Colin Hay, Violent Femmes + Barenaked Ladies at Pier 97

It’s rare when three legendary acts decide to tour together, but that’s exactly what Colin Hay, Violent Femmes and the Barenaked Ladies are doing right now. Dubbed, “The Last Summer On Earth Tour,” the three bands brought their act to NYC’s JBL Live at Pier 97 on July 1st.

Arriving at Pier 97 for the first time, I was in a great mood knowing I was about to see two of my favorite acts from the 80’s and the evening didn’t disappoint.

Settling in with his 12 string acoustic guitar, Colin Hay gave us a history lesson from the early 80’s and played his hits including, “Land Down Under.” That’s what we expected of course, but what stood out was the quality of the new songs of his latest record “Next Year People.” Very few musicians can keep you totally enthralled like Colin can and in between his tunes is when the magic happens – as he tells colorful and ridiculously funny stories to help explain his songs. His 30 minute set flew by to fast, but was the perfect opener.

Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies addressing the crowd

Colin Hay

In the second slot was the legendary Violent Femmes and they ripped into their whole catalogue including “Add It Up,” “American Music,” “Kiss Off” and “Gone Daddy Gone.” It was really neat to see people of all ages dancing and singing along to songs that were popular nearly 30 years ago. It proves that the Violent Femmes are a historic band that defies time and categorization.

Violent Femmes

Two young fans get a prize!

One by one, the members of Barenaked Ladies strode onto the stage – the crowd reciprocated with monstrous cheers, and at that moment it was clear that they were here for the Canadian rockers and their vast catalogue of hits. While I’m not their biggest fan, it was easy to see why they are so popular as they were tight and crowd friendly. The tunes that I did know, sounded great and even brought out a bit of nostalgia in me during “The Old Apartment.” The eighth song they brought back Colin Hay to the stage and performed a rousing version of “Who Can It Be Now?.” Another highlight was the “Big Bang Theory” theme song, which always sounded familiar, but honestly had no clue they sung it. All in all, it was a great summer concert under the open sky and recommend this to anyone looking for a fun night out.