Again, wow.

Iron Maiden. Plant killing. Pre-show fun with new friends. Sound check hilarity.

What else …?

Oh, yes. The music. The always engaging, entertaining music.

My day began with a line wait of epic proportions. 9 am to 6 pm. That’s right–9 hours in the sun. Relief didn’t even show up until almost 3, but at that point, I wasn’t about to give up my parking spot, which was literally feet from the exit across the main road.

I got some sweet footage of the band sound-checking to “Some Fantastic.” I’ll post it as soon as I can trim it. Meanwhile, enjoy these pics posted on flickr.

The gates opened a little after 6. Because the venue allows for coolers and stuff, we packed in some sandwich materials, snacks and beverages. My cooler was weighted down with the ice and beverages, so it was pretty heavy. The venue is all GA, so we made sure the person with the least to carry bolted for a spot as close to the front as possible and laid down blankets, then the rest of us lagged behind with our loads and stuff.

Front row. Again. Ha.

This time, we sat directly in front of Jim’s mic and in front of the stage left stack. I still can’t hear out of my right ear.

Angel Taylor truly lived up to her name. Her band was a blast. A guy on guitar, guy on drums, and herself, who alternated between keyboards, guitar, and some shaky thing. She played her radio hit “Hey Soul Sister,” which is a Train cover from their 2009 CD, Save Me San Francisco. It was awesome. Very, very well done. I don’t know the names of the other songs she played because she didn’t announce them, but they’re all on her new CD, Love Travels.

Kris Allen also played a set.

Barenaked Ladies took the stage shortly after he left. They opened with “Who Needs Sleep?” off of Stunt. Here’s the set list:

• who needs sleep?
• old apt
• falling for the first time
• botanical garden song
• every subway car
• easy
• raisins* not on set list!!
• some fantastic
• plant eating song
• another heartbreak
• ordinary
• sound of your voice
• all been done
• i saw it
• you run away
• wind it up
• 4 seconds
• big bang
• one week
• too little too late
• pinch me
• million

  *encore*

• brian wilson
• when i fall

As you can see, some standards, but there are also some amazingly non-expected songs, like “When I Fall.” Always a great song to hear. “Who Needs Sleep?” is another great tune that doesn’t get played as much as it should.

Kevin did a fantastic job with “The Sound of Your Voice.” Basically just him and a guitar, while the other 3 backed him up doo-wop style.

The highlight of the night … no–the highlight of my concert-going career was meeting Celina. She and her mom were off stage right by a bit. My wife has a background in working with children with special needs, so it always warms us to see them in any location, but seeing her rocking out so far away from the stage just didn’t seem right. Someone went over and asked if they would like to come up to the front so she could get a better view. We started clearing a path so she could come over. Once people saw what was going on, EVERYone chipped in–moving coolers, blankets, chairs … it was awesome. She and her mom got to see about half the show right in front of Jim’s mic stand. It was … wow. It was sweet. So here’s to you, Celina! Thanks for joining us for the show!!

I’ve written some other reviews of past Ladies’ shows in the last few months, and really … this show was just as good musically. The thing that I always love about BNL is their truly sincere appreciation for their fans. They really do seem to have an affinity for Salt Lake. According to Tyler, we were the only city on the tour that sold out. That’s really disappointing to hear from a fan perspective, but it gives me great pride that our town supports them the way they deserve to be treated. 4 quality musicians who put everything out there for their fans each and every show … if you people only knew what you’re missing.

Next tour. And trust me–there WILL be another tour. 🙂