Coming from humble beginnings in Ontario, Canada, the pairing of Ed Robertson and Steven Page came together in a chance meeting after a Peter Gabriel concert. After constantly missing practices to begin with, the pair learnt to improvise their sets as they went along, a unique live touch that has remained a staple throughout their career.
They began to put together home recordings including their first album, Buck Naked which was put together on a 4 track recorder. After adding a few new members, the band made their first commercial release, 1991’s The Yellow Tape which was sent to and subsequently rejected by every label in Canada. The band began to sell the tape at their shows and as demand increased, record shops were forced to stock the tape to keep customers happy. Eventually, it’s popularity snowballed and the tape became the first indie release to go platinum in Canada.
1992’s Gordon became their first full album and became a huge success spawning singles like ‘If I had $1000000’. The band continued to have no luck breaking in the United States until 1998’s Stunt helped them hit the big time. The single ‘One Week’ became a breakout success and hit number one in the singles charts pretty much cementing their position as a major act for the remainder of their career.
The band has always maintained a connection to the comedy that separates them from so many other acts and in 2007 they wrote and recorded the theme song for hit Sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’ meaning that Barenaked ladies are heard in living rooms worldwide every night.
The first time I ever hear Barenaked Ladies was on the Weird Al Yankovic show years and years ago and they have continued to maintain their ability to not take themselves too seriously. I was able to see the Barenaked Ladies play at a large outdoor venue and the sound and energy was fantastic. Although the show was for all ages, the crowd was mostly late twenties and up which also (in my opinion) added to the enjoyment of the show. Although Steven Page left the band shortly prior to my concert, the quartet still put on a great show. They played all the hits ("Pinch me", "One Week", "If I Had a Million Dollars") plus a few surprises ("Maybe Katie", "Never is Enough"). The set was just the right length, although only one song was done as an encore (“When I Fall”). They had recently had a blow up of popularity over the theme song to the show "The Big Bang Theory" which brought out a few new fans but the chemistry between new fans, old fans, and the band was fluid. I would highly recommend attending a Barenaked Ladies concert. The band continually interacted with the audience and created a fun party vibe.