Tonight Randall and I caught former Barenaked Ladies (heretofore referred to as BNL, Barenaked, or the Ladies) front-man Steven Page at The Den. Personally, I was anxiously awaiting this rock and roll show because BNL virtually dominated my playlist between the years of 1999 and 2006. The whole Barenaked thing came to a crash in early 2009 when Page left, fresh off a coke bust and Page’s abhorrence of the Ladies’ release of a children’s album. I had seen the group seven times, each show in some arena, where I was one of ten thousand attendees. Tonight I was looking forward to seeing Page amid a crowd of five hundred or so. Well……
It was depressing. This show was the least attended I have ever seen. The audience was mixed though comprised of numerous heavy-set people, one of which was the spitting image of Violet Beauregard. Only four seats were used in the upper deck and there was still plenty of space on the floor. I counted 82 people total.
Page entered the stage precisely at 8:30 wearing a powder blue gingham check poplin suit with matching bowtie adorning his pale yellow shirt. The band (three brothers) were similarly decked out albeit in more drab colors. From the get go this show had a Pee Wee’s Playhouse feel. The setlist totaled seventeen songs, only seven of which were Barenaked. His solo songs all had similar undertones, answering the age old question “what would it sound like of the 1966 Beatles met the 1992 Lemonheads?”. Of the seven Barenaked tunes, four were done quite well (Jane, Apartment, Good Boy and Call/Answer). I especially liked the extended post-vocal closing of the latter two. The new material was forgettable except for These Wasted Words, which was a well-done song. A BNL show was known for its witty banter among bandmates, something Page attempted to recreate with his new band, but failed.
Make no mistake about it, Page still has the vocals, which were on full display, perhaps a little shaky during the crescendo of What a Good Boy, but otherwise he nailed it. Musically the band was adequate, centered around Page’s guitar and Jay Baird on keys, trumpet, chimes, et al. However, this show felt like exactly what it was, a guy who had immense success wanting to be on his own only to find that it was not him, but the band that was the key to success. Page appeared to be happy but it really seemed to me as an act. Plainly, it wasn’t a good show. I must add that the four remaining Ladies have not fared much better having played Indian Ranch (a campground) in Webster, MA not but eleven days before this show.
For me, the love affair with the Barenaked Ladies has waned a bit in recent years. There is no doubt that some of their songs will forever be on my play list, but I have moved on. Page should either reconcile with his former bandmates or continue to slide into this eerie Randy “The Ram” Robinson creative abyss.
The show ended with the classic song Brian Wilson. My thoughts is that it should have ended with the lamenting BNL song Thanks That was Fun, with the poignant lyrics “don’t forget, no regrets”. I do not recommend seeing Steven Page, words I thought nearly impossible hours ago.
Vick
PS: after the show Randall and I purchased an aggregate forty Krispy Kremes, which I believe to be the record for a duo.
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