|
Dazzling Dazza, in his calibra cockpit, has carefully charted our re-entry. We are within seconds of going into orbit around
the Apollo. It’s a safe landing within a few hundred metres of the place previously shown on the map as Odeon!
Everyone from everywhere is here to hear ‘Everywhere for everyone’ and other poptastic
delights from one of Canada’s greatest satellites, the band known as The Barenaked Ladies. Jane’s here too. Well, at least, I say Jane but this Jane is Mancunian Jane and a girl who certainly knows her Northern
Soul.
There’s not much of that on offer from support band, The Honeymoon. The songs are pleasant enough but their presence and performance are nonetheless all part of our period in quarantine.
Talking of Janes, the Ladies’ opener is blistering ‘Maybe Katie’ from ‘Everything to everyone’. Houston, we have lift-off!
On this mission, the Barenaked band is: Jim Creeggan [double and electric
basses]; Kevin Heran [keys and accordion]; Steven Page [vocals and gtr]; Ed Robertson [gtrs and vocals]; and Tyler Stewart [drums].
Three songs in, the next transmission comes in along the lines of ‘hello,
good evening, sorry it took us so long to get here.’
Ed explains ‘but we had stuff to do!’ Steve recalls the Odeon was one of the first places the BNLs ever played back in the halcyon days of 1992. 12
years on and now it’s called the Carling Apollo. ‘I become increasingly uncomfortable at the lack of a corporate tag at the beginning of the name of a venue,’ adds Steven. ‘Now there’s beer at the
beginning, I know its OK to rock!’
The first of several splendiferous musical adlibs ensues culminating into an impromptu rendition of Phats and Small’s ‘Turn around’. Some of us are in stitches not
so the toy chimpanzee placed on stage. ‘I think it’s still alive, I think it will survive,’ remarks Steven. The chimp features heavily in the excellent ‘Another Postcard’.
The Ladies’ elegant
musical hall variety show continues with the excellent ‘Grade 9’ a song about school days long gone. It’s infamous for its ‘Spirit of Radio’ extract from fellow Canadian band Rush and sounding just great
tonight.
Tyler grabs a hand bongo, Kevin straps on his accordion, Jim picks up the double bass while Ed and Steven plug in their acoustic guitars for ‘Be my Yoko Ono’, ‘For you’ and ‘One week’.
The audience go crazy!
The songs from ‘Everything to everyone’ really stand out tonight. This collection is a greatest hits album in its own right. The evening’s solitary serious sojourn comes in the
form of ‘War on drugs’ as Steven reminds us of our duty to ‘take care of each other’. The song is dedicated to those who have lost the will to survive.
Back to reality, ‘Brian Wilson’ and ‘Old
Apartment’ have us on our feet and singing along with each and every line. We are now in outer space and beginning to lose any real sense of gravity.
Finally, ‘Shopping’ wraps it up! ‘Well you know
that it’s going it be all right … when we go shopping.’
Earthlings, have you got yours? Check out your local record store or get yourself online. Either way, you’ll find this great music filed under
the letter ‘B’ for brilliant! The Barenaked Ladies ‘Everything to everyone’!
Set List: Maybe Katie; Too little too late; Never is enough; It’s all been done; Another postcard; Celebrity; Grade 9;
Aluminium; Be my Yoko Ono; For you; One Week; Upside down; Alcohol; War on drugs; Brian Wilson; Old Apartment; Shopping; [Encores: Pinch me; If I had a $1,000,000; What a good boy.]
|
