,” Steve Miller Band’s “Rock’n Me,” ACDC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman,” T Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong),” The Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll,” before wrapping up with a reprise of “Hey You.”
Audience members stand, dance, and cheer as BTO concludes tonight’s show with the group’s 1974 hit, “Takin’ Care of Business,” where music fans happily sing along on the song’s “Takin’ care of business (Every day)/Takin’ care of business (Every way)” refrain. At the conclusion, Randy responds, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” as Tal and Koko bring Randy’s infant granddaughter on stage for a group bow in front of the standing and cheering crowd.
As concertgoers make their way out of the BergenPAC auditorium, several share their opinions of tonight’s performance by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Declares Gus from Elmont, NY, “It was a beautiful concert; fantastic! They played the best songs with a lot of energy and I loved it!” Anthony from South Salem, NY agrees, adding, “I thought it was a great, eclectic show! The encore medley was just fantastic and at the very end when the Bachmans brought out the baby, it was really, really special.”
While Jim from Suffern, NY exclaims, “It was a great concert; I had a great time!” Joanne from Suffern explains, “This was my first time seeing BTO, and it was like being at a party — a rock and roll party!” Fred from Tenafly, concurs, noting, “It was a great performance! Randy Bachman’s still got it; his son, Tal, was terrific; and his daughter-in-law, Koko, on drums was amazing!”
Alan from Englewood Cliffs reveals, “My buddies and I saw BTO 50 years ago when we were in high school and we never thought we’d see them again, but here we are taking care of business and having a great time!” Reveals his buddy, Kevin from New Milford, “We don’t see each other that often but BTO brought us back together for this show and it was absolutely worth it!” The pair’s friend, Jim from Ridgefield, agrees, adding, “There are many emotions running through my mind right now. Hearing all these songs again with my buddies was indescribable; it was like a reunion I will always treasure!”
Lastly, whereas Tim from Fair Lawn exclaims, “BTO put on a fantastic show tonight — just incredible!” Eileen from Fair Lawn notes, “It was an awesome concert which brought back so many memories. BTO’s still got it — they can really play!” prior to concluding, “They were just dynamite tonight!”
To learn more about Bachman-Turner Overdrive, please go to btoband.com. For info on great upcoming programs at BergenPAC — including Tommy James and the Shondells on November 22, Engelbert Humperdink’s A Winter World of Love on December 10, and Darlene Love’s Love for the Holidays on December 21 — please go to bergenpac.org
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