Photos and Review by Jeff Palmucci
Galleries: Barenaked Ladies, Sugar Ray, Fastball
The Barenaked Ladies came to Boston last Friday for their Last Summer on Earth Tour. My wife and I went with a couple of our oldest friends who were also alive back in the 90s to see these bands from our youth.
Fastball was out first and started the set with one from their 2024 album, Hummingbird. They followed that up with a bunch of their greatest hits, including my favorite, The Way. I’ve always loved how they blend alt-rock energy with a touch of folksy storytelling in their lyrics.
Sugar Ray was up next and was suspiciously my wife’s favorite. To be fair, they put on a great set, with Mark McGrath joking with the crowd through the set: “I ran into some one at one of our shows that said her grandma my picture on her wall.” “We are technically not a 90s band, because we had a hit in 2001.” The joking was ideal for a Barenaked Ladies concert, where fans expect a bit of humor along with the music. Although their last studio album came out in 2019, they stuck to their older stuff, ending with their first bit hit, Fly.
Finally the Barenaked Ladies were up. This is the third time I’ve photographed these guys. I keep coming back, not only because of the music, but because they are really fun to see in concert. There was plenty of joking around, and one funny moment when someone in the audience tossed up their bra which Hearn put on his guitar neck for the next song. They played a long 25 song setlist including some of my favorites The Old Apartment and If I Had $1000000. During Odd Are, they had a great fake newscast on the video wall that took up the entire back of the stage.
The tour continues through the beginning of August including several more stops in New York. Go check them out.