"Even if I got rid of all my problems, I'd just go out and get new ones..."

An entry designed just to make Cass jealous...
9:32 a.m. on 2004-05-06

Went to see the Barenaked Ladies last night.

Wow. I mean, seriously, wow. We got there pretty early, but there was already a short queue. We squeezed in next to a lovely New Yorker called Caitlin, and chatted with her while we waited, and played a few rounds of "Shag, Marry and Push off a Cliff." A group of four or five excitable boys had brought a guitar and a few plastic percussion instruments to set themselves up as buskers/BNL tribute act. A bad one at that. Still, the most entertaining queue I've ever been in.

Eventually got in there by about seven o'clock, and rushed up to the front of the hall. There was a line of people already clinging to the front barrier, but we were stood just behind them, and for the most night I had a pretty good view of at least three out of the five band members. And occasional shots of Ed's feet.

The support act were meh. Not bad, but not great: an unoriginal spin on the rock band, with female singer. They just didn't seem natural on stage, dressed up like a Toni and Guy commercial in their pin striped suits and floppy hairdos.

BNL were anything but unnatural on stage. Began by launching into 'Maybe Katie' from their current album, then played for about two hours. Steve bounced around on stage like an idiot, Ed cracked jokes about peeing off-stage and playing 'sword-fight' with Kev's penis (you don't want to know), Tyler's big bald head shone brightly in the night and they even sung a snippet of Morrissey.

And the songs, of course. Stuff from their album, including my favourite (and also the saddest), "War on Drugs," and some old ones, "One Week," "Yoko Ono," "Brian Wilson..." and some I haven't heard before, possibly because I only own two BNL albums.

During "Million Dollars" some of the audience threw macaroni pasta onto the stage (apparantly a running joke thanks to the 'Kraft dinners' line) and at one point a few knickers were thrown through the air, which Steve hung on his guitar proudly.

Finally got out of there about half eleven. Hayley bought a t-shirt and then we waved goodbye to Liv and Claire and Caitlin.

Except... well, Hayley and I didn't quite make it to the bus. We headed round to the back of the Apollo, where about 40 or so people were waiting at the stage door. It took about an hour of us waiting, fucking freezing and only mildly entertained by watching the roadies pack up and me trying to work out whether one of them was wearing a Billy Bragg t-shirt (he was!) before Ed finally appeared.

By this point a Canadian (manager, head roadie, something like that) had organised us all into single file. Ed did the line, chatting to every person, posing for photos, signing anything we had to hand. Which in my case was my actual 'Everything to Everyone' CD... which means I now have to buy a new one. Doh!

Hayley only had her BNL ticket. I gave her my copy of 'Cowboy Bebop' manga to lean on, which Ed spotted, and promptly launched into "Hey, that's great, I just bought the movie but I haven't watched it yet."

Hee. Geeks rock.

It was a little while again before any of the other band members appeared. I think Kev was next, the keyboardist - lovely bloke, quite shy, but with the STRANGEST signature I've ever seen. Then Jim, again lovely, then Steve, and finally Tyler, who read my "I found Jesus - he was behind the sofa all the time" shirt and laughed. I asked him for a hug but he offered me a hi-five instead and DAMN that hurt! I suppose he has to be powerful, as a drummer.

Oh yeah, did I mention what fantastic musicians they all are? You don't really realise it on their albums, but damn, these guys know their stuff! The highlight was undoubtably Jim (I think - Hayley correct me if I'm wrong) playing classical music on his bass, solo. But powerful, smacking the bow onto the strings. Amazing.

Anyway.. yeah. Finally got home to watch about twenty minues of Bugs before I went to sleep, around two-ish.

And now it's the next morning, my legs hurt, I'm knackered, but look! I have a cool signed CD!

Listening to: Babybird: "Ugly Beautiful"

Quote: Tyler: "How are you?" Me and Hayley: "Freezing, what do you think?!"

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