The Barenaked Ladies are one of those bands where you know what to expect before you even hear them play. Their name inspires either laughter or curiosity, and so does their music.
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Barenaked Ladies
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 Entertainment
 Art
Petrillo Music Shell at Taste of Chicago
Chicago, IL
June 30, 2009
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Once you learn that there are no ladies in the band, naked or otherwise, you might emit a brief giggle and form a smirk. Very funny, now what’s behind the silly name…silly music? The answer to that, of course, is yes.
The Toronto quintet-turned quartet started out as a duet opening with funny musical numbers for comedians at college campuses. Since then they’ve made pop-folk albums with a few serious songs thrown in, plus a children’s album and a few holiday discs.
Touring is their forte; their true colors come out when interacting with audiences. Their show at the Taste of Chicago was a prime example of this, as they joked around about the Chicago skyline, “How do you like our new backdrop? We’re taking this with us on tour. They’ll really like it in Ohio.” They also kept referring to an incident involving spilled coffee, and compared Chicago to their home town: “Chicago is like a grown-up Toronto. We’re an adolescent; we still dump our trash in the lake. It’s OK; mom and dad will clean it up.”
Oh yeah, there was also the part with the instruments and singing. This part took up about half of the show, as the other half was devoted to laughs. BnL’s music can be summed up in two words: forgettable rock. The show kicked off with a call of, “Everybody say ah!” Lyrics like, “everything will be all right” pumped the crowd up initially, but more was needed to keep people from wondering back into the main attraction of the food vendors.
“If I had a $1,000,000” had the group employ mandolin, accordion and double bass on the down-home ditty. Hearing the list of things that could be done with the sum of money, like buying a new house, furniture or a fur coat was fun, and showed instrumental ability. It’s hard to say there was anything artistic about this song, though. “7 8 9”, off their children’s album, Snacktime! had witty lyrics, too: “six is afraid of seven, cuz seven eight nine.” Get it? If I was seven, eight or nine years old I’d enjoy this, but otherwise the song just works as another lighthearted moment.
There were a few decent songs, including the melodic “Sound of Your Voice”, the bittersweet “The Old Apartment”, their catchy “One Week”, and the airy “Pinch Me”, which focused on the summertime pleasures of hot lazy days, where all your cares drift away. The effect of Barenaked Ladies’ music also drifts away, as their songs are the equivalent of a fruity popsicle – no nutritional value but sweet while it lasts.
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wtf?
Written by Guest on 2009-07-31 05:25:42
Barenaked Ladies' music is "silly" huh? Try doing some research and you'll find that, minus one or two 'novelty' songs, BNL have a huge catalogue of very 'serious' and very good songs throughout their albums. It's curious that you follow this point by stating that you think If I Had a Million Dollars showcased their musical ability the best in that gig. You must have not been paying attention to the rest of it. Seriously.
Also, I can only assume that by "a few holiday albums", you mean ONE. They have only released one holiday LP.
You acknowledged that 789 was from the children's record - so, er, yes, if you were that age, you would enjoy it - I don't understand your point here. It's target audience is children.
A mandolin is not played on If I Had a Million Dollars.
Pinch Me is a song about depression.
If you're going to try and write a review dude then at least know what you're talking about, and word it in a way that reads properly (may I suggest the first port of call to be a spell check - a few "descent songs" - what?) |
Hello WTF
Written by admin on 2009-07-31 18:48:14
The spell check part would be partly on my end. Thanks for catching that. |
Written by Guest on 2009-07-31 21:24:01
I think someone needs to research the lyrics a bit more. I also think that you confused "Pinch Me" with their new song "Summertime" - not that those lyrics were interpreted as intended either. Silly is far from how I would describe much of their music. They do have a lot of fun on stage and with their interactions with the audience, but that in no way diminishes the quality of the music. The music is well worth remembering long after they are done performing. Seeing as this was a festival I would expect that they would perform one of their songs from "Snacktime" since there were children in attendance any way! Their intent in making that album was to target a young audience, including their own children, yet make music that parents could enjoy as well... I feel they succeeded! Maybe if the writer attends more shows and listens to more of the music/lyrics he'd see the guys in a different light. |
Written by Guest on 2009-07-31 21:25:04
Oh, I forgot to mention... Lyle, awesome photos!  |
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