It is kind of strange to be of an age in which 90’s bands are reuniting to tour and record like some sort of nostalga act. In the last few years bands like Stone Temple Pilots and The Smashing Pumpkins have reformed, Aqua just released a new single and rumors abound that Hole is going to release another record. One name that wouldn’t have seemed likely to add to that list was No Doubt. Gwen Stefani’s meteoric rise as a solo artist seemed to put the nail in the coffin of a band that last toured five years ago. Could Stefani get over the “sellout” label and return to her ska roots? Would the band be able to recapture the magic when they have struggled to create material for a new album? There were many questions to be answered.
12,000 fans packed the Saddledome on July 15th, proving that there are still people wanting to see No Doubt live. “Live” is an accurate description, although “lively” would probably be better. As a large white curtain dropped and Stefani screamed “Get your hands up in the air” the crowd exploded and sang along to Spiderwebs.
What followed was an hour and forty minutes of hits. It is easy to forget how many catchy hit songs No Doubt produced until you are bouncing and singing along to Hella Good, Underneath It All, Excuse Me Mr. and Ex-Girlfriend. That was just the first five songs!
While many eyes were on Stefani, decked out in a halter top showing off her “you had two kids?!” abs the band itself carried their part of the show. Drummer Adrian Young lost his shirt after one song and later pranced around in a tutu. Bassist Tony Kanal and guitarist Tom Dumont strutted and bounced around the stage. Backup singers and multi-instrumentalists Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair danced around the back of the stage and seemed to be having a blast.
The energy that was emitted from onstage proved that the layoff has been good for the group, seeing they were tight and put on a perfect performance. The crowd ate it up, even Stefani’s constant cries of “Canadaaaa” as if she couldn’t always remember which city she was in didn’t seem to affect the enthusiasm.
After the main set wrapped up with Don't Speak, It's My Life, and Just a Girl, things slowed down for Rock Steady. A cover of Stand and Deliver needed some additional help with percussion, as opening acts Paramour and Bedouin Soundclash joined in. The show wrapped up with Sunday Morning.
Speaking of the opening acts, both held their own in front of the Saddledome crowd. It seemed Paramour had almost as many fans in the audience as No Doubt. Frontwoman Hayley Williams doesn’t quite have the charisma of Stefani yet, but their hour long set, including Twilight soundtrack songs Decode and I Caught Myself showed that while the group still has a ways to go, it likely won’t be long before they are headlining arenas themselves.
Those that didn’t make in time to see Bedouin Soundclash missed out on discovering what many already know – that this eclectic group lead by Jay Malinowski and Eon Sinclair is one of the best young bands in Canada. Their reggae influenced songs fit right in with No Doubt. The band had a few new fans in attendance, including Stefani’s husband Gavin Rossdale and son Kingston, who watched the set from beside the stage.
Set List:
Spiderwebs
Hella Good
Underneath it All
Excuse Me Mr.
Ex-Girlfriend
End it on This
Simple Kind of Life
Bathwater
Guns of Navarone
New
Hey Baby
Running
Different People
Don't Speak
It's My Life
Just a Girl

Encore:
Rock Steady
Stand & Deliver
Sunday Morning