Last night, in the midst of end-of-the-semester chaos and prepping for final exams, Ken, Beth, Annie and I drove up to Chicago to see the Barenaked Ladies Holiday Tour. Ken and Beth have been HUGE HUGE BNL fans forever--they've been to shows all over the country, have hung out with the band backstage, are members of the fan-club, have all the albums and a yellow tape from the early 90s etc--and Annie was psyched to go because she was reliving her first concert: a BNL show in Chicago at the age of 13. I am somewhere in the middle, but definitely long to be in Ken and B's shoes. I've loved the Ladies for as long as I can remember and their first album, Gordon, was the second CD I ever owned(proceeded only by Huey Lewis and the News because my brother loved them). I pride myself on knowing all the words to all the songs--except those on the X-mas Album-- and I view every BNL concert as a chance to celebrate life, music, and the fact that I've found a band of dorky guys and fantastic musicians that I can comfortably, wildly obsess over because they are talented performers and not just because they are hot.
We went to the show prepared; Beth and I wore bright green t-shirts which said " I <3 BNL " and "Bare Naked" respectively. Ken donned a BNL shirt from an old Holiday tour and Annie, looking far more smashing than the rest of us wore her "dark jeans, bar shirt (silky, sequined) and her bar pumps". K, B and I wanted to "be recognized" by the band and Annie said with a laugh that she wanted to "be picked up". Interestingly enough, the former and NOT the latter happened.
That's Right. Before the show, the band members mingled in the lobby and actually spent time CHATTING with their fans. And, being the total dorks that we are, Beth and I went to talk to them. Meeting BNL was oddly different from any other celebrity encounter that I can remember. There were no sweaty palms or butterflies, no crowds of screaming, writhing women to fight through, just five guys, hanging out, thanking fans for their loyalty, for coming out into the cold to see their show. Following Beth's lead, I asked the guys to SIGN my Gordon CD--which has been played so often that it now skips on nearly every song--and they did.
BNL autographed my favorite CD in the universe.
I know, I know I'm gushing. But I have so much respect for these guys and their music just makes me happy. Last Night was fantastic. We all desperately needed to get the hell away from school (the stress just piles on thicker than thick these days) and I was so glad to get some music back in my soul and to celebrate the holidays with my Indiana friends.
I never thought I'd find them.
