Although Canadian rockers Barenaked Ladies may never again reach the national prominence of their 1998 single “One Week,” they can at least fall back on careers as comedians.
During two events this past Saturday—a brunch hosted by the Adams House Masters followed by an interactive Q&A forum and concert, marking the debut of Harvard LIVE!—the five hipsters offered a steady stream of jokes and played a lively set of old hits and new material.
Indeed, the band’s unusual humor and penchant for audience interaction was a big draw for the Harvard Concert Commission (HCC) in bringing the comedic Canucks to Harvard, according to G. Tyler O’Brien ’07, director of the HCC.
The exclusive guest list for the Apthorp House brunch included members of Veritas Records, WHRB, the giddy Canadian Club, and representatives of campus bands Chester French, the Dharma Seals, and Plan B for the Type A’s, who gathered around the band while munching on coffee cake, bagels and sundry fruit plates.
Asked what the hardest aspect of being in a band was, singer-guitarist L. “Ed” E. Robertson (who is married with children), replied, “Telling your parents that you’re gay.”
Although the later event in Lowell Lecture Hall was not promoted as a concert, the band—sporting an array of motorcycle jackets, floppy hats, and sunglasses—continued to delight with a short 10-song set.
Like their attire, the Ladies’ set list was eclectic, ranging from the newly-released Bush-bashing rhyme “Fun and Games” to the accordion-driven classic “If I Had A Million Dollars.”
The band displayed its humorous bent, improvising a nonsensical song in the middle of discussion with the moderator, Tracy E. Nowski ’07, and playing soothing elevator music in the background as O’Brien rose to offer obligatory thank-yous.
Laura M. Togut ’08, who described herself as a “not die-die hard fan,” nevertheless danced in the aisle with a friend during the bluegrass remix of “One Week.”
Perhaps the event could be summed by singer-guitarist Tyler J. Stewart: “Yer makin’ me Yarvard Hard!”
