Eric Burdon and The Animals prove they’ve still got it

Story by Pat Hubbard | Photo by Carolyn Ellwanger

Imagine, in the year 2065, how pop artists, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, and Ed Sheeren will look, and how they will sound?

Saturday night at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Anthem venue, Eric Burdon and the Animals proved to a sold out audience that even after 50 years of rocking and rolling, they can still bring the house down.

Many fans came remembering the young musicians as part of the 1960s British invasion that also included the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

As the group of grey-haired, slightly overweight men took the on stage before a similar-looking crowd, some in the crowd pondered whether the band still had the stamina to perform for 90 minutes. After the first verse of the first song, all doubts were laid to rest. Burdon, at 74, and his bandmates blew the crowd away with an hour and a half show, and topped it off with two encores.

Burdon, still sporting his signature animation and dance moves, had an endless supply of energy as he jammed through one hit after another. Quickly lost in the 60s, many of the appreciative crowd members were out of their seats, dancing along with him as the band belted out hits such as “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “When I was Young,” “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” and “Black Dog,” which he dedicated to one of his influences, Bo Diddley.

Throughout the show, Burdon moved through hits both from his time as a frontman for The Animals and also the band War. “Spill the Wine” moved the crowd to a new level of excitement. All of the hits felt new again because of the band’s ability to tweak and modernize their music, and still retain the familiar chords and rhythm of the original recordings.

Having played with Burdon longer than any other incarnation of The Animals, the other five band members, Red Young on keys; Billy Watts, guitar; Terry Wilson, bass; Tony Braunagel, drums and co-producer of several of Burdon’s recent albums; and Wally Ingram, percussions complemented his every move.

Near the end of the show, Young gave an impressive piano and organ solo during the song, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” Burdon encouraged a sing-along and the audience enthusiastically complied. As that song ended, Burdon shouted to the audience, “we’re old, but we’re still doing it!”

With anticipation at its peak, Burdon calmly led into the song everyone came to hear. The band’s anthem, “The House of the Rising Sun,” began traditionally, but was also given new musical arrangement. Burdon’s vocal chops have remained strong, enhanced by his throaty tone and haunting British accent.

Without losing any steam, the band ended a magical night with two encores featuring “It’s My Life” and “Boom Boom.” Burdon closed the show with a heart-felt message as well, saying, “no more war, just a little peace in this world.”

Siouxland music lovers left feeling truly blessed with an amazing performance by one of Rolling Stone’s top 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.