Barenaked at Radio City

Thank God. After tomorrow, the political ads will be gone.

But the Christmas ads are already here. And I haven't even loaded the holiday songs onto my iPod yet!

I can't wait to hear the Barenaked Ladies' holiday songs again after seeing them last night at Radio City Music Hall. A fabulously charged show that Casey and I thoroughly enjoyed -- to the point of being Those Fans (not in a bad way).

We couldn't help ourselves -- after two glasses of wine at lunch and four (or five) beers afterwards, we were the fans who stand throughout the show, dancing and signing along. Sitting in the upper mezzanine (or whatever they call the smaller level between the mezzanine and the top level), we were at the end of an aisle with three empty seats behind us in front of the wall. No one to bother, no reason to sit down. There was an empty seat to Casey's left, so we each moved over once and left the empty seat between me and the two women to my right.

From start to finish, we stood and boogied, sang and clapped and wore ourselves out. We were parched afterwards, hustling to Duane Reade -- "Have you noticed there's one on every corner?" Ed Robertson asked at one point -- for a bottle each to drink on the drive home.

There were some great classic and standards played, not to mention the expected between-songs banter and improvised raps and ditties. I especially was glad to hear "Brian Wilson," "Grade 9" and "Falling For the First Time." And while Casey is not a fan of "Fun & Games" off the new Barenaked Ladies Are Me -- it's the frenzied circus-like bridge in the middle that irks her -- I love the direct and daring lyrics.

The setlist:

Wind It Up
The Old Apartment
Sound Of Your Voice
Grade 9
A
Stomach Vs. Heart
In The Car
Falling For The First Time
Maybe Katie
Vanishing
Straw Hat & Old Dirty Hank (acoustic)
Fun & Games (acoustic)
Too Little Too Late
Bank Job
Angry People
Pinch Me
Conventioneers
It's All Been Done
One Week
Brian Wilson

Easy
If I Had $1 Million

Call & Answer