A playful group of Barenaked Ladies had their way with an appreciative crowd Sunday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton.
On the second stop of a 10-date cross-country tour, the Canadian pop-rockers showcased impressive musical and comedic talents that charmed a nearly full house of fans.
Frontman Ed Robertson earned the loudest laughs when he took a light-hearted jab at Penticton, where residents were “so friendly while we perused a mostly closed Main Street” before the show.
Later, he pointed into the crowd and excitedly identified “the guy who made me a latte at Fibonacci’s today.”
Bass player Jim Creeggan also busted up the audience when he picked up a thong that had been thrown on stage and placed it on his head.
“Thanks for the headband. I feel like John McEnroe in the ‘70s,” he said.
The four-piece ensemble played from a sparsely decorated stage, which featured risers for the drum kit and keyboard, but little else besides lighting equipment.
Even without flourishes like video screens, the Ladies’ talent was easy to see as each member played multiple instruments, sang and danced.
The set list featured 20 songs: six off the new album, Grinning Streak, plus many classics dating back nearly 25 years.
They opened with Limits from the latest record, then went back to older gems, like Pinch Me, Brian Wilson and Lovers in a Dangerous Time.
“I know you were enjoying the catalogue of monster hits and you’re dying to hear material from our new album,” Robertson said, tongue in cheek, before moving once again to more recent work.
Heading into the home stretch, the quartet belted out other fan favourites, including the theme song they wrote for The Big Bang Theory, plus One Week and a sing-along version of If I Had $1000000.
Their last number was a medley of recent hits from other pop artists, like Roar by Katy Perry, Royals from Lorde and Wake Me Up by Avicii.
Following a two-minute standing ovation, the Ladies returned to the stage for an encore with Robertson on drums and usual drummer Tyler Stewart on lead vocals for Alcohol, then covers of Violent Femmes’ Blister in the Sun and Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.
Stewart ended his turn in the spotlight with a set of rocker-style leg kicks.
“You try doing that with man boobs,” he joked.
Noticeably missing from the set were Boomerang, the first single off Grinning Streak, and older numbers like Jane and The Old Apartment, which became hits with the vocals of former frontman Steven Page, who left the band in 2009.
No mention was made of Page during the show, which lasted about an hour and 40 minutes.
The first opening act was Clara Venice, a self-described “one-girl band from Toronto,” who performed a handful of electronic dance songs and pop numbers from her album Love Riddle.
She was followed by Canadian country-rockers Ladies Of The Canyon, who put on a powerful performance in support of their new record, Diamond Heart.
Official set list:
Limits
Never Is Enough
Pinch Me
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
Falling for the First Time
Gonna Walk
For You
Keepin’ It Real
Sound of Your Voice
Smile
I Can Sing
Blame It On Me
Brian Wilson
Did I Say That Out Loud?
Light Up My Room
Odds Are
The Big Bang Theory theme song
One Week
If I Had $1000000
Alcohol
