Barenaked Ladies sure knows how to have a rollicking good time. Yes, I said rollicking, and I use this term because they appear to be a mysterious blast from the past. With their eager, wholehearted cuteness and tongue in cheek delivery, they sound as if they were raised on Alan Sherman and Soupy Sales records, with a dose of The Banana Splits and The Archies thrown in for good measure.

With quirkiness beyond compare, BNL has put the lock on this type of fun. No one else can come close to delivering their non sequiturs and off-the-wall humor. How often can one simultaneously laugh and dance without having to watch a Weird Al Yankovic video? The surprising discovery, however, is that the boys remains classy, despite all of their onstage antics and comedy.

The very devoted audience was singing along from the opening moments of the very first song, an extremely powerful (and very surprising) cover of Wham’s “Careless Whisper.” A medley played towards the end of the show, composed of “Hard Knock Life,” Lou Bega’s “Mambo #5,” Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” Santana’s “Smooth,” and Cher’s “Believe,” made the evening even more entertaining and showcased the band’s sense of humor.

Of course, hits like “One Week” and “If I Had A Million Dollars” were played, as well as some lesser known, yet equally endearing tracks like “Brian Wilson.” Complete with it’s impression of Yoko Ono, this song had the crowd rolling on the floor with laughter.

Opener Tal Bachman, in a really cool swath of dim, night club-like lighting, warmed up the crowd with his short but sweet set. Tal, son of rock legend Randy Bachman, may be primed to take the torch from Daddy and carry it all the way to the top. His hit, “She’s So High,” is an infectious track that has been rolling around in most people’s heads for months now.

His great cover of Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger” may have stolen the show, but playing the song proved to be a bad idea, because it was the most memorable song from his set. With so much great music of his own to sell, he should have been showcasing his own work. Regardless of his marketing strategy, however, Bachman made a solid contribution to a great night.

Barenaked Ladies / Tal Bachman

Nassau Coliseum

Uniondale, NY

review and photo by j bloomrosen