Legendary guitarist and songwriter Randy Bachman has announced lots of concerts for the continued resurrection of his iconic ’70s rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO), with his 56-year-old son, Tal, along with several touring musicians. The new run is titled “Back in Overdrive Tour 2025,” with support by April Wine and Headpins. (Randy Bachman‘s brothers, Robbie, and Tim, both founding members of BTO, both died in 2023. Tal is best known for his 1999 solo hit, “She’s So High.”) Tickets for the 2025 shows are on sale here. See the itinerary below.
A BTO documentary, Takin’ Care of Business, with archival footage from the ’70s and ’80s, had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. A double live album from 1976 at Tokyo’s famed Budokan is also in the works. The original press announcement noted that original BTO bassist and lead vocalist C.F. “Fred” Turner “is on track to start helping Randy put it all together as soon as he can.”
Turner also released a statement, “I am so glad to hear Randy is going forward with Bachman Turner Overdrive. I’m sure it will be a great venture and I hope Randy gets a great kick out of doing this with Tal and the band. The rest of us will be watching and wishing you every success. Go for it my good buddy.”
Fred Turner (left) and Randy Bachman (Photo from Bachman’s Facebook page)
The new Bachman-Turner Overdrive lineup previewed the new run of dates with a Sept. 22, 2023, concert at the Big E Arena in West Springfield, Mass., one of several shows they did that Fall. The 16-song set featured such BTO classics as “Roll On Down the Highway” and “Takin’ Care of Business,” while also performing such Guess Who favorites as “No Time” and “American Woman.”
Tal Bachman performed his solo hit, “She’s So High.”
The sole encore was “Takin’ Care of Business.”
Thanks to audience member Henry LaPierre for the videos.
Bachman, who turned 82 on Sept. 27, 2024, teamed with Burton Cummings for a series of 2022 reunion concerts (that had previously been postponed due to the pandemic) where they performed classic rock hits from the Guess Who and BTO as well as Cummings solo material. There was talk of more to come, but that appears to have subsided for now as Cummings has also scheduled dates with his own band for 2025.
Related: Bachman and Cummings have resolved a lawsuit against what they called a Guess Who “cover band”
Bachman Turner Overdrive in 1974 (L–R: Fred Turner, Robbie Bachman, Randy Bachman, Blair Thornton) (Photo from their Wikipedia page)
Bachman-Turner Overdrive formed in Canada in 1973. The original BTO lineup had Randy Bachman (lead guitar, lead vocals), Fred Turner (bass, lead vocals), Tim Bachman (guitar, vocals) and Robbie Bachman (drums). Following the departure of Tim Bachman and the addition of Blair Thornton on lead guitar, the band’s commercial prospects brightened, with the back-to-back single hits “Takin’ Care of Business,” which reached #12 in the U.S., and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” a #1 hit. Their 1974 album, Not Fragile, reached #1 in the U.S. and Canada.
BTO 2025 Tour Dates (Tickets are available here and here)
Apr 01 – Victoria, BC – Save On Foods Memorial Centre
Apr 03 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre
Apr 04 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Event Centre
Apr 06 – Cranbrook, BC – Western Financial Place
Apr 08 – Prince George, BC – CN Centre
Apr 09 – Grand Prairie, AB – Bonnetts Energy Centre
Apr 11 – Calgary, AB – Event Centre at Grey Eagle Casino
Apr 12 – Calgary, AB – Event Centre at Grey Eagle Casino
Apr 13 – Lethbridge, AB – VisitLethbridge.com Arena
Apr 15 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre
Apr 17 – Brandon, MB – Westoba Place at Keystone Centre
Apr 19 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
Apr 24 – Kitchener, ON – The Aud (Kitchener Memorial Auditorium)
Apr 26 – Toronto, ON – Great Canadian Resort Toronto
Apr 28 – St. Catharines, ON – Meridian Centre
Apr 29 – Peterborough, ON – Peterborough Memorial Centre
May 01 – London, ON – Canada Life Place
May 02 – Ottawa, ON – The Arena at TD Place
May 04 – Sudbury, ON – Sudbury Arena
May 05 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
May 07 – Saint John, NB – TD Station
May 08 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre
Jul 29 – Elk Grove Village, IL – The Village Green (free show)
Related: Listings for 100s of classic rock tours
Watch Bachman and Turner perform a BTO favorite (with Paul Shaffer)
Related: Cummings is doing his first U.S. tour since 2020
BTO’s recordings are available here. A 7-disc Bachman-Cummings collection is available here.
6 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationHopefully, Blair Thornton will be included in this regrouping, particularly in light of the passing of Robbie and Tim Bachman (R.I.P.), earlier this year.
Glad to see they are actually touring, and working on a new album – Still enjoy their albums 50 years on.
Blair and Fred are both retired.
It’s not BTO without TURNER!
This is a tough call. While Fred and Blair have blessed this, there is no real way it’s BTO without Fred actually being there. He’s just way too integral to so many tunes. Especially if they will dive deep, which they say they will. Not Fragile, Sledgehamner. 4 Wheel Drive etc.really don’t work without him!!
Randy and Fred both sang their share of BTO hits, so my question is, who’s going to sing the Turner songs? Roll on Down the Highway, Let it Ride, Blue Collar, Take it Like a Man, Gimme Your Money Please? This is Bachman – Bachman Overdrive.
BTO II and Not Fragile were just NASTY albums. And there’s a wit to a lot of their songs. “Tramp” always cracks me up.
I love the “jazzy” tunes as well, such as “Lookin’ Out for #1”.