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Even though I'm not a fan of Barenaked Ladies,
I must admit that they sure know how to put on a great
concert. Their entertaining, improvisational stage antics,
combined with catchy tunes, left me amazed.
Sure, I'm a fan of radio hits such as "Pinch
Me" and "One Week", but aside from
those hits, I always thought their music was insanely
whimsical without enough poignancy to allure me. At
their July 17th show at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel,
NJ, my thoughts changed drastically about this band.
Turns out, they are whimsical, crazy and wild…but
I have a new-found respect for the Canadian band. I
suppose seeing them live, and really observing them
outside of listening to a finished track on the radio
really helped me see inside this group. When they played
my only "favorite" song, "Call and
Answer", I melted. I also discovered another great
track, "Aluminum", which was about someone
not being as great as they thought.
Yes, I am a sucker for the sappy songs, and although
this band does sing a few, I realized that their fun
songs fulfilled another aspect of my personality --
the crazy one! What a great outlet!
During "Shopping", each member of the band
got to interact during an all out synchronized dancing
event featuring actual shopping carts. Perhaps the best
thing about this band is their stage presence. Each
member of the band swaps intstruments and the spotlight,
while lead singers Stephen and Ed kept the crowd intrigued
using their natural friendship as the base for hysterical
stage banter.
I can't believe that after years of hearing this
band in the limelight, I'm only now becoming a
fan – but mostly, I'm glad I'm not
missing out on great music.
Reviewed by Kristen Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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