Las Vegas Mixtape v13: Drag City, French-Asian Sweetness, and Unknown Realms

Track #4: The Guess Who @Golden Nugget, Downtown Las Vegas

Back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Canada’s The Guess Who was a non-stop hit machine that matched bright melodies with intermittently dark themes, like their 1970 smash “American Woman” (which Lenny Kravitz covered and took to the bank in 1999).

These days, the band retains its original drummer, Garry Peterson, and tours and records with newer members who keep the sound fresh and rocking, as their show at The Showroom at the Golden Nugget proved.

The evening’s highlight was definitely “American Woman,” a reminder of a time when songs with unflinching political lyrics—”I don’t need your war machines/ I don’t need your ghetto scenes”—could become major pop hits and really impact the zeitgeist.

The Guess Who’s set mixed their other classics, including “Undun,” “No Time,” and “These Eyes,” with new material, like the salvation-themed “Plein D’Amour,” the title cut of their 2023 album. The strong audience response shows that there’s a place for modern versions of classic bands.

The Guess Who will return to the Nugget on October 4 (tickets go on sale soon).