75% of the time they were 100% as good as the original...

Had a fun time last night. Me, my wife, and my son all went to the Barenaked Ladies concert at the Dodge Theater here in Phoenix. (Queue the kool kats ragging on me for liking such a lame band). I really have liked most of what BNL has put out since they've pretty much hung onto the college band 'we dont take ourselves seriously' vibe and most of their lyrics are pretty funny. Sort of like Kiss in that respect only BNL can actually play instruments and their children don't write their songs.

So anyway I've been a fan. But about a year and a half ago their (for at intents and purposes) lead singer left the band and they decided not to replace him. BNL has always been a great band to see live because of the banter that goes on between the band members and their lead singer was a huge part of that. I wasn't expecting much out of the concert and my suspicions were further confirmed when we went to buy tickets 4 days before the concert and were able to pay $45 for seats that were 30 feet from center stage. Needless to say there was a little trepidation as we drove to the concert.

There were two opening acts - some girl I'd never heard of named Angel Taylor, and American Idol star Kris Allen. The chick was good but only played a few songs and then out came Kris Allen. I really didn't know anything about the kid except that teenage girls really liked his music which is proof enough for me (most of the time) that I'm not going to dig it. And I was mostly right. What I didn't see coming though was a kick ass rendition of Come Together and a 'get up on your feet and sing along' version of Man in the Mirror. I was definitely surprised, although most of his own work was eh. Then we prepared for (most of) BNL to take the stage.

The long and the short of it is that they were still the same band, they were just missing a piece of it. Not really a deal killer piece - they got along ok without Steve (the lead singer). But what it reminded me of was Young MC. Ok, ok, let me explain first before you make that face. One of the first tapes I ever bought for my tape player was Young MC's Stone Cold Rhymin (the very first was Beastie Boys License to Ill, followed shortly after by LL Cool J's Bigger and Deffer). I played that Young MC tape so much that I literally wore it out and had to buy another one. I knew every song, every lyric, and every drum beat. I honestly didn't think that I would ever get tired of listening to it. Then this small life event called 'girls' took over and I suddenly didn't have as much time to listen to music as I once did.

Anyways, years later I was in a pawn shop in Walthourville, GA where they sold used CDs. I saw an old Stone Cold Rhymin CD and immediately bought it. As soon as I got home I played it and was taken back to my younger years when those first few notes of Bust A Move came on. But then a less popular song came on, but one that I was no less familiar with, and it sounded a little different. I didn't remember the beat going just that way and I didn't remember the lyrics being that slow. I actually thought that the CD had a different version of the song but when I popped my old tape in it sounded the same way.

That's kind of how BNL sounded to me last night. There were a few songs that brought back good memories and then there were some others where you go - whoa, I don't remember it sounding like that. The only difference being that with nostalgia the memories are almost certainly a by product of your emotions at the time and with a band who lost their lead singer... it's just because they suck a little bit. It was sad - Jen and I were all excited when they first came out which carried us through the first couple of songs and then we were sitting there waiting for that rush of adrenaline when that song that you know they always play kicks in and you jump up and down and sing your fool head off... but it never came. Even when they came back on stage for the encore, Jen and I looked at each with expectation - surely now they'll bring the heat and rock out like they used to.

Alas, it did not come to pass. And so we quietly walked into the blazing heat of 11pm in downtown Phoenix and drove home with the sad realization that BNL was no more.