Ladies Hit The Jackpot! (Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas - March 11, 2001)
Mar 14 '01 (Updated Aug 15 '01)
The Bottom Line Just go see the Ladies perform live!
Can someone please ask Barenaked Ladies NOT to play Vegas on their next tour? You can get shrimp cocktail downtown for 99-cents, but you'll spend way more than that killing time before and/or after the guys' show. You don't have external temptations when you see a show anywhere else. I'm going to have a stroke when the AMEX bill comes, and my piggy bank will be empty for the immediate future until I can pick up a few more cans along the highway and fill it up again with the proceeds.
Vegas is one of my favorite cities. I got married there. Seriously. My niece celebrated her third birthday there. Seriously. So, seeing Barenaked Ladies in Vegas was just way too tempting for me. We had to cancel our plans to see them in Boston on New Year's Eve. Illness in the family and typical wintry weather combined at precisely the wrong time for us to go, even though we had purchased tickets through the fan club months earlier. I really needed a make-up show, and soon!
We rolled into town in a rented PT Cruiser on Saturday afternoon. The Ladies were playing at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, and when we were in Vegas three years ago Mandalay Bay didn't even exist. As soon as we hit the Strip, I saw the giant screen outside the casino and the "ad" for BNL's show was flashing up there, for all the world to see. I was so proud of the guys... their name in lights in Vegas, just like Dean and Frank and Liberace!
We spent a few hours on Saturday evening roaming around the place, kinda sorta hoping to run into one of the Ladies. I'm convinced they hang out around the nickel slots.
After losing a (ahem) few bucks, we motored downtown. Some more tables and slots took our cash, a restaurant fed us, and then we headed back to our hotel. While sitting in the NYC-like traffic along Las Vegas Blvd., I spied a Karaoke bar and said to my husband, "I'll bet the Barenaked Ladies are in there." He mumbled something, either to me or to the crazed cab driver in front of us, and we kept on driving (slowly). I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I must tell you that said husband found out later that the guys were, in fact, partying in a downtown Karaoke bar on Saturday night!
Sunday evening finally arrived, and we wandered back over to Mandalay Bay. The place is enormous! I had no idea that it housed an arena as large as the arena where our local hockey & basketball teams play. The Ladies' show was to be a half-arena show, but even that was more seats than they had to fill in Dallas last fall. I don't know the numbers, but it appeared that the Vegas show was well-attended.
As I've mentioned before, the Ladies Room fan club folks can fix you up with great seats... second row, Steve's side of the stage for us this time. (If you are a fan and haven't joined yet, I don't know what to say to convince you.) While waiting for the show to start, we chatted with two guys sitting nearby who had flown in from Montana. I also saw a couple of people I recognized from the Dallas show in October. One had a sign which stated they had seen 21 shows from 1997 to 2001 and had traveled over 22,000 miles! And I thought we were doing good, having been to five shows and traveling over 4,500 miles. Does it count that we DROVE all those miles? Oh, well... guess we'll just have to step up the pace!
Ok... onto the show...
Chantal Kreviazuk was the Ladies' warm-up on this leg of the Maroon tour. I was not familiar with her music prior to seeing her performance, but I am hooked now. Her CD now resides in my collection. I guess that's the point of these tours, eh? Kreviazuk's appearance and style is a cross between Alanis Morissette and Jewel, in my opinion. Her songs are insightful and sexy and lyrical, yet sometimes they carry an edge. If I could write music, I'd write music like hers. The last song in her set was "Brenda's Song" and was dedicated to her cousin who recently passed away. I sat there with tears in my eyes. I lost my Mom in late January. I had told several folks that now my Mom could enjoy a BNL show with me, as my guardian angel. When Chantal started to sing about angels being born, I knew Mom most certainly was listening and watching, too.
During the short break after Chantal's performance, the crew removed the drape in front of the Ladies' set to reveal the large blow-up mask and other accoutrements that have accompanied them on the "Maroon" tour. When the guys hit the stage, the crowd was ready! The first song, "Too Little Too Late", was a great opener to get everyone rocking.
The set list (below) was pretty much the same as the Dallas show in October. However, they didn't perform "Conventioneers" or "Helicopters" from the Maroon CD. Instead, they threw in "Tonight Is The Night..." and it was nice to hear that one live. I was waiting for that final note, and when Steve hit it I got the chills I expected. There is nothing like seeing Barenaked Ladies perform live, and Steven Page is worth the ticket price all by himself.
But, Steve's amazing vocals are only part of the show. There are always jokes and other surprises. This night's raps included a bit about how Cirque du Soleil's show "O" is actually a rip-off of the Ladies' new show titled "M" ("When you see it, you'll say 'mmmmmmm'," according to Steve). Another bit started with Steve's comments that they thought Mandalay Bay was in the Caribbean, and it ended with Tyler saying their contract for the show says, "No cash, just rum." Later, Ed disappeared from the stage and ran into the audience to dance with two guys dressed as chefs. When he returned to the stage, the Ladies started rapping about "Eddie & the Chefs", to the tune of "Benny & the Jets". One joke fell a little flat, although I caught the "humour" in it. Steve was commenting on Creed's success and said that if he'd known that loving Jesus would sell so many records, he'd love Jesus, too.
My only disappointment was that "Break Your Heart" and "What A Good Boy" were not a part of the show. I realize that it's impossible to perform every song that every fan loves. I've been spoiled because one or both have been a part of all the other shows I've seen. There's always next time!
I'm a firm believer that anyone who was a marginal BNL fan prior to a live show will be a full-fledged card-carrying BNL fanatic when the show is over. If you aren't, you don't have a soul.
In a horrific year because of illnesses and family troubles, the Barenaked Ladies' new CD and subsequent tour have been the brightest lights for me. When I listen to their music, stresses melt away, concerns and problems are forgotten for awhile. And when I can listen live, well, that's the ultimate in erasing negativity. The Vegas show lived up to that expectation and has me wanting more. Too bad the next leg of the tour is in Europe. Remember, I don't fly!
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Set List (not in order of appearance)...
from Maroon...
"Too Little Too Late"
"Never Do Anything"
"Pinch Me"
"Go Home"
"Falling For The First Time"
"Sell Sell Sell"
"Humour Of The Situation"
"Baby Seat"
"Off The Hook"
"Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel"
from Stunt...
"One Week"
"It's All Been Done"
"Alcohol"
"Call And Answer"
from Born On A Pirate Ship...
"The Old Apartment"
from Maybe You Should Drive...
"Jane"
"Life, In A Nutshell"
from Gordon...
"Brian Wilson"
"If I Had A Million Dollars"
also...
- "Careless Whispers" w/Chantal Kreviazuk & her band
- "This Is Not A Drum Solo" performed by Tyler
- "Oops, I Did It Again" parody by Kevin
- Barenaked Medley following "Million Dollars"
- "Mandalay Bay", "O", "Eddie and the Chefs" and "Mustaches" are the raps I remember
Sunday, March 11, 2001 - Mandalay Bay Events Center - Las Vegas, NV
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Epinions.com ID:
shmoopie13
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Member: Leslie
Location: Texas
Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 29 members
About Me:
Avid fan of hockey and Barenaked Ladies. Postcard collector. Traveler.
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