PHOTOS + REVIEW: BARENAKED LADIES @ CAL COAST CREDIT UNION OPEN AIR THEATRE (SAN DIEGO, CA)

Barenaked Ladies (Scarborough, Canada)
June 22nd, 2023
Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre in San Diego, CA

Though it might have been done before, the Last Summer On Earth Tour is still packing fresh energy that just simply keeps bringing fans back wanting more.

This past Thursday, Barenaked Ladies, alongside Scottish rockers DelAmitri and Semisonic brought the 7th edition of their Last Summer On Earth Tour to Cal Coast helping San Diego ring in the summer with quite a big bang.

This tour was originally launched in 2012, the year the ancient Mayan calendar had predicted Earth would come to an end. In true Barenaked Ladies style, they decided to turn a fundamentally gloomy concept into one of pure fun, creating a tour which has become synonymous with endless summer fun. It was so well received by fans that it has almost become a yearly tradition with this being the seventh time it has been repeated since then.

And understandably so. Not only are they great musicians who share a very unique and noticeable chemistry on stage, but their super fun personalities instantaneously spill over into the audience. From the first joke to the very last, the guys create a fun atmosphere that veiled the normally great distance from the performer to the crowd turning a mere concert into an unforgettable explosion of fun for each fan.

I had never seen them live before and I was amazed by the audience’s response to the band. The band was backed by a giant background screen that projected a combination of mesmerizing lights and snippets of their music videos. They delivered a 22 song setlist with a bonus half an hour or so of straight up hilarious stand up comedy that kept the audience engaged throughout, often turning the evening in a full hearted summer singalong. Ed Robertson’s vocals were as spot on as his inner comic, bassist Jim Creeggan’s baselines got the audience grooving the entire evening, while Kevin Hearn delighted fans both on keyboards and guitars. What really kept everyone moving though was Tyler Stewart’s drumming that provided a bright and warm sound further making this the perfect summer show.

The entire setlist effortlessly navigated through a 30 plus year long musical journey which alone stands as testament to their timelessness. It is merely impossible to pick specific highlights. I think this was a very unique evening that with its lightheartedness just managed to pull me out of reality for a bit, something that we can all probably use here and there these days. But of course it was impossible not to sing along to The Big Bang Theory theme song and “The Old Apartment.” “Pinch Me” was super well received having made the entire crowd dance around and “Lovin’ Life” was another one of those infectious songs that just grabs a hold of you.

Of course their mega hit “One Week” was nothing short of an explosion of love from their fans and the song medley/cover finale performed alongside Del Amitri and Semisonic was pretty amazing. If you have a chance to catch them live this summer, please do so because you will be guaranteed a pretty amazing evening.

Setlist

Matter of Time
It’s All Been Done
The Old Apartment
Ad Lib / Shake it Off
Gonna Walk
Just Wait
Lookin’ Up
Big Back Yard
Pinch Me
Smile
Blame It On Me
The Township of King
Brian Wilson
Lovin’ Life
Odds Are
Big Bang Theory Theme
Bass Solo
One Week
If I Had $1,000,000
If You Could Read My Mind / Flowers / As It Was / Take On Me / Climb Ev’ry Mountain / So Long, Farewell / Rock of Ages (Various Artists cover)

Encore:
Jet Airliner (Paul Pena cover)
Closing Time (reprise)