Barenaked Ladies

No, this is not a blog that is going to involve some sort of nudity, so parents, you need not send your small children into the next room. The Barednaked Ladies I'm speaking of are the group from Canada. They are, in fact, Jeff's absolute favorite group of all-time (well, aside from the newest additions Dave Matthews, Tenacious D, and an old favorite Toad the Wet Sprocket). Jeff has been a huge fan since he was introduced to the band back in his Freshman year. He introduced me to them after we met & I, too, have become a huge fan. We have amassed all 8 of their CD's, including their original covered debut album, Gordon. All the Gordon's that are out in stores now have a different cover on it. Jeff's very proud that he owns the original. Our friend Deanna was gracious enough to buy us tickets to go see BNL in Lansing. We were, of course, psyched. The only problem was finding a sitter for Emma that wouldn't mind being at our house until after midnight in the middle of the week. Luckily, we were able to find someone at the college. An RHD (Resident Hall Director) named Andrea. She & Emma had met last Halloween when we brought her to the college to go trick-or-treating. Emma was dressed as Barbie of Swan Lake, and Andrea was performing in the ballet, Swan Lake, as the lead Odette, which is who Barbie portrays in the movie. And since Andrea gave her candy, Emma immediately liked her. In fact, everytime we go see Andrea in her office, the first thing out of her mouth is "Candy?" It's like a Pavlovian response. So, when Andrea showed up last night, Emma was esctatic. And of course, she had brought some candy. I guess it really doesn't take much to please a 4 year old.
Before too long, Andrea was being initiated into Emma's 4 year old world, including being shown all her favorite movies, her dolls & Barbies, and all of her dress-up clothes. In fact, we forgot to warn Andrea about Emma's desire to constantly wear her torn up Cinderella costume. If it were up to her, she'd wear it all the time. But she ends up looking a little too risque for a 4 year old, seeing as how the whole back of the skirt is ripped up to the waistband & the halter top never quite stays above her baby cleavage. But Andrea was completely into it, probably having something to do with the fact that she doesn't have kids yet.
So we went off to the concert without worry. We got there in plenty of time, and our seats were great. They were on the second level, but they were in the first row, and we had a completely unobstructed view. Plus, there were only 2 seats in the row, so it was like a private balcony. They had 2 opening acts, a girl named Butterfly Boucher, and a guy (with his band) named Gavin Degraw. They were both really good, especially Gavin Degraw. Very powerful singer & talented musician. He sounded like a blend of rock and R&B, with a singer/songwriter feel mixed in. Very cool. The only bad part was this group of college girls sitting behind us. They were talking the whole time during the 2 opening acts & I doubt that most of them even knew the group they were here to see. Now I'm not claiming that Jeff was the first ever BNL fan, because I know they were popular in Canada before they even came here. But Jeff, along with whomever introduced him to them, has been a fan since very early on. Most of their songs were a little eccentric in nature, especially with titles like "Be My Yoko Ono", "Enid", and "If I Had $1,000,000". It didn't help that, at the time, music was all about grunge & despair or rap & excess. These guys weren't all that attractive & their music was head-bobbingly happy. Nobody wanted to pay attention to 5 guys from Canada. Plus, it may be hard to be taken seriously when one of your band members bears a close resemblance to Carrot Top & plays the upright bass. Jeff & I can distinctly remember when BNL hit it big in the US. It was the release of a remake of their song "Brian Wilson" in 1998. We were living in Illinois, and we heard the song on the radio. We're like, hey, we know that song, but it's a little more "pop"y now. Jeff's immediate reaction was to get all defensive, especially after more people started claiming to be "huge" fans. But, as wary as Jeff was about BNL getting noteriety & "selling out", he was happy that they were getting some attention. And although most of their songs on the album that came out that year, Stunt, seemed to sound too mainstream, their lyrics proved that BNL was still eccentric at heart.
Although Jeff has been a fan for years, it seemed that fate didn't want him to see them in concert. Every time they were in town for a concert, regardless of where we were living, either he was out to sea or we were out of town. I've been wanting Jeff to finally be able to see them in concert for sometime now, and I was so happy to find out that they were going to be in Lansing. And Deanna had said that the next time they were anywhere around us, she'd buy us tickets, knowing how much Jeff loves them. She'd already seen them in concert & raved about it.
Ok, back to the concert. It was awesome. Enough said. These guys are such a kick to watch, the way they interact with each other and the audience is so funny. One of the guys' birthdays was yesterday, and I think the rest of the group (and the whole audience) sang "Happy Birthday" to him about 5 times. They're all very animated onstage & they take a lot of liberties when it comes to their lyrics. Nothing is sacred & they feel comfortable enough to ad-lib in the middle of their songs. Jeff was glad they played some of their older songs, including 2 (one during their encore) from their first CD. I wondered out loud to Jeff, if they busted out with "Grade 9" or "New Kid (on the block)", if most people would know those songs.
They did 2 encores, and I was pretty sure they were going to do a third one, but then all the house lights came on, and we guessed that was our cue to go home.
At this time, it was already 11:30pm. We called Andrea to let her know we were on our way, and she informed us that Emma had been great, and had gone to bed without complaint. You know, sometimes when I think that kid is a holy terror, she surprises us and is a perfect angel. After I got off the cell phone, I pretty much fell asleep. It's an hour-long drive and it was WAY past my bedtime. I seem to be falling asleep on the couch at home around 8:30pm more often than not. I think I need to be taking naps during the day, but it's kinda hard when Emma won't take them with me. Jeff was a trooper & stayed wide awake to drive home. He's my hero. I would have driven off the side of the road into a snow drift & we would have been forced to become cannibals in order to survive the elements. I know how difficult it can be to stay awake driving, late at night, when someone is asleep in the seat next to you. It's like yawning, it's contagious. All of a sudden, you find your eyes bobbing open & shut and you realize you can't remember the last 5 minutes of driving you did. Not a good situation to be in when you're be-bopping along at 70 MPH. I vaguely remember stopping for gas, but the next thing I knew, we were pulling into our driveway.
Of course, that little nap prevented me from being able to fall back asleep right away. Aw, the curse of the power nap. Jeff, on the other hand, practically zonked out before his head hit the pillow. Poor guy. And he had to go to work today, too. Again, he's my hero. I now know why coffee is his best friend.
Of course, Emma was happy to see us when she woke up this morning, but the next thing out of her mouth was "Where's Andrea?" I told her she went back to her house, and Emma reacted as if I'd told her we were leaving her at a train station, never to return. She just wilted, her cute little face just crumpled into an inconsolable sob. She climbed into bed with me, and just wailed about how she missed Andrea. This poor kid needs some more friends.