Barenaked Ladies - who knew they were amazing live?

Aahzz

Aahzz

Habanero Evangelist
So, after my dad died in '09, my mother said she'd never been to a concert...13 years later, at age 81, mom's been to a boatload of concerts. Last night we went to see the "Last Summer on Earth" tour - Barenaked Ladies, Gin Blossoms, and Toad the Wet Sprocket. My mom and sister were primarily there for Toad, I was most interested in Gin Blossoms. We figured we'd catch a few of the Barenaked Ladies songs and duck out early before the crowd.

There was no ducking. The first 2 bands were both really good, but Barenaked Ladies were freaking amazing. Great playing, great stage presence, completely engaging...I knew very few of the songs they played, they did not stick to a "just the hits" setlist. They did a medley that morphed from Sesame Street's "Sing a song" into a completely killer version of "Whole Lotta Love" where the singer took over on drums and the drummer just wailed in a way that Robert Plant wishes he could.

If you get a chance and have even a slight liking for their music, see them live. You will not be disappointed.
 
Yep. They are hugely talented folks and put on a great live show.
Lots of fun and energy while being proficient at their craft.

People give them a bad rap because they got famous with somewhat novelty type songs.
They’re more than that.

And Ed is an absolute pinball machine nerd, which is pretty interesting.
 
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I saw them playing for free at Universal Orlando and they were affable and competent. And they ended with the drummer's classic rock karaoke.
 
I'm sure there are a ton of "classic" bands that are playing better than they ever have, even if their heyday has come and gone. They're doing classic rock package tours, casino gigs, playing the local state fair or rib fest circuit, etc. Glamour aside, if you're slogging it out every night you don't get worse, you get tighter.

That said, I have no interest at all in BNL but it's great to hear you had a good time.
 
dmn23 said:
I'm sure there are a ton of "classic" bands that are playing better than they ever have, even if their heyday has come and gone. They're doing classic rock package tours, casino gigs, playing the local state fair or rib fest circuit, etc. Glamour aside, if you're slogging it out every night you don't get worse, you get tighter.

That said, I have no interest at all in BNL but it's great to hear you had a good time.
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They were always tight and they’ve always given a fuck. First time I saw them live, I was about 7 years old and they were still playing in 400-seat halls.

I take no real pride in that, and wouldn’t go out of my way to see them. But I will say that they’ve always been a band that takes professional pride in being tight and in being good performers.
 
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In all honesty, I did see them live one time when they were on the bill, and yea, they were very skilled musicians.

Their whole American Pie/joke telling onstage thing is like nails on a chalkboard though.
 
We really should have gone to this tour. My wife loves BNL, we both like Gin Blossoms a lot, and TTWS is one of my all time favorite bands. It's just a haul to drive to Red Rocks on a work night and getting home at 1:embarrassed:0AM. But we still should have gone. Especially at Red Rocks.....
 
Never cared for their music but I did meet them and played frisbee with a few of the guys when they played my college. I didn’t even go to the show that night. They were genuinely nice fellows and seemed to be doing life properly.
 
I could never repair the damage to my street cred if I went to this show.
I can't skip Malmsteen (kid had a little league game), and still go to this. Can I?

Someone once told me the same thing about Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. That they're an amazing live act.

*Gin Blossoms are solid.
 
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Andrew Sak said:
I could never repair the damage to my street cred if I went to this show.
I can't skip Malmsteen (kid had a little league game), and still go to this. Can I?

Someone once told me the same thing about Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. That they're an amazing live act.

*Gin Blossoms are solid.
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As an active member of this forum, I don’t think you need to worry about street cred.
 
Andrew Sak said:
Someone once told me the same thing about Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. That they're an amazing live act.
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Accurate. I saw them when they played here a few ago years as part of a free summer concert series. I don't know about amazing, but they were tight and it was a super fun show.
 
rhino said:
As an active member of this forum, I don’t think you need to worry about street cred.
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I was being a wise guy. It seemed funny at the time.

That sounded like a fantastic night @Aahhz. My Mom is a year older than yours and we have never been to a concert together. Aa far as I know, she has only been to one concert. It was Jimi Hendrix opening for The Mamas And The Papas at the Hollywood Bowl.
If I ever find myself at a Bare Naked Ladies concert, I will definitely pay attention and soak it all in.
I like the One Week song shout out to Kurosawa.
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My brother saw them earlier this year (March?) and said it was a great line up and a great show. He's 38 so it was a college revival show for him and his wife. I asked him if he wore his pooka shell necklace and white polo. :)
 
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