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Concert report: Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morisette
Oh. My. God.
Oh, the word love simply does not begin to cover the depth of my adoration for the Barenaked Ladies. In my personal opinion, I think they got shafted on this tour, because even if they were co-headlining, a lot of the accessories to their set were used to set up for hers. Even still... oh. my. god.
The show started an hour earlier than I'd thought, and after I realized this, I panicked and decided it was time to go. As such we reached Hollywood with plenty of time, and found a neat little hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant for an easy dinner. It actually ended up being cheaper than a place like Applebee's would have been, and good food in a nifty atmosphere. We headed up to the theatre in the park, and were introduced to the joys of stack parking. You get put in directly behind the row of cars in front of you, on the reasonable assumption that everyone will be leaving at once, so they don't leave each individual car the luxury of its own exit vector. We made our way to the amphitheatre, which was exactly where I hadn't expected it, and headed in. I got another BnL shirt, which MacKenzie actually still has.
The Greek Theatre, for those that haven't been there, is a nifty venue. Outdoors, but curved and shaped nicely so that even from the back, the stage feels closer than it really is. We were about seven rows from the very back - sadly, that's closer to front than I was at the Pepsi Center.
What follows is a play-by-play, blow-by-blow, song-by-song review of their entire set. You have been warned.
Opener: "Brian Wilson," from Gordon
The start couldn't have been simpler. Stephen Page (Steven?) just walked on stage, with a guitar, and started playing. It didn't take long for me to remember exactly why Barenaked Ladies are so incredibly, incredibly good. The other guys made their way on, and the rocking commenced.
Two: "Some Fantastic," from Stunt
This is not one of the Ladies' better-known songs, having never been released as a single, but it's one of the better songs from a damn good album. It was the concert's first illustration of one of BnL's greatest talents - with five men on stage, they can effortlessly work an eight- or ten-part song, by virtue of the incredible harmonies and counterpoints in the backup vocals.
Three: "Maybe Katie," from Everything to Everyone
If I'm not mistaken, this is their first tour since releasing the new album, so of course they have to pimp the new songs. Naturally, they did not disappoint. (I am mistaken. I entirely missed the Everywhere for Everyone tour in the spring.)
Four: "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank," from Born on a Pirate Ship
Wow. I'd never expected to hear this song live. But man - Kevin brought out the accordion and the rocking out continued. Coincidentally, this is two concerts in two weeks that have featured accordion music.
Five: "Another Postcard," from Everything to Everone
There were totally open seats near us. If I'd planned ahead more, I would have brought Stumpy to the concert, or some smaller stuffed monkey, and had an awesome dance to this song. Alas, no.
Six: "Get In Line," from no CD, the Stunt era
I was impressed. MacKenzie hadn't heard this song. I distinctly remember them playing it at the last concert I went to, though. At this point, the guys came down from the drums and keyboard, and the five of them clustered around one mic, with just a few guitars and bongos to hold the backup. Like I said - they do gorgeous things with their voices.
Seven: "For You," from Everything to Everyone
MacKenzie and I couldn't think of the title to this song when they played it. I had to look it up when I got home.
Eight: "One Week," from Stunt
This was BnL's huge breakout song, so naturally they had to play it. I bet even they get tired of it, though - this time they played it in their unplugged setup, slowing it down some and smoothing it out, making it more of a groove song than a rock-rap. It worked.
Nine: "Pinch Me," from Maroon
Another of the big singles, and it never fails to give me goosebumps. The lyrics are different when it's live: "Put the sprinkler on the lawn/ And run through with no clothing on/ Take a drink right from the hose/ And change into Alanis's clothes." Previous concerts have used "my sister's clothes," which I prefer.
Ten: "The Old Apartment," from Born on a Pirate Ship
Finally breaking back out of the pseudo-acoustic subset, this song was huge. There was something about it worth noting, but I forget what exactly, now.
Eleven: An unreleased song
The feel in this song was that it fell somewhere in the Maroon or Everything to Everyone era, but didn't really fit into either of those albums.
