After taking a summer off from ending the world in order to tour with Hootie & the Blowfish, Barenaked Ladies brings its Last Summer on Earth package back this year for a sixth edition, with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Gin Blossoms supporting. The 34-date trek kicks off June 3 in St. Augustine, Fla., winding its way around North America until wrapping July 23 in BNL’s hometown of Toronto.
Pre-sales begin Jan. 21, with a public on-sale three days later. The tour comes in conjunction with the group’s just-launched Barenaked Bytes app, and if all goes to plan BNL will have new music out as well.
“Yeah, we got a brief respite from the doomsday predictions of Barenaked Ladies, the most negative band on earth,” singer-guitarist Ed Robertson tells Billboard with a laugh. But he adds that the quartet is looking forward to putting the package back on the road again. “I loved not having the responsibility of the night on our shoulders and getting to just go out and rock for one hour and play a hit-packed set and no pressure – and then at the same time I missed not having the weight of the show on my shoulders and not having extra time to stretch out and play more songs,” Robertson says, with another laugh. “I certainly loved the (2019) tour, but we love doing this, too.”
Choosing Toad and Gin Blossoms was part of what Robertson calls “an ongoing discussion” about Last Summer on Earth, noting that both bands “have come up a hundred times in the discussions for this tour. We’re really looking for a full night of artists that touch a lot of moments in people’s lives and span many decades, and both of these bands do that. I remember (Violent Femmes') Brian Ritchie and I were sitting watching Colin Hay one night on the tour we did with them and Brian turned to me and said, ‘Man, people are really getting their fucking money’s worth on this tour.’ It’s a rock-solid tour where people come early and want to see all three bands. It feels good as an artist going out with a package like that.”
Robertson also predicts that this year’s lineup will result in some onstage collaborations between the acts. “The other thing that’s great about these tours is the friendships that get built. We really promote an atmosphere of camaraderie.”
With Last Summer looming, BNL is preparing to assemble at Robertson’s cottage north of Toronto to begin working on the group’s 13th studio album and follow-up to 2017’s Fake Nudes. The band will be working with producer Mark Howard (Daniel Lanois, U2, Bob Dylan, Neil Young), who Robertson says made the suggestion to work away from a conventional studio. “We’re taking a totally different approach on this record, which is exciting and somewhat daunting,” Robertson notes. “(Howard) is a big fan of the band; He said, ‘I don’t really like studios, though. We should rent a house somewhere, or anybody got a cottage?’ So we’re going up to my cottage with a portable rig and we’re gonna record everything live off the floor in the same room. It’s quite exciting.” BNL has been passing songs around since last year, and Robertson is hoping to have a single, at least, before the tour and possibly the whole album ready to drop.
Prior to Last Summer on Earth, BNL will be touring in the U.K. playing nine dates starting March 31 in Birmingham, England.
The full Last Summer on Earth itinerary includes:
June 3 – St. Augustine, FL – Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
June 4 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
June 6 – Houston, TX – Revention Music Center
June 7 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
June 11 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre
June 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
June 13 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
June 14 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
June 16 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery*
June 18 – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Amphitheater
June 19 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield
June 20 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino
June 23 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 25 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
June 26 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino – Mystic Showroom
June 27 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Concert Cove at Harrah's Council Bluffs
June 29 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
July 1 – St. Louis, MO – TBA ±
July 3 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
July 4 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 5 – Indianapolis, IN – Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
July 7 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Amphitheater
July 8 – New York, NY – Central Park SummerStage
July 10 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
July 11 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
July 12 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
July 14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
July 15 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
July 17 – Charleston, SC – Volvo Car Stadium
July 18 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
July 19 – Baltimore, MD – MECU Pavilion
July 21 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend
July 22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
July 23 – Toronto, ONT – Budweiser Stage
* Pre-sale and ticket on-sale date TBA.
± Pre-sale starts on Jan. 21 at noon. Tickets on sale on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 10am.
