If I was forced to pick just one "favorite" musical group, it would probably be Barenaked Ladies.But, being a boring old mom-type person, now ... I hadn't seen them live in more than 10 years - until last night.
It. Was. Awesome.
Just as good - if not better - than I remember.
I honestly can't remember when, exactly, I started listening to BNL. I think it must have been around 1992 (they've been playing together since 1988!) because I know I bought their first full album - Gordon
- that year. They've been one of my favorite bands ever since. (Stunt
and Maroon
being my other two favorite albums.)
BNL is kind of like my musical "comfort food" - I have a whole playlist in my itunes dedicated just to them and it's probably the one I listen to the most.They are definitely my go-to band for road trip music - yes, I'm the dork driving down the road singing along - and I love to just have them playing in the background when I'm working on the computer or doing stuff around the house.
Of course, when I heard they were playing the Fresno Fair - which is not too far from where we live - I had to get tickets! Bonus: My friend from Sacramento drove down for the night to go with me - it was her first BNL concert!
I loved the music, of course - live performances are always exponentially better than CDs when you are talking about a band like BNL. And we had GREAT seats!
But, I think my favorite thing about BNL in concert is that they make you feel like they are just these guys up on stage having a good ol' time - really loving what they are doing - and just taking you along for the ride.They joke, they improvise, they play around - they seem to really be having fun! After 20 years of professional music-making, that's pretty damned impressive.
There was one change from the last time I saw them, of course - They were a foursome.
Co-founder Steven Page left the group early this year. For most people, Steven was the voice of BNL. But, in reality, he and Ed Robertson pretty much split the singing/songwriting duties for the group.
Still, Page had a really distinctive voice and I wondered how the group would sound without him.
To be honest, during the show last night, I never "missed" Steven even once.Ed totally rocked the lead vocals! (The notable exceptions being Kevin singing lead to "Sound of Your Voice" and Tyler singing lead on "Alcohol" - both definite high moments of an already awesome show.)
Now - as much as I love all of my "old" BNL music - I'm now finding myself wanting new recordings of these older songs with Ed singing lead! They were great! (By the way, you can download several live shows from the BNL website, didja know?)
Fortunately, I won't have to wait too long for new BNL music, either. They played a few songs from their new album - due out in March - and it sounded great. I can't wait!
What about you? Do you have a favorite band or group you love to see live?
Glad you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how they would sound with Steven gone. Makes me want to go hear them now.
Favorite band live...or one of them - Great Big Sea....another Canadian band who, if you haven't heard of, you must go find. Road Rage is a good place to start. Their concerts are like one giant fun party where every one ends up in the kitchen laughing together.
Also, they are great road trip music too. :)
Glad you liked it so much. I saw them in concert in Chicago 5 or 6 years ago and had fun. I think Alanis Morissette opened - wow, that's a lot of Canadians. But my favorite BNL memory is when they were on The Tonight Show a few years back and David Duchovny, another guest that night, sat in with the band and sang backup on "It's All Been Done." For some reason, that cracked me up.
ReplyDeleteEmmy: Thanks! I will definitely check them out!
ReplyDeleteYEO: I haven't seen that Letterman clip - I may have to go a'googling. :) But, speaking of those crazy Canucks ... I once saw BNL play with Sarah McLachlan and Neil Young, among others. Canadians make good music, eh? ;)
"You know he's not the kind of man who likes to see the world around him, crumble to a ball beneath his feet..."
ReplyDeleteNot sure why I picked that lyric, it's the first one that jumped in my head.
As you know, my favorite band is Phish and if you read my Hot Dad's post today, you also know that I will NOT be seeing them Halloween weekend. (Shed a tear for me.)
I don't get to see as much live music as I did, but I will make every attempt to see my favorite bands when they come to town. If I stop seeing live music, I will shrivel up and die.
Here's the Duchovny clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPZOaIsO37g
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about her til it was mentioned in your comments, but Sarah McGloughlin's live show was astounding. Her talent is exquisite...you could feel her music running through you.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite live show of recent times was Aerosmith. I got to stand in a VIP section. Thier staging had arms and legs (ramps) and we stood in-between one arm ramp and one leg ramp, and I was standing there, all professional-like, admiring the lighting grid (it moved).
Then Steven Tyler starts with Dream On, and hits the arm ramp, and he hits his knees right above our heads and reaches down to us and next thing I know I'm all "AHHHHH!!!!" and I (finally) connected with a show.
First time for me in decades, since I've been working in the biz. Much thanks to Steven Tyler and it was amazing how great he sounded live after all these years.
I've never been a big stadium concert person, but I enjoyed seeing Our Lady Peace when they were less popular and played bars and other small venues (my first time seeing them was when they opened for "Salvador Dream" back in 1994; my copy of Naveed came from the trunk of one of their cars).
ReplyDeleteAwesome! BNL always reminds me of college.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't think singing along in the car makes you a dork. I think anyone who refuses to sing along in the car is a dud!
One of my good friends followed these guys for years. Their music is just so much fun...their live shows must be great.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of those folks!
ReplyDeleteI don't want tomato's thrown at me or rotten vegetables. But I listen a LOT to country.
ReplyDeleteIt's like home cookin to me really!
I listen to everything though and couldn't really tell you my FAVORITE!
But I'll listen to anything with a voice and a guitar as instrument. LUV it!
Looks like fun!
Sounds like a good time. They're great live, or at least were the last time I saw them. Must be 8 or 9 years ago now. I really like The Decemberists live. And Calexico. And Wilco.
ReplyDeleteBare naked Ladies were a really big deal in my high school. I graduated in 93 and I remember them just being the biggest deal. However, I must confess that I probably couldn't pick out any of their songs as I'm not much of a music listener.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful time. I have never seen them live. Gotta work on that!
ReplyDeleteDGB: You know that concert I mentioned with BNL, Neil Young and Sarah McLachlan? Guess who else was there?
ReplyDeletehttp://hyperrust.org/Bridge/Bridge12.html
I agree. Live music keeps you young. ;)
Also not much for live concerts (not big on the crowds) BUT the pics look cool! And music does keep you young, even if you're just dancing about to it in the privacy of your own home (with none of the kids around to laugh at you).
ReplyDeleteFun times! I love live music. Gotta get me to a show soon
ReplyDeleteZen...you do these things just to mess with me, huh? Well, '98 was a Phish year for me. In fact, every year since '93 (that they've been together) has been a Phish year for me. 'Cept for this one.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are taking the kids to see They Might Be Giants in a few weeks.
DGB: A little bit, yeah. But mostly I just love that I know someone (besides the ZenHusband, of course) with some of the same quirky interests. :)
ReplyDeleteTMBG will be great fun, I'm sure! Hope you blog about it!
We are taking the boys to see Imagination Movers in December, so you can expect a post about that. ;)