WANT TO GO?
What: Barenaked Ladies' Last Summer on Earth Tour 2016 with special guests OMD and Howard Jones
Where: Rose Music Center at the Heights, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8
Cost: $23.50-$70
More info: 937-228-2323 or www.ticketmaster.com
Artist info: www.barenakedladies.com
Since launching its Last Summer on Earth Tour in 2011, Barenaked Ladies has hit the road with diverse special guests such as Ben Folds, Blues Traveler, Violent Femmes and Colin Hay from Men at Work. This year’s tour, which stops at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights on Wednesday, June 8, features Barenaked Ladies with ’80s electro-pop acts OMD and Howard Jones.
Singer-guitarist Ed Robertson was at home in Toronto recently when he answered some questions over the telephone about the tour and the group’s new live album, “Live at Red Rocks.”
Q: This is the fifth year you’ve done the Last Summer on Earth Tour. How long can you keep doing this before somebody calls you on it?
A: “We’re hedging our bets — this might actually be the last summer on earth, you never know. When the earth ends we’ll say, ‘Told you so.’ No one will remember how many we did, only that we called it.”
Q: What do you look for in support acts for Last Summer on Earth?
A: “The whole point of this tour has been to go out and have a great time with bands who have a great reputation for playing live and have a bunch of songs people recognize. We just wanted to curate a fun summer evening that brings out people from all generations. For me, Howard Jones and OMD were seminal artists so it’s going to be a cool summer. We all have these long catalogs that people identify with but the show isn’t just about nostalgia. These are guys we grew up with but they’re still out there making music and touring, and that’s what’s important to me.”
Q: There’s a long list of artists that have recorded live albums at Red Rocks, including John Tesh, Moody Blues, Mumford & Sons, Incubus and, of course, U2. What’s so special about that venue?
A: “For me, personally, it all stems from the bumper sticker on my car that says, ‘What Would John Tesh Do?’ No, you know, it’s a really magical place. The band looks up at this gorgeous rock-hewn amphitheater and the audience looks down over this gorgeous stage, in this canyon, with the lights of Denver off in the distance. It’s the most picturesque place to play. It’s stunning. It’s one of those places where the venue has a personality all its own. You get there and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’m playing at Red Rocks.’ It’s just one of those places that has a majesty to it.”
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