Who doesn’t love the Barenaked Ladies? Both, nude females, and the band are always a hit! On Saturday June 26th after the Rays played the Diamondbacks the Barenaked Ladies rocked the stage on Tropicana Field.
The Concert Series at the Trop experience was quite interesting. The Rays won, leaving the crowd elated and ready to rock on 90’s night with BNL and sing along to their chart-toppers. After the game the fans were lining up ready to rush the field and get a place near the stage. Those without wristbands hung around in the stands and caught the concert on the big-screen TV, and from the comfort of their seats.
They set up the stage in about 35 minutes after the win and then Barenaked Ladies were introduced by a local radio personality who announced that they had a new album called, “All in Good Time” coming out later this year. The Barenaked Ladies came out, a couple wearing their Rays T-Shirts, and greeted the eager audience.
They opened with “The Old Apartment,” and after, the lead singer said, “Hello, we’re from the 90’s!” He went on to explain that although they didn’t consider themselves just a “90’s” band, that since most of their number ones came in the 90’s they had no problem playing 90’s night for the Rays and the fans at the Trop.
“Get in Line” was played next, followed by “Falling for the First Time.” Then front-man Ed Robertson, said “I know that sports fans are a superstitious bunch; I just want to point out that you invited Barenaked Ladies to come play and you won!” From there he went to say that for every time the Trop would invite them back, the Rays would win. They launched into a little rap montage about how this would be a new pattern to start.
“Who Needs Sleep?” was followed by a little sneak peak at their new album and a few songs from earlier work to bring the 90’s back one song at a time. The fans were singing along, some audience members were just intrigued by their performance. They were very animated on stage and played around a lot with their instruments and with each other. Even if you didn’t know any of the words, the Barenaked Ladies kept you completely entertained.
Of course they played “One Week,” “Too Little, Too Late,” “It’s All Been Done,” and “Pinch Me.” They played my personal favorite, a huge crowd pleaser, “If I Had a Million Dollars,” and finished with a cover of “Magic” with a little hip-hop, freestyle montage throwing in a few dance steps here and there to keep the crowd smiling as they left. They came back for a quick encore, leaving the crowd with “Brian Wilson.”
Their set was pretty short, maybe 80 minutes at best but they won over the audience easily. Kids loved it, parents loved it even more, and anyone who fell in love with the Barenaked Ladies in the 90’s were smitten by the end of their epic performance. BNL had fun on stage, which made for a great way to celebrate the Rays victory on 90’s night at the Trop. We should have BNL back again and again just to keep the Rays at the top of their game!
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.