Over three decades. Barenaked Ladies have followed the credo of its absurd band name and have never remotely taken themselves seriously. They joke. They dance about. They sing about monkeys and Chickity China, the Chinese chicken.
But they do want audiences to pay attention. So on the Canadian band’s fourth visit to Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Friday night, they opted for no coolers, no candelabras, no clinking wine glasses and no tables packed with pasta, shrimp cocktail and brownies.
“It wasn’t exciting to see someone dip chicken wings in ranch sauce while watching a rock concert,” said lead singer Ed Robertson on stage.
But the band’s self-deprecating humor was in full display. After singing a bit of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” Robertson declared facetiously that “a lot of folks compare this to the Taylor Swift tour... Taylor’s was an accounting nightmare. Our tour? Tickets available! That’s a plus.”
Indeed, Chastain wasn’t full though it appeared more than 80% of the 4,500 seats were sold. That’s entirely respectable.
“Call your friends!” Robertson suggested, “especially if they’re in walking distance!”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
And for a handful of latecomers, Robertson filled them in on what they missed: special guest star Peter Gabriel, a surprise duet with Nelly and a rare appearance by André3000. (All lies!)
At one point, he noted a lovely dinner with members of Five for Fighting the night before at South City Kitchen in Midtown. But drummer Tyler Stewart missed it. “What does he have?” 52-year-old Robertson said. “It rhymes with guy-a-fleah... Some think it’s funny but it’s really wet and runny.”
Juvenile humor aside, the setlist covered an expanse of Barenaked Ladies songs over eight of its studio albums, from three cuts off of breakthrough CD “Gordon” in 1992 to its most recent 2021′s “Detour de Force.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
While the vocals of the band aren’t quite as robust without original vocalist Steven Page, who left a whopping 14 years ago, the other four members have ably stepped in to fill the gap. Robertson happily ceded vocal lead for multiple songs to bassist Jim Creeggan, guitarist Kevin Hearn and Stewart, the poor drummer with (presumably temporary) intestinal issues.
And the big hits still hit big. The audience callbacks remain delightfully funny in “If I Had a Million Dollars.” The band’s lone 1998 U.S. No. 1 hit “One Week” has lost none of its manic urgency a quarter century later. The crowd bopped hard to an extended version of “The Big Bang Theory” theme.
And the band can still wring wistful melodic complexities out of “Brian Wilson,” its tribute to the Beach Boys impresario.
But upbeat is the band’s bailiwick, and tunes such as 2013′s “Gonna Walk” and brand new “Lovin’ Life” were clear highlights of the night. “We’re lovin’ life,” Robertson crooned. “It’s like a pizza, and we want another slice.”
Hardcore fans were rewarded at the end with the band’s signature pop music medley. This one featured a tribute to late Canadian crooner Gordon Lightfoot (”If You Could Read My Mind”), modern pop hits (Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was”), two cuts from “The Sound of Music” and a couple of ‘80s classics: a-Ha’s “Take On Me” and a robust Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages.”
Robertson shepherded the two opening acts Del Amitri and Five for Fighting back on stage for a faithful cover of Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner” to close out the 100-minute set.
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Earlier in the evening, the middle act Five for Fighting, which is really John Odrasik, brought a dollop of earnestness with hit songs like “The Riddle” and “100 Years” and told the story of visiting Ukraine after writing the song “Can One Man Save the World” in honor of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He also noted how he shouldn’t have worn a long-sleeve shirt that seemed to absorb all his sweat on a hot Atlanta day like Saturday.
But that didn’t stop Ondrasik from finishing his eight-song set with a super energetic take on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Apologies to opener Del Amitri of “Roll To Me” fame. I thought this was a show that allowed coolers, and when I was informed it wasn’t, me and my date ended up taking our cooler and eating dinner at some benches at nearby Sutton Middle School listening to Del Amitri on YouTube Music instead.
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