For the seventh time, our beloved Barenaked Ladies are bringing their Last Summer on Earth Tour to a city near you. This two-month long tour kicked off June 2nd and will invade SoCal next week with stops in San Diego on June 22nd at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, and The Greek in Los Angeles on June 23rd.
Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Ontario, Canada, by brothers Ed Robertson and Steven Page. They gained popularity in the US with “Brian Wilson,” a tribute to the cofounder of the Beach Boys, but it was “One Week” that caused them to top the charts and become a household name.
“One Week” earned them a Grammy nomination and an MTV Video Music Award, and the boys found additional success thanks to “It’s All Been Done” and “Pinch Me.”
Now in their third decade of making music, Barenaked Ladies is Ed Robertson (guitar, vocals), Jim Creeggan (bass, vocals), Tyler Stewart (drums, vocals), and Kevin Hearn (keyboards, guitar, and vocals). The band clearly has fun onstage, and Robertson can really work the crowd with his jokes, stories, improvisation, and lighthearted banter. They are sure to play some of their classic hits like “If I Had $1000000,” “Loving Life,” “Odds Are,” and the “Big Bang” theme song, as well as newer songs from their 2021 album, “Detour de Force.
“DeTour de Force” is Barenaked Ladies’ 13th studio album and features the singles “Flip,” “New Disaster,” and “Good Life.” The album blends a few music genres while staying true to the Barenaked Ladies style. I especially enjoy the slow, melodic sweet harmony of “The National Park.”
Barenaked Ladies | Photo by Matt Barnes
Barenaked Ladies have picked some great acts to join them this year and we are excited to see how well they perform together. The Canadian rock band will be touring with Del Amitri full time and adding Semisonic to the set until June 26th, then Five for Fighting from June 28th until July 22nd.
Scottish band Del Amitri had a major US hit with the single “Roll to Me” from their 1995 album, “Twisted.” Since then, they have delivered some other awesome tracks – “Kiss This Thing Goodbye,” “Nothing Ever Happens,” and “Always the Last to Know.” I am sad to report I have just learned there is no one in the band named Del Amitri.
Five for Fighting – aka singer/songwriter John Ondrasik – from Los Angeles became famous with “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” and “100 Years,” “The Riddle,” “World,” and “Chances.” I guess another fact I was sad to learned, there are not five band members fighting.
And of course, we can’t forget about the 1998 song “Closing Time” by Semisonic. The trio from Minneapolis hit number one with the song and scored a Grammy nom with it. They continued to earn fans with “Singing in My Sleep,” “Secret Smile” and “Chemistry.” After a hiatus, the band regrouped in 2020 and released their first EP in 20 years, “You’re Not Alone.”
To keep yourself up-to-date on all things Barenaked Ladies, get the free app from the band, Barenaked Bytes. And being the amazing band that they are, they are also touring in the most sustainable way possible by partnering with REVERB. As they have since 2004, Barenaked Ladies and REVERB work “to reduce the environmental impact of touring, giving back to local communities across the US and Canada in the process.”
In addition to next week’s SoCal dates, the tour will hit cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, plus Greensboro, NC where OC Music News will catch their performance.
While we hope every summer includes a Last Summer on Earth Tour from the Barenaked Ladies, don’t let this summer pass without grabbing a chair and a cool drink at one of their concerts. You can pick up a variety of VIP packages – including sound check parties and meet and greets! – if you want to get all up close and personal with Barenaked Ladies. (Ok, not TOO personal!) It’s sure to start and end with a big bang!
