By Ed Condran
When vocalist-keyboardist Ellen Reid decided to retire from touring and singer-songwriter Brad Roberts had back problems in 2015, it appeared that Crash Test Dummies were finished.
Roberts, 61, bounced back from his ailments and toured as a solo artist. The quirky Canadian band resurfaced for a full reunion, save multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Darvill, when the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra invited the group to perform in 2019.
“The money was good, so we played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and we enjoyed it so much we said, ‘Let’s do it again,’ ” Roberts said while calling from Austin, Texas. “There’s nostalgia for the ’90s. People want to hear us again, and we’re here to ride that wave.”
Crash Test Dummies are no, well, dummies. The band, who will perform Saturday, Feb. 1, at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, are giving fans what they want. Expect a steady diet of tunes from the early ’90s, particularly hits from the act’s surprising breakthrough album, 1993’s “God Shuffled His Feet.”
The left-of-center hit “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm,” “Afternoons and Coffeespoons” and the title track helped catapult Crash Test Dummies out of obscurity. “That was an amazing time for us,” Roberts said. “I’ll never forget how things changed for this band. I’m glad we stuck with this.”
Considering Roberts’ rich baritone, it’s surprising that he was a reluctant singer. “When I started writing songs, I thought my voice was too low to be viable as a vocalist,” Roberts said.
“So I tried to get other people to sing my songs. But I couldn’t find anyone to deliver the songs the way I wanted, so I became a singer by default.”
“The Ghosts That Haunt Me” from 1991 is a solid debut, but the album, which includes the clever single “Superman’s Song,” got lost in the shuffle amid grunge. The amusing folk-pop isn’t very different from the “God Shuffled His Feet” tunes.
Crash Test Dummies’ early work is impressive due to how well-constructed the songs are and courtesy of the poetry Roberts penned. “It worked out for me since I was around 30 when I started writing the songs for ‘God Shuffled His Feet,’ ” Roberts said.
“The lyrics are important to me. I have a degree in English Literature and philosophy. I read a lot of everything, but I particularly read a lot of poetry, and that helped me with the strategies of writing lyrics.”
Steven Page serves as the co-headliner.
If You Go
3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. (702) 732-5111; WestgateResorts.com