Twelve: "Falling for the First Time," from Maroon
Oh, this song will forever hold a very, very special place in my heart. Boy am I glad it got played.
Thirteen: "War on Drugs," from Everything to Everyone
There are a few lyrics in the middle of this song that strike me deeply, everytime I hear it, and I have to consciously control my emotions. I didn't bother this time, just letting the tears roll down my cheeks, floating away in the music. Only when the song was done did I bother wiping my face.
Fourteen: "It's All Been Done," From Stunt
The transition into this from "War on Drugs" was bizarre and jarring, but it got carried off just the same. This song is another of their classics.
Fifteen: "Shopping," from Everything to Everyone
Bouncy simply does not begin to describe this song. Calling it bouncy is like calling Everquest addicting. True, yes, but it goes so much beyond it. And oh, gods, the choreography. Rather than ending the song, they extended the bridge into a dance number, bringing on shopping carts to roll around the stage, and pouring cereal boxes of packing peanuts over themselves, all in a bizarre parody of syncronized swimming. You just had to be there, really.
At this point, they exited the stage in order to give the roadies a chance to sweep away the styrofoam, and to pretend that the next two songs were an encore by popular demand, rather than planned.
Sixteen: "Call and Answer," from Stunt
This time, it was MacKenzie's turn to cry, and I can't say I blame her. This is a damn good song. After the first verse, though, Alanis came on and she and Steve sang as a duet. Amusingly, she couldn't hit some of the notes he could.
Closer: "If I Had $1000000," from Gordon
BnL can't play a show without this song. An audience would simply not allow it. And it really gives them a huge chance to just banter about whatever random crap they want to. In this case, it was about driving in Hollywood, and people actually drive like you see in the movies - paying attention to what's next to them, and not the road.
Alanis played a not-bad set, though I didn't pay as much attention because I wasn't there for her. A surprising amount of the stuff was off her first album, though, even though she's grown up and matured since then.
For those in the Denver area, this tour hits Red Rocks on Monday. I highly reccomend that you go. Yeah.
click
Oh, the word love simply does not begin to cover the depth of my adoration for the Barenaked Ladies. In my personal opinion, I think they got shafted on this tour, because even if they were co-headlining, a lot of the accessories to their set were used to set up for hers. Even still... oh. my. god.
The show started an hour earlier than I'd thought, and after I realized this, I panicked and decided it was time to go. As such we reached Hollywood with plenty of time, and found a neat little hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant for an easy dinner. It actually ended up being cheaper than a place like Applebee's would have been, and good food in a nifty atmosphere. We headed up to the theatre in the park, and were introduced to the joys of stack parking. You get put in directly behind the row of cars in front of you, on the reasonable assumption that everyone will be leaving at once, so they don't leave each individual car the luxury of its own exit vector. We made our way to the amphitheatre, which was exactly where I hadn't expected it, and headed in. I got another BnL shirt, which MacKenzie actually still has.
The Greek Theatre, for those that haven't been there, is a nifty venue. Outdoors, but curved and shaped nicely so that even from the back, the stage feels closer than it really is. We were about seven rows from the very back - sadly, that's closer to front than I was at the Pepsi Center.
What follows is a play-by-play, blow-by-blow, song-by-song review of their entire set. You have been warned.
Opener: "Brian Wilson," from Gordon
The start couldn't have been simpler. Stephen Page (Steven?) just walked on stage, with a guitar, and started playing. It didn't take long for me to remember exactly why Barenaked Ladies are so incredibly, incredibly good. The other guys made their way on, and the rocking commenced.
Two: "Some Fantastic," from Stunt
This is not one of the Ladies' better-known songs, having never been released as a single, but it's one of the better songs from a damn good album. It was the concert's first illustration of one of BnL's greatest talents - with five men on stage, they can effortlessly work an eight- or ten-part song, by virtue of the incredible harmonies and counterpoints in the backup vocals.
Three: "Maybe Katie," from Everything to Everyone
If I'm not mistaken, this is their first tour since releasing the new album, so of course they have to pimp the new songs. Naturally, they did not disappoint. (I am mistaken. I entirely missed the Everywhere for Everyone tour in the spring.)
