Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Summer is officially here now that Ravinia Festival kicked off its pop/rock festivities Thursday night with a seasonally-fitting triple team between Barenaked Ladies, OMD and Howard Jones. Dubbed the “Last Summer On Earth” Tour, the four hour marathon bridged BNL’s quirky alternative offerings with the new wave stylings of the supporting pair, who may have been a generation apart, but were clearly childhood heroes of the headliners.

Barenaked Ladies were at their best incorporating that comedy into sunny melodies, most notably, monster sing-a-longs “The Old Apartment,” “One Week” and “If I Had $1,000,000,” all of which added some multi-million selling muscle to their otherwise cult-like following.

In fact, one of the first times the entire pavilion rose during the Ladies’ set was when Jones joined the guys for his era-defining ballad “No One Is To Blame,” after which front man Ed Robertson enthusiastically recalled playing the “Dream Into Action” album on repeat throughout his childhood. It was a “Pinch Me” moment for sure and one that only built the momentum that began with “Brian Wilson” and “Another Postcard,” all much needed antidotes to the unplugged and surprisingly sleepy opening segment.

No matter how understated or electrified, the members’ sense of humor appeared just as spontaneous as ever, including an on the fly ode to the delicacies in the Ravinia food court, along with witty commentaries on the religious and agnostic versions of “The Big Bang Theory Theme.” Yet Barenaked Ladies were at their best incorporating that comedy into sunny melodies, most notably, monster sing-a-longs “The Old Apartment,” “One Week” and “If I Had $1,000,000,” all of which added some multi-million selling muscle to their otherwise cult-like following.

That enthusiasm was pretty closely matched once OMD dusted off “If You Leave,” instantly transporting the masses back to the “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack, which was sandwiched between several more singles that were particularly prominent in Europe. In the mix was another John Hughes shout-out (“Tesla Girls” from “Weird Science”), plus the infectious synth poppers “Secret,” “Dreaming” and “Electricity” as front man Andy McCluskey cranked out the charisma.

It’s too bad fans were just filing in as Howard Jones took the stage because his electro pop pleasantries were nothing short of explosive and continue to find additional relevance in the context of the burgeoning EDM movement. Even so, the singer/keyboard player performed favorites “Like To Get To Know You Well,” “Everlasting Love” and “Life In One Day” like he was in front of a full house, and by the time “Things Can Only Get Better” came into view, he reeled in enough folks to properly kick off a party that’s only just begun for Chicagoland concertgoers.

Click here for more Barenaked Ladies photos, here for more OMD photos and here for more Howard Jones photos from Ravinia.

For additional information on Barenaked Ladies, OMD and Howard Jones, visit BarenakedLadies.com, OMD.UK.com and HowardJones.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Ravinia include Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (June 12); BoDeans (June 17); Paul Simon (June 18); Patti LaBelle with The Commodores (June 23); Bob Dylan with Mavis Staples (June 24); Gavin DeGraw and The Fray (June 25); Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebrating featuring Warren Haynes (June 26). For additional details, visit Ravinia.org.

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