Thursday night I braved the toxins of New Jersey to sit 10 rows from the stage — close enough to see singer Stephen Page's pit stains — as the Barenaked Ladies performed on their Everything to Everyone tour at Continental Airlines Arena.
I posted eight photos I took at the show, but I'm afraid they're nothing special, as I'm far less talented of a photographer than these five Canadians are as musicians.
The home to the New Jersey Nets and Devils was probably a big too large for these guys — it seemed only about 60% of available seats were sold, and there were a few no-shows even around us up front — but these guys are charismatic, first-rate musicians who are well worth the reasonable $55 ticket charge (or $75, if you happened to scalp from a North Carolina broker with 10th-row seats). Their banter with the audience included a game called Beat the Crew, in which audience members vie for a t-shirt by answering BNL trivia that the group's crew could not. And they freestyled raps based on their VH-1 retro-culture special appearances, taped in New York.
The crowd atmosphere was a bit subdued — a far cry from the energy generated in the same building for U2 in late 2001. But this was pop and not rock. Most people remained seated, including many around us. But the band, which is probably suited best for radio and video instead of arena shows, is genuinely fun and genuinely talented. When I saw Elton John at MSG in 2001, most people remained seated, too. It didn't make him any less of a musical genius.
Unfortunately for Paulos, the better T(h)ursday NJ musical experience occurred in H'broken, nj, including Scotland Yard's own Jeff Young Band. Toxins plus an intimate, fun atmosphere.
Posted by jimbo at February 20, 2004 1:56 AM