Another Barenaked Christmas - 1997Lizard Lounge, Dallas, December 12 My holiday was great because I spent a large part of it with my favorite men, Barenaked Ladies. This is my second year in a row following them around to their December shows (click here for that review), and as impossible as it seemed to top last year's adventure, these boys have once again exceeded my wildest expectations. My tour started with a couple of radio shows in TX, Dallas and Austin. I love it when they are in my home state. The Dallas show on December 12th was at an old strip club in the Deep Ellum area, The Lizard Lounge. About 700 people packed into a joint that was meant to hold around 200. The opening act was the Pistoleros, and they were very good. I really liked their sound, heavy guitars, pleasant rhythms, a little latino thrown in. From Tempe, AZ, they reminded me of another band from that area, the Gin Blossoms. They have a hit, Guardian Angel, that is getting some current radio play. BNL took the stage and the crowd went wild. Personally, I had a little problem with a drunken teenage punk who was having trouble holding her liquor, but as luck would have it, she passed out after the first BNL song. Her loss, because this was a great show. I heard the new song, "It's All Been Done" (click here for lyrics) for the first time. It is a very catchy tune with cute lyrics and some very pleasant vocals. Definitely a nice feel and I can see it playing very well commercially. The banter was very funny, with Steve using the poles to pretend to strip and a Puff Daddy rap by Ed with the rest of the band providing the "Every Breath I Take" chorus. The stage was so tiny, but because it was in an oval, Kevin had all this extra room, so Ed had commented on that and kept running back there to hang with him. Kevin kept running around in his larger area to make everyone else jealous. Probably one of the funniest rhymes I have ever heard at a BNL concert was after going off stage for the encore, the band returned without Ed. Steve said he was in the bathroom and would be right out. The band started singing, "Ed's taking a pee". Finally Ed hit the stage and delivered a rap about "Here I am singing at this mike stand, a minute ago I had my dick in my hand." I'd also like to say "Hi" to Cheryl, Dan, and Heather, fans that I met during the show!!! The next show was to be Austin on Sunday, December 14 at La Zona Rosa. Tickets had to be won over the radio, but there were still probably 1,000 people at this one. This was a radio show with BNL headlining and Billie Myers, Sister Hazel, and 10,000 Maniacs opening. I only caught the end of Billie Myers, but what I heard was good and the crowd seemed really into it. Sister Hazel was great. This is the fourth time I've seen them, and I truly love their enthusiasm and talent. They have this wonderful lead guitarist and some very nice rhythms and unique vocals and harmonies. Influenced by southern rock bands, like the Allman Brothers, they also add their own original qualities to some very pleasant songs. Sorry to say that 10,000 Maniacs played way too long to be so bland and unentertaining. With a new singer, Mary Ramsay, to replace Natalie Merchant, they have lost a lot of their charisma. They played old and new songs, but after the first 40 minutes, I was getting ancy for BNL. Finally, one hour late, at 12:15am they take the stage. Of course, another wonderful show, pretty much the same set as the Dallas show, with a few deletions due to time. The banter was about Ed's quick trip to Toronto the day before and his experiences with American Airlines ("we do chicken right"). They also did a song about a guy in the crowd who was the "Puffy Haired Bearded Dancing Guy". Thanks to Kristy, Alex, Jay, Sean, Amber, Darryl, and others that joined me for this show. After the show during my long trek back to Houston, I continued to listen to the station that sponsored the show. People kept calling in to rave about how awesome BNL had been. It gave me a great deal of happiness to see them so popular down here in the heart of TX. Now I just have to get Houston on board. So my next leg of the "tour" was to attend three post-Christmas, pre-New Years shows. I planned to go to Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit on Dec. 29, 30, and 31. This tour was filled with reunions of old and new friends, some that I had met via internet, other BNL shows, etc. I want to thank Gerri, Barb, Jeff, Candy, Jenn, Shari, Oliver, Bryan, Jonathan, Kristen, Lisa, John H., Nicki, John's sister, her friend, Joanna Clinton, Steve Rosenberg from 99X Atlanta, Emily, Darla, Roxanne, Kim, Kris, Michelle, Jim Conlin and Dana, Jason, Colin, Chris, Matt, Sarah Chauncey, and anyone else that I met during this tour because I couldn't have had a better holiday!!! I know there will be more fun fan get togethers in the near future. The Chicago show was at the Riviera. This venue holds maybe 3,000 people, but I was told that it had sold out in about 20 minutes. Opening band was the Devlins. While they were obviously talented musicians, they lacked any sort of uniqueness or charisma that left them fairly unmemorable in my mind. The first surprise of the evening was when BNL came on with the opening number, Grade Nine, a song that I thought I would never hear them rejuvenate. When it came to the "They Called Me" part, Ed said "They called me Janet Jackson". Very hysterical. They unveiled another new song, "Never is Enough" (click here for lyrics) which is also a pleasant, catchy tune, with Ed on lead vocals, about never having to do some of the basic, boring things like work in Retail, plant trees, backpack to Europe, and become Employee of the Month at Wendy's. I have a really good feeling about this new stuff. Ed had some banter about a used book store down the street where the proprietor was very grumpy. The band chimed in with "Grumpiest Bastard in the Whole Wide World" while Ed and Steve rhymed about Chicago. Other banter was about Ed getting a particularly rough massage before the show, having witnessed a fender bender during the day, and the appropriate pronunciation of insurance (which syllable should be emphasized, leading them to coming up with all sorts of unusual pronunciations). They added a great rendition of "Fight the Power" (covering