Courtesy - The StarPhoenix.com
The ageless blues rocker George Thorogood returned to Saskatoon on Thursday night for the millionth time in his career and entertained a sold-out crowd 
at TCU Place as if he was still trying to prove himself.
And we’re here to tell you that even at 64 he still has the licks and chops and, darn him, even the hair.
He started and finished the night with real bad songs — Born to be Bad and that other one (what’s it called? Oh yeah, Bad to the Bone).
Photograph by: Gord Waldner , The StarPhoenix
This outfit has sold something like 18 million albums to people old enough to remember paying for music — and, judging by the crowd, old enough to forget having to pay for it. Whether it’s an original like Get a Haircut — a big crowd fave — or a cover like Who Do You Love that George has made his own, it’s simple, funny, good-time stuff that’s so catchy it almost ain’t fair.
No one came expecting elaborate staging and, boy, they didn’t get it. There was a box of lights and seven low-res screens in three sizes, medium to small. And that was about it. But when George said stuff like “Saskatoon: the world’s best kept secret,” all was forgiven. And when he played those songs about losing your apartment and drinking all three kinds of booze — bourbon, scotch and beer — there was general euphoria.
Night Time was another highlight, with a growling bass line and smacking beat that you could play on a garbage can lid. The reception was even louder for Bone, of course. The sax wasn’t loud enough until then. But as any baby boomer can tell you, you can always use more sax.
Trampled Under Foot opened the show with a brief, all original set of fast paced and likable bluesy tunes. Hailing from Kansas City, Mo., they must have played their share of rib-fests coming up. The band is fronted by a family duo of Kris Schnebelen and his sister Danielle, a unique combination, especially since they’re both left-handed players, she on bass and he on guitar and resonator.