The first anniversary celebrations at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa continued Tuesday night with a pair of Canadian rock veterans who proved age is just a number. Sass Jordan delivered a powerful opening set that reminded everyone why she’s one of Canada’s most distinctive voices, while 54-40 mixed four decades of hits with new material from their latest album Porto. For me, it was also a trip down memory lane, reconnecting with two artists I first discovered back in my college years.
Sass Jordan Proves She’s Still Got It
It’s been, I want to say, decades since I’ve seen Sass Jordan perform live. So long, in fact, that I can’t even remember the last time—perhaps my college years. Time doesn’t always do musicians any favours but let me tell you, Sass Jordan hasn’t missed a beat.
Jordan opened with “Damaged” from her 1994 album Rats and immediately reminded the audience why she’s remained one of Canada’s most recognizable rock voices. Her vocals were every bit as powerful and edgy as I remembered and she owned the stage from the moment she walked out.
During her roughly 40-minute set, Jordan took the crowd on a journey through her career, mixing fan favourites such as “Ugly,” “You Don’t Have to Remind Me” and “High Road Easy” with a few deeper cuts and a taste of her more recent work. She even worked in “Still Alive and Well,” the classic Rick Derringer tune, which fit perfectly with the bluesy energy she brought to the stage.
It’s never easy for an artist with decades of material to build a setlist when you’ve only got 45 minutes to work with. Everyone in the room has that one song they’re hoping to hear. Still, Jordan managed to deliver a solid cross-section of her catalogue while likely introducing a few new fans to her music along the way.
It was great to see Sass Jordan again after all these years and hopefully she won’t be a stranger to the Ottawa area. I certainly wouldn’t complain if she found her way onto a future Ottawa Bluesfest lineup.
54-40 Celebrates Four Decades of Canadian Rock
54-40 took to the stage next and I have to admit it had been a while since I’d seen them in a headlining slot. I caught them last year opening for Foreigner in Kingston but that was a much shorter set than longtime fans are used to seeing.
54-40 and I go way back to what Neil Osborne likes to call the “mid-19 hundreds.” I first saw the band during my college years at Wylders Music Hall in North Bay and they’ve remained a favourite ever since.
The band somehow managed to squeeze 40 years of music into a 90-minute set. Opening with “Lies to Me” and “Nice to Luv You,” they quickly settled into a set that balanced newer material with the songs that helped establish them as one of Canada’s most enduring rock bands.
New Music and Old Favourites
Early in the evening Osborne spoke about the band’s latest album, Porto, which was recorded in Portugal last year. He explained how Jungian concepts influenced the songwriting process, including the idea that “the greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parents.”
That influence is particularly evident in “Running for the Fence,” one of three songs from Porto featured during the set, along with “Time Will Tell” and “Virgil.” While many bands with a 40-year catalogue tend to lean heavily on nostalgia, it was refreshing to see 54-40 still enthusiastic about sharing new material with their audience. Better yet, the new songs held their own alongside the classics.
The crowd was just as engaged when the band dug into favourites like “Baby Ran,” “Radio Luv Song,” “One Day in Your Life,” “She La,” “Since When,” and “Casual Viewin’.” It was a reminder of just how deep the band’s catalogue really is and how many radio staples they’ve produced over the years.
An Encore to Remember
The band closed out the main set with “Ocean Pearl,” which quickly turned into a full-blown audience singalong. If there was any doubt what song most people had been waiting for, it disappeared as the crowd enthusiastically handled a good portion of the vocals.
After a brief break, the band returned for an encore. Osborne spent a few moments talking about how times are changing and joked about his new friend Claude, noting that Claude is often nicer to him than his wife. The conversation eventually turned to artificial intelligence. While he acknowledged there’s certainly a place for AI, he pointed out that it could never replace the shared experience of people gathering together to enjoy live music.
That sentiment led perfectly into a cover of the INXS classic “Never Tear Us Apart.” From there, the band delivered what was arguably the encore highlight with “I Go Blind” before wrapping up the evening with “Love You All.”
Final Thoughts
It’s funny how things work out. It had been years since I’d seen 54-40 live, and now I’ve managed to catch them twice in less than a year.
What I appreciate most is that after four decades, they’re not simply living off past successes. They’re still making new music—and good music at that. Porto proves there’s still plenty left in the tank creatively, while their live show remains a reminder of just how deep their catalogue really is.
If you missed them in Ottawa, don’t worry. 54-40 will be spending much of the summer on the road with dates scheduled across Ontario and Western Canada.
For a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit: https://www.5440.com/live.
