When C and I were in university in the early 1990's, Barenaked
Ladies was an up-and-coming band in Canada. They were kind of goofy, but we
loved their music, and were enthusiastic fans of the band as it grew in popularity. Even
though we are not big concert-goers, we saw them live four times – in Fairfax,
VA, Baltimore, MD, Columbia, MD, and Toronto. Their shows were always highly
entertaining and more than worth every cent we paid for our tickets.
While I always appreciated the contributions of each of the
members of the band, I was absolutely in love with the voice of the lead
singer, Steven Page. I would often tell C, "I'd pay to listen to him sing the
dictionary," because I think he has the most fabulous voice on the planet.
In February 2009, Steven Page left the band. C sent me a
text to let me know, and when I read it during my planning time, I sat at my desk
and cried. I was devastated!
He pursued a solo career while the band went on without him,
and things were just never the same. While the remaining band members are excellent
musicians, their sound was just hollow without Steven Page's voice. We definitely
still enjoyed their music, but it was very apparent that a key component was
missing. Meanwhile, Steven Page's solo career has been relatively quiet,
although the music he's put out has been fantastic, and admittedly, I would
listen to anything he sings!
Earlier this year, the band was inducted into the Canadian
Music Hall of Fame during the Juno Awards, and Steven Page reunited with the
band to perform two of their classic songs. We were traveling in Rome at the
time and we streamed the show live to watch them, which was at almost 5:00 am
for us! But we wouldn't have missed it for anything! I would love to see them
reunite for a tour or something because it was so great to see them together
again, but I don't know if that's in the cards.
A few months back, I learned that Steven Page would be
performing in D.C. and when I searched for tickets, I was
ecstatic to find front row seats. The concert was being held at City Winery DC – a small,
intimate venue that proved perfect for his show.
To say I was in heaven is possibly the understatement of the
year. I was less than ten feet from Steven Page for 90+ minutes of amazing
music (including several BNL songs he wrote)! A 26-year love affair with his
voice continues, and I hope I will have the good fortune to see him perform live again in the
future!
Here are a few pics from the show – I know some of them are
blurry, but he was moving all over the stage!
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| C captured this... this is the look of bliss on my face as I listened to my favorite voice on earth perform one of my favorite songs ever. <3 |
Happy Tails to you!
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