Public Enemy), with Kevin really rocking on guitar, brought back some of my very favorites with "Blame It On Me" and "Break Your Heart" and they closed with "You Will Be Waiting", another older tune that I was surprised to hear. Next stop, Cleveland, for a show at the Cleveland State University Convocation Center, sold out, holding about 9,000. It does my heart good to be in a market that supports these guys so much. They played a similar set as the Chicago show, but due to Steve's voice being a bit shaky (illness), they substituted "Break your Heart" with "When I Fall" with Tyler and Kevin doing backing harmonies. Also, Steve left off the "Memories" from Cats finish to $1M to save his voice for the New Years show. During this show, there were a few technical problems with Ed breaking a string during "These Apples", and having a smooth transition of a new guitar mid song, and then his cable not working at all ultimately. Ed announced that he was glad that these problems happened when he was with 9,000 of his closest friends rather than when he was alone at soundcheck. When Tim, the curly haired roadie came on stage with the guitar, Ed introduced him as Robert Plant. He then played the chords to Stairway to Heaven, but changed the lyrics to those of Gilligans Island, thus saying that was called "Stairway to Gilligan". Also, at one point in the show, a few people were holding up lighters. Ed said "let's update the lighter thing for the 90s. Everyone hold up their Indiglo watches." There were little green lights everywhere. I was amazed at how many there actually were in the audience. Another funny part was when Ed pointed out that Steve's butt looked like a walnut in these particularly flattering black pants he was wearing. This launched them into a debate over whether the term filbert or hazelnut should be used, which ultimately led to Steve commenting about filbert as a comic (Dilbert) and how funny it was. I found it particularly amusing that Ed said "I guess you have to work in an office to get it." I particularly liked a part in the show where Steve asked Ed to play "American Pie". Ed said he didn't know how, but kind of faked it with the "Bye, Bye Miss America Pie" part. Steve went on to describe the Garth Brooks Central Park HBO special in which he crossed his arms and stared at Don McLean while he was playing. Steve did the same thing to Ed and said that Don McLean should have elbowed him or told him to stop staring at him. Anyone that had seen that part of the Garth special would have been able to relate. I had the same awkward impression when I had seen it! Final stop, New Years Eve in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The venue was the Palace, in a suburb of Detroit. This venue holds 16,000 people and is the biggest show BNL has ever headlined. During the intermission, they played a video of Ed and Tyler touring around the Palace goofing off in the afternoon. Highlights of the video included Steve, Ed, and Tyler dancing naked in the stands and Ed doing a handstand, naked in the shower (of course, certain parts were blurred for the family show). Notice that my highlights are all the naked parts. The show was great, the best way to ring in the New Year. Steve was decked in a tuxedo, Ed, Kevin, and Jim had on great suits, and Tyler showed up in a kilt, which he proceeded to flash us both in front and back to prove he wasn't wearing anything under it. While Steve's voice was still not 100%, with great professionalism, he still dug deep to deliver a wonderful show. This night, Steve did sing all his songs including "Break Your Heart" and the "Memories" ending to $1M. At one point, he forgot the second verse of Yoko Ono, so he proceeded to see if anyone in the front row knew it. To my dismay, no one did. There should be a test before you are allowed in the front row. Finally, a camera man filled in the verse to the cheers of the entire Palace. Ed added a cute Detroit ending to the "They called me..." part in Grade Nine, by saying "They called me Grant Hill." At midnight, they were in the middle of $1M, when they lit into a rendition of Auld Lang Syne that included each band member making up their own verse. I remember Jim's bomb ass suit, Tyler talking about his kilt, and Kevin singing the first verse of Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive". After the New Year, they returned to finish $1M and the rap. My favorite portion of the show however, was when Steve and Ed returned for the first encore playing "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (covering the Bruce Cockburn tune, but in their own original way), the first time I had ever seen it performed live! The other band members filtered on after the first two verses to complete the tune. A beautiful rendition. That song was probably the best way for me to begin 1998. Thanks guys! I just can't say enough wonderful things about Barenaked Ladies. They always deliver such an entertaining and clever show, high energy, lots of feeling. They are the most talented musicians and are the nicest, most sincere guys. They continue to give so much to their fans, spending lots of time signing autographs, having pictures taken, chatting. They often remember people from one show to the next. This is an entertainment treat that everyone, of any age must see. In my humble opinion, Barenaked Ladies are on the brink of huge success, and I can think of no other group that deserves it more. This year they are going into the studio to produce a new CD and will embark on the Horde Festival in mid Summer. Please, I beckon you, check them out, and check them out often. If you go to no other concert this year, you must go to a BNL concert. One additional note, it comes as no surprise that the greatest band would have the greatest crew. I would like to recognize all the hard work and professionalism that goes into delivering a flawless BNL show in hundreds of cities each year. These guys are constantly on the road and deserve much praise for their commitment!!! I started 1997 with BNL, and that is how I ended it. It has been an incredible year for me in every way. After 35 shows, thank you for the music, memories, and fun. All the best in 1998. On That Note, I'm outta here...... C |
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