Barenaked Ladies, the final act of last week’s concert was, based on the crowd’s reaction, clearly the headliner. I would have predicted that Ben Folds Five had just as large and fervent a fan following, but I guess that’s me looking through my own filter.
BNL put on a fabulous show filled with unexpected, spontaneous pleasures. Lots of jokes, lots of improvisation. But I couldn’t help but feel sad that longtime lead singer/songwriter Steven Page is no longer with the band.
The middle act of last week’s concert was the reason my family and I attended in the first place — Ben Folds Five.
I’d seen the group twice before, touring for their second and third albums, and I’d seen Folds perform solo once. I also have many recordings of the band playing live, from a DVD of their excellent Sessions at West 54th performance to both released and bootleg audio files.
So while I’m not exactly the BFF equivalent of a Deadhead, I am pretty familiar with the band’s live show.
Act one in last week’s concert was Guster, a band I’ve very much enjoyed over the years without becoming fanatical. They have a great sound and write very good songs but they sit in a tier somewhere below my favorite artists.
Perhaps because the first act in a three-band show gets the short end of the stick in terms of production values, I was a little underwhelmed with Guster’s show. Their studio albums have a sweetly off-kilter vibe that didn’t quite translate to the stage.
I am writing today’s post under extreme deadline pressure, just 15 minutes before it is scheduled to post. That’s what happens when I leave town for eight days.
This week I saw a great concert featuring Guster, Ben Folds Five and Barenaked Ladies. I’ll expound on it over the course of this week’s posts. But I’m kicking things off with a clip of comedian/singer Boothby Graffoe, who opened the show.
As much as I enjoy Travis’ second and third albums, I never really got into their fourth, 12 Memories.
This fits my theory that some artists are just fit for one or two records but not long-term consumption.
I own dozens of records by the likes of Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Aimee Mann, Lucinda Williams and others. I can’t imagine any of those people releasing an album I wouldn’t want to own, even if it didn’t live up to their previous work.
