Sticky Fingers Grasp the PNE Forum
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Tucker McLean
April 6th, 2026
Six and a half years. That’s how long it’s been since Australian rockers Sticky Fingers’ last North American tour was tragically cut short partway through its eastern leg, interrupted by a mischievous tour bus thief and an ensuing car accident. The western leg of the tour would have to wait. Since then, Sticky Fingers have released a new album, LEKKERBOY in 2022, an EP, The Bootleg Tapes (Caress Your Soul) in 2024, and now they’ve returned to surf a wave of tour dates across Canada and the United States.
That brings us here, to the quiet of a windy spring night, where a throng of Vancouverites waited in a line wrapped around the outside of the PNE Forum, all of them buzzing with anticipation to see Sticky Fingers live. Inside the darkened warehouse, the youthful crowd pressed close to the stage, and as the prevalence of Aussie accents made clear, the hometown turnout was strong (look no further than the guy sporting the Australian flag as a cape).
Following a commanding set by opener Ruby Waters, Sticky Fingers sauntered onto the stage soundtracked by the Tragically Hip, kicking off the show by literally punting a soccer ball into the audience. The band was joined by Claude Bailey, singer for fellow Australian band Camino Gold, substituting for lead Dylan Frost on the tour. While Frost’s distinct vocals would be tough for anyone to replace, you’d forget he wasn’t singing by how seamlessly Claude steps into the fold, nailing songs from every era of the band’s catalogue.
Facing the biggest crowd of their tour, Sticky Fingers played a spread of hits, backgrounded by a production of fanning light and heavy smoke. The playful energy from band and fan alike remained high from the first notes to the encore’s fading echo. Nowhere was this more evident than anytime the quintet paraded out a classic tune, say “Bootleg Rascal,” where the crowd – swaying in the grandstands, hoisted on each other’s shoulders in the pit, all of them singing along – grasped for their phones to capture a moment some had waited six and a half years for. Here’s hoping no tour bus shenanigans keep Sticky Fingers away from their North American fans for such a long stretch again.
