Synonymous with quirky lyrics and dreams of being rich, The Barenaked Ladies brought their “In Flight” tour to Rochester on Wednesday, October 2. Passengers on this tour are fellow 90’s alt-rock band, Toad the Wet Sprocket.
Quietly gaining a strong following since 1986, Toad the Wet Sprocket has released seven studio albums and has had solid success on the pop charts with hits like “All I Want,” “Good Intentions,” and “Walk on The Ocean”. Playing for about 45 minutes, Glen Phillips and crew serenaded the sellout crowd as they filed to their seats to see the Canadian headliners.
Jamming through a 12-song set, lead singer Phillips is joined on stage by Dean Dinning on bass and rhythm guitar, Todd Nichols on guitar and mandolin, Josh Daubin on percussion, and Jonathan Kingham on keys.
After a brief delay in set up, Barenaked Ladies took the stage for nearly 2,000 fans shortly before 9pm. Starting out with “One Night” and 2003’s “Testing 1,2,3,” Ed Roberston and team were quickly thrown off script as there were more issues with sound, mostly with Jim Creegan’s bass. Luckily for them and the enthusiastic audience, BNL kept the show going as if nothing was wrong. Some ad-libs, a little magic trick and banter with bandmates paired with a less scary rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” kept the fans entertained.
With the sound issues taken care of, Robertson along with Tyler Stewart on drums, Jim Creegan on bass, and Kevin Hearn on keys rocked through their 19-song set, with tracks from nearly every album, dating back to 1992’s Gordon.
With nobody exempt from the wit of Robertson, including Robin the sound guy, “History Of Everything” theme from the Big Bang theory began with a jab at the opening band. While thanking Toad The Wet Sprocket for being on tour, he brags that although they are amazing in their own right, they don’t have a TV theme song.
Having been around for over 30 years, many like myself, will recall a time when fans would bring in boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to heave during the set, as they belted out “If I Had a $1,000,000.” Those days are long gone, but the days of fan screaming out lyrics remain. With some guidance from Robertson, tonight was no different. Right on cue, the crowd gave BNL exactly what he wanted, minus the dijon ketchup.
If I had a million dollars
We wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we’d just eat more
Rounding out the classic, quirky set, the guys came out for a two song encore of “Tonight is The Night I Fell Asleep at The Wheel” and “Lovin Life.” The latter couldn’t have been better song to end the night, speaking about lovin’ the life you have and making the most of it, no matter what happens.
Nearly 40 years, 17 studio albums, and millions of downloads later, Barenaked Ladies are still the goofy band from Canada that loves to have fun on stage and can make even a rough start (thanks, Robin) turn into a night of improv and laugher from start to finish. Make sure you go check them out if you haven’t already seen Barenaked Ladies.
Toad the Wet Sprocket setlist: Come Down, California Wasted, Inside, Transient Whales, Nanci, Good Intentions, The Moment, Walk on The Ocean, Nightingale Song, Something’s Always Wrong, Fall Down, All I Want
Barenaked Ladies setlist: One Night, Testing 1-2-3, Thriller (M. Jackson cover), For You, The Old Apartment, Big Back Yard, Boomerang, Just Wait, Toe to Toe, Brian Wilson, Fifty for a While, Aluminum, Pinch Me, Odds Are, History of Everything (Big Bang Theory theme), One Week, If I Had $1000000, Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep at The Wheel, Lovin’ Life
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