“Look at the people around you. See the ones not singing? Those are the racists …”
Last Wednesday, in a show chock-full of their trademark jokes and banter, Canada’s own Barenaked Ladies took to the stage at Kitchener’s Centre in the Square. Touring in support of their new album, <em>Grinning Streak</em>, the now quartet (after founding member Steven Page left the band in 2009) brought a mixture of songs new and old, as well as some surprises, to an excited, sold-out crowd.
The Barenaked Ladies, founded in 1988 by Page and Ed Robinson, are one of Canada’s most popular and successful folk rock bands, best known for their songs “If I had $1,000,000,” “One Week,” and “Pinch Me,” as well as for writing the theme song for TV’s <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>. With several platinum-selling albums under their belts, BNL (as they are sometimes known) is quite famous for their live shows, in which they interweave their songs with hilarious commentary by the band.
This banter was out in full effect in Kitchener, with the crowd often in stitches between songs. Whether waxing poetic about the creation of an album for seniors — Naptime! — to go along with their children’s album <em>Snacktime!</em>, playing guitar with an audience member’s brassiere on its neck after the appropriate line in “Pinch Me,” or putting their own twists on a number of popular songs including “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” the light-hearted atmosphere made the show truly enjoyable for fans of all ages.
This show proved that though the band may have gone through a rough patch after Page left, they are still going strong 25 years after forming. “Here’s to another 25!” shouted drummer Tyler Stewart before the band left the arena. We can only hope to be so lucky.
