Many of you saw the photo I’d e-mailed out yesterday — you can quickly post to your blog with your telephone and that’s what I did.

“What’s the big deal? So it’s a blurry picture of a bunch of guys playing on a stage….it could have been anyone”

You’re right, it could have been the band that was playing earlier, lots of classic rock covers…not bad. But it wasn’t, it was the best I could do with my phone camera. If you want better pictures, I’ll steal these.

Five years ago, Dave and I had tickets to see the Barenaked Ladies in Orlando. Unfortunately, I got really sick and Dave ended up going with one of our friends, Andy, instead. Dave is the bigger fan, but the concerts are a lot of fun and I’m sorry I couldn’t go.

While we were on vacation, we were listening to one of Dave’s live tracks from an “Everything to Everyone” concert and Dave said, “Boy, I wish we could see one of their concerts again, it’s a lot of fun.” So one day on the internet during our vacation, I checked their concert schedule and there it was: Council Bluffs, IA on July 18th. Whoa…that’s SOON!

With some further investigation, I learned that BNL was playing at a Ribfest outside of the Mid-America Center to launch the RAGBRAI bike ride event which started in Council Bluffs this year. And that if you used the promotion code “RAGBRAI” on Ticketmaster, the tickets were half price (although, with all of Ticketmaster’s fees and charges, it ended up more 2/3 the price). Whoo hoo!

Dave and I went and had a great time, enjoying some Tennessee ribs — some of the best I’ve ever had — and then finishing up just in time to get a decent view of the concert! BNL played for about 90 minutes, and by then many of the people were taking off to prepare to start their ride (I guess folks were free to start at midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning). We debated sticking around afterwards to meet the band, but we couldn’t figure out where on the Ribfest ground the band would be afterwards, so we ended up just leaving.

From 2009 07 18 RAGBRAI_Ribfest_BarenakedLadies

Their concerts are fun — a lot of improv and fun banter. Of note was Ed Robertson picking on the sign language lady standing in the front row with her very own spotlight, signing the entire concert, songs and all. He was trying to talk really fast, or use really strange words to try to challenge her. He then lauded her for doing so well with their two “brand new” songs that Ed claimed he didn’t even know the words for :-).

I was tickled at all the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese pasta that gets tossed up onto the stage during the song “If I Had $1000000”.

From 2009 07 18 RAGBRAI_Ribfest_BarenakedLadies

PS: I don’t get to go to music concerts a lot. I guess I average 1 concert per place I’ve lived, but I don’t even think I saw any when I was living in FL. In Ohio Dave and I went to a Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack and Disturbed show that had us fearing a random urinalysis for the next 48 hours or so. The last famous act I got to see live was Harry Connick, Jr. in Cary, NC 2 years ago. That was amazing.