Congratulations to Justy and redd!  They have received the entire No Doubt digital library, which includes six entire albums.  Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by O’s Opinions!

No Doubt’s latest stop on their summer tour was in Winnipeg last night.  Even though they have not released a studio album since 2001′s Rock Steady, they played to a crowd of about 9000.  They brought with them two opening acts, teen favourites Paramore and Toronto’s innovative fusion band, Bedouin Soundclash.

Bedouin Soundclash hit the stage with their current single, “Until We Burn In the Sun (The Kids Just Want a Love Song)”.  With their blend of reggae, funk, rock and punk, this band translated very well to a large arena venue. 

Paramore was up next, with some new songs from an album they just finished recording.  Called Brand New Eyes, it is set for release on September 29.  They played “Misery Business” which was viral on YouTube a couple of years ago, and of course “Decode”, from the Twilight soundtrack.  Singer Hayley Williams is an adorable pocket-sized rock star with powerhouse vocals. 

No Doubt made their entrance dressed all in white, with an intricate, futuristic white stage.  Right from the first song, “Spiderwebs”, to the last song of the encore (“Sunday Morning”), Gwen Stefani showed the audience that she has endless energy.  Through the entire set, she danced, bounced, kicked, did the splits and push ups, and rocked the stage without missing a beat or lyric.  The rest of the band, Tony Kamal (bass), Tom Dumont (guitar) and Adrian Young (drums) showed the audience why No Doubt has staying power.  Not only did they display brilliant musicianship, but entertained the crowd with their antics and playfulness.

The highlight of the night had to be during the encore, when drummer Adrian Young donned a tutu and snare drum.  Four other snare drums were brought out to the front of the stage, and the whole band drummed and started to play “Stand and Deliver”.  Hayley Williams from Paramore came out and sang with Gwen Stafani, then the rest of Paramore and Bedouin Soundclash came out and jammed with No Doubt.  It was fun and chaotic and a great way to end a very entertaining evening.

All three acts surprised with the clarity of the vocals and musicianship.  It was obvious that these three bands are not over-produced in the studio, and sound just as good live, if not better, a rarity these days.

The next stop on the No Doubt tour is July 16, in Calgary.  If you are in that neck of the woods, I would grab a ticket and go!  You won’t be disappointed.  The entire show earned four and a half stars out of five.  Rock on!  Oh yeah, Gwen has the best abs ever!

Tell us your favourite No Doubt song in the comments area and be entered to win one of two No Doubt catalogues.  Contest closes August 1, 2009 and winners will be randomly drawn on August 5, 2009.  Winners will be contacted by email.

Good morning, readers!  In the next few weeks, I will be doing some guest blogging for a couple of other sites, doing a concert review and some articles on travel and tourism.  I will also post them here on my blog, in case anyone is interested in checking them out.  To get some practice, I thought I would write an article on what I thought the ten best cover songs are.  I wanted to get into the mood of doing some research and reviewing, so here goes!

10. All Along the Watchtower, performed by U2.  This song was written by and originally performed by Bob Dylan, but the most famous version is by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.  I like U2′s version for the modern feel that they injected into it.

9. Me and Bobby McGee, performed by Janis Joplin.  Written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, there is some debate over whether Gordon Lightfoot or Roger Miller recorded it first.  Janis’ version is so bluesy and soulful, you really believed that she and Bobby were thumbing down the roads in the rain.

8. You Really Got Me, as recorded by Van Halen.  Written by Ray Davies and originally performed by his band, The Kinks, there are not a lot of artistic differences between these versions.  Eddie Van Halen injects some energy into the song , though, and gives it a kick that, well, really gets you.

7. Careless Whisper by Seether.  Yes, this is the Wham! song from the 80′s, written by the Wham! boys themselves, Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael.  I like this song because even though I am not a Wham! fan, I have always loved this song.  Now it is cool because Seether sings it.  This version also made me realize just how good of a singer George Michael is.

6. Lake of Fire, as performed by Nirvana in their famous MTV Unplugged performance.  Few people heard of this song by the Meat Puppets (written by their singer and guitarist, Curt Kirkwood)  before that performance, but they recorded several different versions of the song as well.  The raw emotion in Cobain’s voice and the simplicity of the arrangement make Nirvana’s Unplugged version very powerful.

5. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, as performed by Guns N Roses.  Another Bob Dylan composition, GNR’s version takes his original in a new direction.  There is a feel of no regrets in the cover, take me as I am.

4. Higher Ground, Red Hot Chili Pepper style.  This is a Stevie Wonder song, and it is about Stevie’s relationship with his Creator.  The Chilis inject some serious funk into the tune and whenever I hear it, I can’t help but move!

3. Shadowplay, as covered by The Killers.  This song was written by Ian Curtis of Joy Division, and their version was released on their first album in 1979.  I love the feel The Killers have created with this song.  It is eerie and compelling and it feels like such a tribute to the tragic figure that Ian Curtis was.

2. Leopard-Skin-Pillbox-Hat by Beck.  Written by Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson when they were part of Bob Dylan’s band and originally released by Bob Dylan, Beck’s version has an energy and dynamic that isn’t present in the original. 

1. Cowgirl in the Sand, as performed by City and Colour.  Written and originally performed by Neil Young, it is a hauntingly beautiful song.  I am very biased because I love City and Colour, but if you listen for yourself, Dallas Green’s vocals are so clear and pure, you can’t help but feel moved by the song.

I have to add some honourable mentions.  It was so hard to narrow my list to ten, so I thought I would let you know the also-rans.  In no particular order they are: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Mary J. Blige (Aretha Franklin) , Straight to Hell by Lily Allen (The Clash), The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana (David Bowie) and The James Bond Theme by Moby (John Barry).  I hope you go and listen to some of these gems.