Four: "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank," from Born on a Pirate Ship
Wow. I'd never expected to hear this song live. But man - Kevin brought out the accordion and the rocking out continued. Coincidentally, this is two concerts in two weeks that have featured accordion music.
Five: "Another Postcard," from Everything to Everone
There were totally open seats near us. If I'd planned ahead more, I would have brought Stumpy to the concert, or some smaller stuffed monkey, and had an awesome dance to this song. Alas, no.
Six: "Get In Line," from no CD, the Stunt era
I was impressed. MacKenzie hadn't heard this song. I distinctly remember them playing it at the last concert I went to, though. At this point, the guys came down from the drums and keyboard, and the five of them clustered around one mic, with just a few guitars and bongos to hold the backup. Like I said - they do gorgeous things with their voices.
Seven: "For You," from Everything to Everyone
MacKenzie and I couldn't think of the title to this song when they played it. I had to look it up when I got home.
Eight: "One Week," from Stunt
This was BnL's huge breakout song, so naturally they had to play it. I bet even they get tired of it, though - this time they played it in their unplugged setup, slowing it down some and smoothing it out, making it more of a groove song than a rock-rap. It worked.
Nine: "Pinch Me," from Maroon
Another of the big singles, and it never fails to give me goosebumps. The lyrics are different when it's live: "Put the sprinkler on the lawn/ And run through with no clothing on/ Take a drink right from the hose/ And change into Alanis's clothes." Previous concerts have used "my sister's clothes," which I prefer.
Ten: "The Old Apartment," from Born on a Pirate Ship
Finally breaking back out of the pseudo-acoustic subset, this song was huge. There was something about it worth noting, but I forget what exactly, now.
Eleven: An unreleased song
The feel in this song was that it fell somewhere in the Maroon or Everything to Everyone era, but didn't really fit into either of those albums.
Twelve: "Falling for the First Time," from Maroon
Oh, this song will forever hold a very, very special place in my heart. Boy am I glad it got played.
Thirteen: "War on Drugs," from Everything to Everyone
There are a few lyrics in the middle of this song that strike me deeply, everytime I hear it, and I have to consciously control my emotions. I didn't bother this time, just letting the tears roll down my cheeks, floating away in the music. Only when the song was done did I bother wiping my face.
Fourteen: "It's All Been Done," From Stunt
The transition into this from "War on Drugs" was bizarre and jarring, but it got carried off just the same. This song is another of their classics.
Fifteen: "Shopping," from Everything to Everyone
Bouncy simply does not begin to describe this song. Calling it bouncy is like calling Everquest addicting. True, yes, but it goes so much beyond it. And oh, gods, the choreography. Rather than ending the song, they extended the bridge into a dance number, bringing on shopping carts to roll around the stage, and pouring cereal boxes of packing peanuts over themselves, all in a bizarre parody of syncronized swimming. You just had to be there, really.
At this point, they exited the stage in order to give the roadies a chance to sweep away the styrofoam, and to pretend that the next two songs were an encore by popular demand, rather than planned.
Sixteen: "Call and Answer," from Stunt
This time, it was MacKenzie's turn to cry, and I can't say I blame her. This is a damn good song. After the first verse, though, Alanis came on and she and Steve sang as a duet. Amusingly, she couldn't hit some of the notes he could.
Closer: "If I Had $1000000," from Gordon
BnL can't play a show without this song. An audience would simply not allow it. And it really gives them a huge chance to just banter about whatever random crap they want to. In this case, it was about driving in Hollywood, and people actually drive like you see in the movies - paying attention to what's next to them, and not the road.
Alanis played a not-bad set, though I didn't pay as much attention because I wasn't there for her. A surprising amount of the stuff was off her first album, though, even though she's grown up and matured since then.
For those in the Denver area, this tour hits Red Rocks on Monday. I highly reccomend that you go. Yeah.
click
Shirt?
I just have the one I bought.
Re: Shirt?