The Magic of 1980s Rock and Roll: Lita Ford Ignites Casino Rama
- jaybroderick
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
By: Michael Drukarsh
Orillia, Canada - There is something very magical about rock and roll from the 80s. It just seems to have the power to make everyone smile, from the bands that play it to the fans who love it. And this was once again on display last night at Casino Rama as Lita Ford headlined an intimate show along with opening act Headpins.
Headpins
Now fronted by the energetic Kat Lawrence, who has done an incredible job filling the shoes of the iconic Darby Mills, the Headpins delivered a rocking set of classic tunes that had fans singing along to the hits. Backed by two of the OG (sort of) members of the Headpins, Ab Bryant on bass and Bernie Aubin on drums (not quite OG but 40+ years definitely gives him cred) along with Alfie Galpin on keyboards/guitar and Tony Dellacroce on guitar, the Headpins had an absolute blast on stage rocking out the tunes that included "Feel My Body", "People", and "Line of Fire".
Kat never stopped moving, using the entire stage to get close to the fans and have fun with her bandmates. As expected, the floor section and those lucky enough to get right up in front of the stage went crazy for "Don’t It Make Ya Feel", which had everyone dancing in the aisles. "Turn It Loud" brought the set to a close with a bombastic sound that left the audience hyped for headliner Lita Ford.
Lita Ford
Dressed in red, for Valentines Day, as she pointed out, Lita hit the stage wielding her iconic 'black widow' guitar and tore into opening song "Gotta Let Go", from her 1984 album Dancing on the Edge. From the first guitar note, the power just kept getting stronger as Lita and her band, Patrick Kennison on guitar, Marten Andersson on bass and Bobby Rock on drums hammered through a pure 80s guitar driven set that just fucking rocked!
Lita and the band were having so much fun on stage, trading vocals, sharing riffs and, in true 80s fashion delivering solos that included an incredible, turned to 11, bass solo by Andersson that did exactly what Lita asked of him to do... "tear the faces off the fans". Not to be outdone, Mr. Rock lived up to his name by not only giving us more cowbell but showing off with a bit of one handed showmanship as he beat the skins while grabbing a drink of water and then covering his face with a towel and not missing a beat.
Of course, the real star of the show was Lita. Still as powerful a presence as ever, she shredded her way through songs including "Playing with Fire", "Larger Than Life" and "The Bitch is Back" before swapping out her guitar for the classic Runaways axe and breaking out "Cherry Bomb" much to the fans' delight. After the hard rocking "Black Leather Heart", things slowed down, when once again Lita switched it up and donned her pearl white double neck guitar. With just her and Kennison on stage, Lita delivered a beautiful rendition of Alice Cooper’s "Only Women Bleed" before looking up to the sky and paying tribute to Ozzy as she and Kennison went into her 1988 top 10 duet with Princes of Darkness, "Close My Eyes Forever". Kennison did a great job taking on Ozzy’s part as Ford bared her soul in both her delivery and her playing. This was the first time I’ve seen the Rama theater awash in lighters and cell phone lights. It truly was beautiful.
Bringing the energy back up to the danger zone, Lita and the boys ended the set with "Kiss Me Deadly" and left the fans drained after a night of high energy 80s rock and roll.
Concert Photo Gallery (all photos by: Michael Drukarsh)
Lita Ford Online
Show Date: February 13, 2026
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