A couple of years ago at Christmas, Shannon gave me a music CD with the following note attached: “I don’t really like their name, but some of their songs are really good.” That started our family listening to the Barenaked Ladies, and led to Shannon and I going to their concert this past Saturday.
When I first heard of the band with the scandalous name many years ago, I figured they were some kind of misogynistic heavy metal band. But at some point I remember hearing Pinch Me on the radio, and realized that they didn’t take themselves too seriously, based on this lyric:
On an evening such as this
It’s hard to tell if I exist
If I pack the car and leave this town
Who’ll notice that I’m not around?
I could hide out under there
I just made you say underwear
I could leave, but I’ll just stay
All my stuff’s here anyway
[MP3 Clip]
Some of their music is serious, some ironic, and some not far from silly. Ethan and Gerrit both like If I Had $1,000,000. Shoebox [MP3 Clip] has become our family theme song for reminding the boys to put their shoes away (though the song is not about something so virtuous as tidiness).
The Barenaked Ladies were one of the groups that performed for the 2002 Olympics out here in Salt Lake, and Shannon tried really hard to get us tickets to the concert. You wouldn’t think it would be too hard since the Olympics were giving away lots of free tickets to local residents. Unfortunately, people snatched them all up, and a large number of those free tickets somehow ended up on eBay selling for more than $100 a shot.
So when tickets went on sale for their new Everything to Everyone tour earlier this year, Shannon sent me off to buy some right away. We got some great seats in the 9th row — and at a bargain price compared to the Olympic scalpers.
The concert itself was a lot of fun, though in keeping with longstanding rock concert tradition, also very loud. It’s not often that I’m in the presence of bass that can rearrange internal organs.
Ed Robertson and band performing Maybe Katie.
March 20, 2004
One of the highlights of the show was the shopping cart ballet done (appropriately) to the song Shopping [MP3 Clip]. I say shopping cart ballet, but it was really more like you would imagine synchronized swimming — complete with the video wall showing the kaleidoscopic top-down view.
Not everything at the concert was in the zany category, though. Steven Page introduced the song War on Drugs [MP3 Clip] talking about a bridge in Toronto that is notorious for suicides. The city’s solution was to put up some netting so that it would be harder to jump off, as if that would stop anyone determined to end it all. He said that these people don’t need a net, but rather help from other people. Not earthshaking philosophy by any means, but it was still a nice thought.
One of the final bits of mayhem for the night was during an encore performance of If I Had $1,000,000. There is a part that goes:
If I Had $1000000 We wouldn’t have to walk to the store
If I Had $1000000 We’d take a limousine ’cause it costs more
If I Had $1000000 We wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner.
[But we would eat Kraft Dinner. Of course we would, we’d just eat more.
And buy really expensive ketchup with it. That’s right, Dijon Ketchup. Mmmm.]
At the mention of Kraft Dinner, we were pelted with uncooked macaroni noodles from audience members behind us. I guess this is a concert tradition that the band has tried unsuccessfully to stop for some time now. Apparently at some concerts signs were posted saying:
Macaroni & Cheese Hurts
When you get it in the head
BNL would appreciate donations to the food bank instead
Thank You
Even being shielded by lots of people, I tend to agree with that sentiment. But at least no one threw underwear that night.