I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: September 24, 2018] Steven Page Trio

I’ve seen Barenaked Ladies countless times.  I saw them when Steven Page was with them.  I’ve seen them after he left.  BNL is always fun even without Steven.

But Steven Page’s voice is awesome and he is definitely missed in the band (even though his solo albums are better than recent BNL albums).

This is actually the third time I have seen him since he left BNL and all were within the last three years.

The first time (also with Craig Northey) was when they and the Art of Time Ensemble performed Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.  The second was earlier this year when Steven did his Songbook–singing (mostly) other people’s songs.

These were both great but, man, I wanted to hear him sing his own songs.  So I was psyched when he announced a new tour with a trio playing his own music (and a new album).

The trio included Craig Northey on guitar and Kevin Fox on cello.  And it was awesome.

The show started with Steven on piano (I didn’t know he played) as they eased us into the show with “There’s a Melody II,” a song that, almost as the words suggest, stays in my head all the time.

I wondered if he’d be playing his solo songs or if he’d be doing some BNL songs.  Well, that was answered quickly as up next was “Jane.”  It was great.  Having seen BNL recently, they don’t really play (m)any songs that Steven wrote.  But, man his songs are awesome and “Jane” was one of my early favorites.

But again, I didn’t want a nostalgia show.  I wanted some of Heal Thyself!

He described the next song as being about songwriters–not him and Craig, of course (probably Kevin, though)–and I was thrilled when it turned out to be “Manchild” one of my favorite songs from Heal Thyself Part 1.  Both his delivery and the lyrics are fantastic.  They followed it with a song from Page One, his first proper solo album (and another great album).  “A New Shore” is undeniably catchy and just fantastic.

Craig Northey’s electric guitar was outstanding throughout.  He played some rocking solos, but mostly he played whatever the song called for. And Kevin Fox‘s cello was a surprisingly good choice of accompaniment.  Both Northey and Fox’s harmonies were outstanding, especially when they sang fugue vocals as happens at the end of a number of songs, like the “Land Ho!” of “A New Shore.”

Someone in the front row shouted “Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank” a couple of times and finally Steven agreed to whip through it (even if he forgot the words).  I had forgotten which song that was because the title is so unlikely but as soon as he got to the “I am a farmer” part I was glad that the bossy guy got what he wanted.

He followed that with his newest single.  He said people had been asking him why this new album was so political.  How could it not be?  But he also said he had always been political.  As a Jew and an immigrant, he needed to stand up and shout about the “White Noise.”  Who ever thought a song about the current administration could be son damn catchy.  “I’d be more than glad to replace you.”

I assumed that I would know everything that they played, but he threw in some older songs that sounded familiar but weren’t immediate.  Especially “I Live with It Every Day.”  On the record it’s really funky and synth.  So it was understandable that I didn’t fully recognize it until the (catchy) chorus.  It was followed by “War on Drugs.”  This is from the BNL album that I listen to the least, Everything to Everyone.  I had no idea that that was the name of the song, but I was surprised at how well I recognized it.

Someone then shouted a few other songs that he kind of laughed off until someone shouted “The Trouble with Tracy” a rocking song from their demo.  He proceeded to blast through it at breakneck speed until it ended in a laughing fit off everyone involved.

This led to a discussion of The Feelgood Strum.  Steven and Craig played a very simple happy strumming melody and then Steven started singing all kinds of happy songs that fit the strumming melody: [from “Sugar Sugar” to Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise”].  I gather that this collection of songs is improvised each night.

It ended with a truncated “I’ll Be That Girl” which was great to hear and which segued seamlessly into “Linda Ronstadt in the 70s” a spectacular song from Heal Thyself Part 1.

I wasn’t sure if he was going to play any of the bigger hits from BNL albums, but it was a lot of fun to “whoo hoo hoo” along with “It’s All Been Done.”

I very deliberately didn’t plan for this show by looking into what he might play or what I would want to hear.  So I was beyond excited when he started “Break Your Heart.”  This has always been a live highlight for Page and he sounded terrific, doing the big powerful vocal to cap off the song. As we applauded someone shouted “again!” and he laughingly collapsed on the piano.

From the piano he played “Looking for the Light” from the new album.  It’s a swinging catchy number with great harmonies.  He only played three songs from the new album. I wondered if he’d play “You Fucked Yourself” which would have been a wonderfully raunchy treat, but he didn’t.

After the song he mentioned the box that had been on stage all show.  I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting.  It turned out to be a cajon for Liam McKinnon to play.  So the not exactly accurately named trio turned briefly into a quartet.  Inspired by Liam coming out Steven made up an impromptu song called about tapping the box.

The cajon was brought out for the rocking song “Gravity,” another wonderfully pointed political song.  It opened with a great intro from Fox on the cello before the song took off.   It also had a great solo from Northey.  And the cajon brought in some fun rhythms.

Steven then told a very long story about Jesus coming to see him (“I love you, even though I’m Jewish” “Me too!”).  It ended with Jesus telling him how much he liked Abbey Road (Me too!).  This was all and introduction to the hilarious and musically clever (and crazy catchy) “I Can See My House From Here.”  The song is funny and profane and the Beatles nods are outstanding.

I think he surprised everyone by playing “What a Good Boy” a sweet song form Gordon that no I’m sure everyone knows despite it not being an obvious hits from that album.  Someone shouted The Old Apartment and Kevin Fox started it instantly, I have to assume it was next on the playlist and the guy got lucky.  I loved that it started with some really loud, hard bowing on the cello.

I almost didn’t want him to sing Brain Wilson, even if there’s probably no way he couldn’t sing it. BNL currently sings it at every show, so I’ve heard it live a lot.  But it’s always better to hear Steven sing it (even if there was no cool, bowed bass solo–I thought Fox might try one on the cello but he didn’t bother).

They left to rapturous applause and came back a few minutes later with Page at the piano (his first love) to pay a sweet and poignant “Call and Answer.”  I was surprised he would end the show with such a quiet song.  But then Steven whispered to Craig who strapped back on his guitar and they ripped through a  wild version of “Enid.”

It was a great show–everything I hoped it would be.

Setlist

1. There’s a Melody II ¶1
2. Jane Ø
3. Manchild ¶1
4. A New Shore ∏
5. Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank ♠
6. White Noise ¶2
7. I Live With It Every Day ♠
8. War on Drugs ∃
9. The Trouble with Tracy []
10. The Feelgood Strum –
11. I’ll Be That Girl ‰
12. Linda Ronstadt in the 70s ¶1
13. It’s All Been Done ‰
14. Break Your Heart ♠
15. Looking for the Light ¶2
16. Tap That Box –
17. Gravity ¶2
18. I Can See My House From Here ¶1
19. What a Good Boy Θ
20. The Old Apartment ♠
21. Brian Wilson Θ
22. encore
23. Call and Answer ‰
24. Enid Θ

[]   [BNL] Buck Naked demo 1988
Θ   [BNL] Gordon 1992
Ø   [BNL] Maybe You Should Drive 1994
♠   [BNL] Born on a Pirate Ship 1996
‰ [BNL] Stunt 1998
∃   [BNL] Everything to Everyone 2003
∏  Page 1 2010
¶1 Heal Thyself Part 1: Instint 2016
¶2 Heal Thyself Part 2: Discipline 2018