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The following was an article that I wrote for the Barenaked Ladies Newsletter, BNLife,
In a Nutshell, about my Christmas travels with BNL:
I was sitting at home today, off work due to a little ice storm in Houston (isn’t
the south great?), and decided to respond to DevoBabe’s request for Barenaked concert
stories, by filling ya’ll in on my Barenaked Christmas Tour. Let me start by giving
you my Barenaked background. I first happened upon BNL at a four band showcase in
Cincinnati in 1992. Copies of the Gordon cassette were actually being given away at the
door. BNL was the second of the four bands, but they stole the show. I’ll never
forget seeing that first box of Kraft Dinner hitting the stage, and Steven Page saying
“You guys are cool”. After that I was hooked. Since then, I have seen BNL 13
times, but until this fall, I was only a passive admirer. Through the magic of the
internet, I got invited to a show in DeKalb, Ill., and had the distinct pleasure of
meeting the band, as well as several really cool fans. Although I had to travel in from
Houston, TX, it was a fantastic day that I wouldn’t have missed for anything, and
I’ll forever be in awe of BNL’s sincerity and friendliness to their fans. Which
brings us to the current event. After the DeKalb show, I couldn’t wait to see BNL
again. Plans for December included the radio-sponsored tour that was coming through Dallas
and then a Christmas tour starting in Detroit, and going through Chicago, Cleveland,
Columbus, and culminating with the big New Years show in New York City. With the help of
some much deserved time off, friends in the midwest and northeast, and a few very
reasonable airfares, I was able to make all the shows except the one in Detroit. Now, you
might ask “why?” spend your holiday with BNL in a pseudo Grateful Dead fashion,
following them around the country, different cities, different beds, planes, trains, and
psycho cabbies every night. My answer is the same as “why climb Mt. Everest?”,
“it was there”. I know many of you out there understand, so I don’t feel
the need to explain any further. My objectives for the tour were to 1) see some great
shows, 2) see old friends, 3) meet as many BNL fans in each city as possible (we all know
BNL fans are the greatest), and 4) spend a little time with the band, if possible. I was
able to exceed my expectations on all objectives and had a wonderful Barenaked Holiday!!!
The following are my Top Ten Reasons Why My BNL Christmas Tour was cool:
- 10. “Trust Me” performed live for the first time at the Chicago show.
- 9. Radio interview that they did in Cleveland the afternoon before the show, played
“Shoe Box”, “Trust Me”, and “Old Apartment” live on-the-air.
- 8. Steve telling a guy from Pittsburgh (who thought he had traveled a long way) about my
tour.
- 7. Talking to Ed after the Chicago show about Ann Beattie, Joni Mitchell, and Paula Cole
(who opened for them on the tour and was outstanding).
- 6. The fact that not much Kraft Dinner was thrown in Columbus, even though security was
pretty weak (now Cleveland, on the other hand...).
- 5. Steve shoving my monkey down his pants (during $1M, of course) at the Chicago show.
- 4. Meeting lots of fans in each city, including John at Siena, Dutchwoman, Elzool, Jenn
and Carolyn, Amber and Julian, John H., David, and countless others whose names now escape
me.
- 3. Pictures of Ed and me in every city (thanks Ed, for humoring me).
- 2. Guitar pick that Ed gave me after Columbus show (my technique is better already ;-)).
- 1. Steve recognizing the out-of-town fans during the New Years show!
And there were so many more things, that I’d probably need a regular column in
this newsletter to record. The energy on the tour was amazing considering the band has
been touring throughout 1996. Even though the setlists were similar each night, the shows
were unique and spontaneous, as usual. Those of you at the shows will remember the Joy to
the World rap, Steve making fun of the people in the front row that came in late in
Cleveland, Peaches and Cream Barbie rhyme, Tyler making the cow noise in Columbus and the
rest of the band leaving the stage, Ed’s refrigerator story, two words “German
Women”, Father Beard in New York, and Steve and Ed’s big kiss. There were so
many nuances that made each night special. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to
spend my holiday with the best band in the world, who, by the way, happen to be really
cool guys, as well.My ‘97 is off to a good start. Maybe I’ll meet some more of
you the next time I go “on tour”.
Barenaked in Houston,
“I hope tomorrow that I’ll wake up in my own bed”
On That Note, I'm outta here......
C
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