In Review: Barenaked Ladies at Huntington Bank Pavilion
Photos by Will McLaughlin
Us ‘90s bands have to stick together.
Though never said out loud, that felt like the mantra for the Barenaked Ladies’ seventh recurring, mostly-annual Last Summer on Earth tour. If you don’t recognize the Barenaked Ladies off the top of your head, they were the ones who wrote the theme song for The Big Bang Theory. If you’re like me though, you know them from car rides with your mom and dad. Hits from the back seat included songs about dreaming of being filthy rich (“If I Had $1,000,000”), chimpanzee-laden postcards flooding your mailbox (“Another Postcard”), and the infamous “One Week,” the song with the single most aggressive and abrupt opening of all time. When I arrived at the pavilion, I was welcomed back to what is one of the most all-or-nothing venues in Chicago. Nestled on Northerly Island, the venue is surrounded by water, one side up against Lake Michigan, unprotected by walls of any kind from the mostly unpredictable weather. That night, I got the full Huntington Bank Pavilion experience. While waiting in the photo pit in front of the stage for the concert to start, I watched seagulls swarm around an endlessly gray sky. No one had any idea what the weather would be like that night. At that point, a breeze was coming in from the lake making it a little colder than you’d want while attending a concert.
Along with the Ladies were opening acts Del Amitri and Semisonic. Though I missed Del Amitri, I was able to see Semisonic, a band that I assumed I had never heard of before. I was wrong, and if you thought you hadn’t, you’re also wrong. After an entire (pretty entertaining and strong) set of hyping up their final song, saying things like “We’ll save that song you all know for the end to close us out” and “We’ve got one more song for you, then, you don’t have to go home, but you can stay here,” I somehow only realized what they were famous for when they actually began the song. They were the guys who wrote “Closing Time.” Let me tell you, you haven’t witnessed the power of a late-‘90s smash hit single until you’ve seen an entire audience of mid-forty-year-olds collectively lose their minds, then proceed to belt out the entirety of “Closing Time.” Because I’m an ethical journalist, I’m gonna be honest with you all, Semisonic put on a solid performance. Even for someone who was born after the peak of their popularity, I was relatively into it.
It was during their set that the true strength of the Huntington Bank Pavilion made an appearance. The skyline behind the venue, one that the balcony seats have a great view of, lit up a bright orange. The sunset created this absolutely beautiful view of the city. Those of us in the right spot were treated with one of the best views of Chicago while getting to attend what I’m sure was a very meaningful concert to a lot of people. That is what makes the venue stand-out. You’ll see your favorite artists and you’ll get an amazing view behind them. After that though, the venue’s greatest weakness became apparent. Bitter coldness. It became so cold and windy that night that a decent amount of concert-goers ended up leaving before the Barenaked Ladies even finished their set. And I can guarantee you that they left because of the cold, because BNL had the people in the palms of their hands. They were playing their hits, but they were also having genuine fun up on stage. In between songs they bantered about following in the wake of Taylor Swifts “Eras” tour, which had swept through town days before. They happily proclaimed themselves the next best thing, then broke out into a short jam session that morphed into a cover of “Shake It Off.”
They made it very apparent that they’re still making music because it’s what brings them the most joy. They aren’t turning out new records for paychecks, they’re doing it for the fun of it, and so that they can tour the world bringing enjoyment to those who need a break from their children. And you know what, these guys aren’t even that old. I only bring it up so much because they revel in their age and relevancy. The concert featured two (2) jokes about cassette tapes and the fact that kids these days don’t know what those are. Regardless of their self-deprecation and love for their older demographic, the Barenaked Ladies got all ages up and dancing carelessly that night. Parents, their twenty-something-year-old kids who came out to treat their mom to a family outing, and the toddlers whose parents couldn’t find baby-sitters for the night. Even 25 years since the release of their debut album, the Barenaked Ladies still manage to get a crowd going.
Photos by Will McLaughlin