Could there be a more fitting band on the final evening of a weekend-long music festival than the Barenaked Ladies? Hard to imagine.
The iconic Canadian group is coming to the Comox Valley for what promises to be a very special Vancouver Island MusicFest performance.
BNL will be the penultimate act on Sunday night.
MusicFest executive producer Doug Cox said it’s their wide appeal that makes the Barenaked Ladies such a perfect fit for the festival.
“Everybody knows something of theirs,” he said. “I was talking to my 18-year-old daughter and she mentioned a couple of songs of theirs that I have not even heard of. So that got me pretty excited.”
Cox said that while this was the first time he actively pursued the group to play MusicFest - “their schedule always seemed to conflict” - they’ve been on his radar for a long, long time.
“The first time I heard them was maybe 25 years ago, in Victoria,” said Cox. “They weren’t all that well known yet, and they played If I had a million dollars and I could tell even then that they were something special.”
If I Had a Million Dollars was the breakout hit for the band in Canada, one of several songs from its 1992 (major label) debut album, Gordon, which also spawned the successful singles Enid, Be My Yoko Ono, and Brian Wilson, as well as lesser known, but equally as entertaining songs such as Grade 9.
But while Gordon eventually achieved diamond status in Canada (1,000,000+ copies sold), it wasn’t until their 1998 release, Stunt, and their huge hit One Week that the Barenaked Ladies conquered the U.S. market.
They remain one of the most sought-after Canadian groups both locally and abroad, and on July 16, they will add to what Cox is hyping as one of the best MusicFest lineups to date.
“I think we have a really good variety for our lineup this year,” he said.
“I’m really excited.”
Cockburn connection
Coincidentally, one of BNL’s first songs to get any radio play in Canada was a cover of the Bruce Cockburn single, Lovers in a Dangerous Time.
The cover appeared on a Cockburn tribute album in 1991, and was BNL’s first top-40 hit.
Cockburn will also play at MusicFest this year, and while they aren’t scheduled to share the stage, it is not beyond the realm of possibilities.
Stage sharing
Cox is also planning a couple of main stage tribute collaborations - one for Chuck Berry, and another for Sam Cooke.
He said he has been “getting a lot of positive response” from artists he has approached regarding those two tribute performances.
Camping tickets are 90 per cent sold, and there are fewer than 50 per cent of the full weekend passes remaining.
Weekend passes — and camping passes — are available online at islandmusicfest.com