Barenaked Ladies - Victoria BC Oct 2015 ~Photos Mel Z
Barenaked Ladies – Victoria BC Oct 2015 ~Photos Mel Z/Ocean 98.5

It’s been a while boys. OK…men. But they were boys when we first became acquainted. I’m no mathematician, but if these guys have been the Barenaked Lades for 27 years..then they’ve grown up from those young gangly dudes that could entertain a crowd at a music festival — to “seasoned” gangly dudes that can entertain a crowd on stages throughout the world.

Which is one of the reasons that we must see them every now and then — or 36 times as the rocktographer that I was sitting with has seen them. The Barenaked Ladies are Canadian music royalty.

How was the show? Well, the group covered off a selection of new music from their Sliverball album including a very BNL offering called Duct Tape. Duct tape — totally worthy of singing about, am I right? The classics were there plus a few Canadian radio staples that you may have almost forgotten. Each band member stood out in the stage with Ed Robertson (guitar, vocals) taking the lead, Jim Creeggan (bass, vocals) taking every inch of the stage, Kevin Hearn (keyboard, guitar, vocals) exercising his versatility and Tyler Stewart (drums, vocals) firing on all cylinders.

Then this happened — The most ingenious medley known as the Barenaked Rap literally knocked me over featuring creatively arranged music selections from across the board. From Four, Five Seconds (Rihanna, Kanye and Paul McCartney) to Hozier’s powerful Take Me To Church with some Bohemian Rhapsody thrown in for a sing-a-along and Let It Go with Ed engaging some serious power in his vocals. This is where the spirit of the Barenaked Ladies lives and they literally “took me to church”. Such a range of talent with a thrill for entertaining audiences is the hallmark of this band and their medley is the place to revel in this magic that can bring together audiences of every generation.

To sweeten the night up, Ocean 98.5 was able to send some listeners to the Barenaked Ladies Soundcheck Party the afternoon before the show, congrats on having that unique experience up close with the BNL!

Mel Z – Middays on Ocean 98.5