Bare Naked Ladies

[Muran]

I'm currently looking for a copy of "A Singer Must Die". Excited about his new album, coming out this month.

 

Last night, Steven Page was doing a concert at the PNE. I was incredibly nervous. Considering the generally horrible experience I had at the last BNL concert I went to (The AMS block party, I referenced in my last post), I was worried I was going to have a similar experience.

 

Thankfully, that didn't happen at all. Steve played about half new material, half old BNL material.

 

He opened with Old Apartment, and despite me saying Ed can sing that song like a pro, it still has no comparison to when Steve sings it. Generally, when he sang all the old stuff, it sounded relatively the same, although he seemed to have added his own touch here and there with extra strings (there was a violinist in addition to a double bass) and xylophone. Kevin mentioned Steve's solo style is reminiscent of Arcade Fire. I can't really verify that.

 

He did some oldies I never expected either, like "Break Your Heart" and "Enid". There's a part in Enid, near where Ed sings:

 

I can teach you how to dance, how to sing, how to knit,

How to make things that you never ever made before

Enid, I can teach you how to use cookie cutters

To make crazy things out of Play-Doh

 

Little houses, little farms, little accessories for your mom,

For your Barbie set, for your friends and your family

Enid, I can teach you how to snowmobile, cross-country ski,

snowshoe,

But I don't want to!

 

Over top of while Steve sings the chorus again. Obviously, they skipped over that, and that made me really sad, cos it's my favourite part of that song.

 

Truth be told, I'm vaguely ashamed to say it, but I spent a lot of time either tearing up or downright crying. I had been really worried that both BNL and Steve would just sound so wrong without each other, but thankfully I got the closure I needed.

 

I burst into tears after the concert, just because I had had such a great time.

 

The ONE thing that made me really sad, is that BNL once said in an interview that part of what made the 25 years of touring easier, was that each show, Ed and Steve's goal was to make the other laugh really hard mid-song. And it ALWAYS happened, at any concerts I had gone to or seen. Steve didn't at all last night :/ There was very little band camaraderie.

 

I still very much miss BNL for what it is, but maybe it won't be so bad. And maybe the rumours aren't true and BNL & Steve might one day reconcile.

 

Also...ever since leaving the band, Steve kind of dresses sort of gay :S