10 moments you may have missed at the JUNOS
Sunday night was an amazing occasion for everyone involved in Barenaked Ladies’ long and successful career.
BNL were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2018 JUNO Awards in an emotional and hotly-anticipated celebratory evening. Steven Page reunited and performed with the band for the first time in almost a decade, and the quintet accepted their induction from none other than Rush legend Geddy Lee.
Here’s Get Barenaked’s 10 moments that you may have missed from BNL’s wonderful JUNOS celebration…
Kevin in Gord Downie’s tribute
Gord Downie featured heavily on the night as posthumous tributes poured in, celebrating his amazing legacy in Canadian music. In a moving segment of the show, Kevin Hearn joined Sarah Harmer and Dallas Green, performing stunning renditions of “Introduce Yerself” and “Bobcaygeon” to honour the late Tragically Hip frontman.
Nice one @KevinHearnMusic, beautifully joined by @sarah_harmer. A very touching tribute to Gord Downie. @TheJUNOAwards #JUNOS pic.twitter.com/6fjegFTKce
— Get Barenaked! (@getbarenaked) March 26, 2018
Bublé’s a BNL fan!
BNL’s longevity means that over the years, they’ve gained admiration from a whole host of fellow artists and entertainers. Their Hall of Fame introductory video contained tributes from the likes of Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan and the cast of Big Bang Theory. The acclaim came in thick and fast online too; Ryan Reynolds among the cheering squad, tweeting that the performance left him “misty”.
Got a little misty watching @stevenpage and @barenakedladies sing their way into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame tonight. Well done guys. #Junos2018 🇨🇦 @TheJUNOAwards
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) March 26, 2018
Michael Bublé – hosting the 47th JUNO Awards – was visibly giddy to introduce the band, and commented that he “knew every word” to Gordon. Having previously collaborated with the band on “Elf’s Lament” from the 2004 Christmas album, it seems Bublé is in fact a long-term BNL admirer.
Magic with BNL…
Did you spot this? Shortly before an ad break, the JUNOS cut to BNL bewildered by Winnipeg illustionist Darcy Oake…
Ed RUSHing up to give Geddy Lee a hug
In interviews leading up to the show, Ed Robertson shared his excitement that Rush legend Geddy Lee would be inducting the band. He told Billboard: “Oh man, for me that’s like an actual dream come true. I reached out to Geddy and said, ‘Hey, listen, this is an actual, literal teenage dream, but I am an adult now so I understand if you can’t make this work.’ And he’s just been awesome. So he’s going to do the induction, which is beyond a thrill to me”.
Ed’s excitement was evident on the night, as he stormed the stage to give Geddy a big Hall of Fame hug!
Steven’s lyric change
It wouldn’t be a BNL show without a fun lyric alteration or two, and Steven Page obliged as he changed a line of Million Dollars, quipping “When I had a million dollars…”
One Week remained relatively unchanged from its usual format, but Tyler Stewart and Kevin Hearn – who have been singing the song’s chorus since the band became a foursome – left those vocal duties to the returning Page for the night.
Double Creeggan!
Having been given an appreciative nod by his brother Jim in the thank you speeches, Andy Creeggan subsequently took to the keys to complete the Barenaked line-up for Million Dollars, adding those familiar piano flourishes.
…and he shared a loving moment with Steven!
Projections on screen
As the band so brilliantly performed Million Dollars, Vancouver’s Rogers Centre stage was backlit with animations of items mentioned in the classic song. Look out for a monkey, emu and that ‘nice reliant automobile’ projected as BNL play.
Special guests on stage
A raft of Canadian talent joined the BNL party as they performed the closing number.
Back in 1992, BNL invited musician friends from the Toronto music scene to sing on the Gordon recording of Million Dollars – and the band extended the invitation once more at the JUNOS. Stars gracing the stage included BNL friends and collaborators such as Michael Philip Wojewoda (who produced Gordon alongside a host of other BNL releases), Kardinal Offishal, Jann Arden – and yes, that was Will and Grace‘s Eric McCormack with his arm around Page’s tour pal Kevin Fox!
At the #JUNOS with the great @edrobertson and @barenakedladies! pic.twitter.com/FuyHaNWmAh
— Eric McCormack (@EricMcCormack) March 26, 2018
Raining dollar bills
It’s raining money! As BNL broke into Million Dollars, hundreds of balloons and notes came shooting down onto the crowd and stage.
These were in fact specially-designed dollar notes to commemorate the 2018 JUNO Awards. They’re certainly now a collector’s item for anyone lucky enough to be there!
I got some Juno bucks. pic.twitter.com/JcKSur3e0o
— Eli Glasner 🎥 (@glasneronfilm) March 26, 2018
Hugs all-round…
While CBC may have cut the broadcast just as the Barenaked party was wrapping up, Periscope footage from fans at the event shows the finale of Million Dollars met with hugs all-round – with Page individually thanking each band member before warmly embracing Robertson.
Inevitably, the JUNOS reunion has lead to further probing and speculation about future collaboration opportunities between Barenaked Ladies and Steven Page. While each party has pretty full schedules for 2018 (both have UK tours in the pipeline, and BNL embark on a big US tour this summer), this Globe and Mail article contains some interesting insight from some of the band members.
What a night!
What did you think about the Hall of Fame induction and performance? Share your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter!
Would you like to share a blog about the JUNOS reunion? Please email liam@getbarenaked.net!
