Barenaked Ladies “Last Summer On Earth Tour” has included a mix of '80s and '90s acts over the last 10+ years including OMD, Howard Jones, Violent Femmes, Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Five for Fighting, Semisonic, and Del Amitri. The 2025 "Last Summer on Earth" Tour kicked off in Atlanta, GA on June 3 along with Fastball and Guster. Between San Diego and L.A. dates the tour stopped at Yaamava' Theater on June 21. The 3,000 seat theater has hosted artists such as Peter Frampton, Janet Jackson, P!NK, Duran Duan, New Kids on the Block, MANA, Charlie Wilson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more.
At 7:30 P.M., fellow '90s group Fastball opened the show playing songs including hits “You’re An Ocean,” and “The Way.” “The Way” led to an audience sing-a-long. Since 1992, Fastball has been a trio of co-lead vocalist and bassist Tony Scalzo, co-lead vocalist guitarist Miles Zuniga, and drummer Joey Shuffield. Next up was Guster, also of the '90s playing a 10-song set including hits “Careful” and “Satellite.” Since 1991, Guster has been multi-instrumentalists and co-lead vocalists Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller, Luke Reynolds who also plays several instruments, and drummer/percussionist Brian Rosenworcel. Miller could be seen playing keys and guitar, Gardner on bass and guitar, Reynolds on guitar bass and keys, and Rosenworcel switched between drums and a percussion rig.
Before it was time for Barenaked Ladies to take the stage, a countdown appeared on the on the screen and The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” the opening song of Pet Sounds was played honoring Brian Wilson who passed away just 10 days before this show and the day before what would have been his 83rd birthday. Wilson was also honored later with his song "Love & Mercy" performed which was also the title of the 2014 biopic about Wilson. Exactly a year ago from this show Barenaked Ladies played a historic show at the Boston Red Sox home Fenway Park with Hootie and the Blowfish. The group formed in 1988 with co-lead vocalists/guitarists Ed Roberston and Steven Page, soon including the Creeggan brothers Jim (bass) and Andy (keys/percussion) along with Tyler Stewart (drums). Jim Creeggan remained until 1995 when Kevin Heard took over keyboard duties and Page left in 2009, making the group a quartet and has played just once with the group since departing.
One thing you can expect from a Barenaked Ladies show is their classics “The Old Apartment,” “Pinch Me,” “Brian Wilson,” “Odds Are,” the theme to the hit TV series The Big Bang Theory, “One Week,” and "If I Had A $1000000.” Brian Wilson was on their debut album in 1992, Gordon. The song had been performed in front of Wilson over the years including when Wilson was Musicare's Person of the Year in 2005 and as well as a performance at the Greek Theatre, which is where the following show on this tour took place and is a regular venue for the group on their "Last Summer on Earth" tours.
You can also expect some humor throughout the night from the way they walked out onstage to making a joke song, which for this show was “Bass Face” for Este Haim; or talking about the "more cowbell" sketch from Saturday Night Live; and while playing Van Halen’s "Jump," added a lyric in about that sketch while Heard played the song on accordion. After “The Old Apartment," the group started a rap which turned into Sly & The Family Stone’s "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)." During “If I Had A $1000000” a lyric from Fastball’s “The Way” was added in. For Creeggan's upright bass solo, he played the The Muppets' theme song and “Mah Na Mah Na” from the show with the audience singing the “ doo doo doo” parts. You can also expect an unforgettable medley and for this tour it includes some of today's biggest hits: Chappell Roan's “Pink Pony Club,” and “HOT TO GO,” Beyoncé's “Texas Hold Em”, Lady Gaga's “Abracadabra,” and Billie Eilish's “Birds of a Feather,” as well as older songs like Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler," Alphaville's “Forever Young” and Dan Hill's “Sometimes When We Touch.”
Following the medley was Rodger and Hammerstein’s “So Long Farewell” from Sound of Music followed by AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and this year was their first U.S. tour in a decade. The encore was “Lovin’ Life” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer of '69.”
