Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Few acts embody the spirit of this season more than Barenaked Ladies, so it was only appropriate for the pop/rock players from Canada to mount a Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island marathon as if this was the “Last Summer On Earth.”

Hopefully that won’t be the case, but if it turns out to be true, at least the band went out with a bang, or perhaps most fittingly in the case of the television theme song the guys created, “The Big Bang Theory.”

The soundtrack selection naturally appeared towards the back of around 90 minutes or so, alongside many other moments of comic relief and melodic memories up to its latest long-player, “Detour de Force,” plus previews of what’s to come, including the smash-in-the-making “Loving Life.”

In the case of all the sunny, harmony-stacked material, longtime lead singer/guitarist Ed Robertson, bassist Jim Creeggan, keyboardist Kevin Hearn and drummer Tyler Stewart mostly came across like anyone would want or expect from Barenaked Ladies, though contributions from former co-singer/songwriter Steven Page, now solo, were missed.

Nonetheless, there was nothing not to love about “It’s All Been Done,” “Pinch Me,” “Brian Wilson,” “If I Had $1000000” and so many more sing-a-longs, climaxing with “One Week” as the medium but mighty weeknight crowd went crazy trying to maintain the pace of its lightning fast lyrics.

As is becoming customary for this almost annual outing, Barenaked Ladies brought along other pals who also tore up the charts during the 1990s into the 2000s, including Semisonic’s surprising resumption of large scale touring after sitting out over two decades.

Of course, the group continued to occasionally record in the interim while front man Dan Wilson produced and co-wrote for everyone from Taylor Swift and Adele on down, though luckily, the guys were still “All About Chemistry,” especially when it came to colossal “Closing Time.”

Though known primarily for the jangly gem “Roll To Me” in America, Scotland’s Del Amitri are huge stars overseas and brought the best of its beginnings through “Fatal Mistakes,” thankfully making up for a 19-year absence from the studio as the audience was getting settled and reconnecting with yet another revitalized return.

For additional information on Barenaked Ladies, Semisonic and Del Amitri, visit BarenakedLadies.com, Semisonic.com and DelAmitri.info.

Upcoming concert highlights at Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island include Dermot Kennedy (Jun. 7); Heatwave Music Festival (Jun. 10-11); Louis Tomlinson (Jun. 15); Quinn XCII (Jun. 16); Billy Strings (Jun. 17); Young The Giant and Milky Chance (Jun. 23); Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Garbage (Jun. 27); Dave Matthews Band (Jul. 7-8); Yellowcard (Jul. 16); Sad Summer Fest (Jul. 21); Slightly Stoopid and Sublime With Rome (Jul. 28); Q101 Piqniq (Jul. 30); Ghost (Aug. 15); Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 22); 5 Seconds Of Summer (Aug. 23); Beck and Phoenix (Aug. 31); Duran Duran (Sept. 1) and Hozier (Sept. 12). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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