Gavin DeGraw was...meh. I knew two of the four songs he played from the radio, but he just didn�t grab me. He sounded a lot like the other generic songs you hear on the radio these days. Although it was interesting to see the lead singer in a band sitting down playing the keyboards. I know it�s not unheard of, but I�m so used to seeing a guitar player at the center of the stage. I decided that I�ll never buy his CD but if he gets anymore songs on the radio I won�t change the station.

Howie Day on the other hand, I really liked him. He came out on the stage with only a guitar, but while playing kept hitting all these buttons and devices down by his feet which played recordings of different instruments. It really made for a somewhat awkward performance, but it didn�t matter much to me. His voice has a beautiful, tortured quality. All of his songs were depressing, but I like that. My friends and I joked that they better keep an eye on him backstage though, because he might try to kill himself during Sarah Mclaughlin.

Vertical Horizon is another band who, when I hear them, I don�t change the radio station. Actually, it surprises me how many songs by them I know. They played six songs, and I knew four of them. I especially like �The Best I Ever Had.� They�re pretty good performers, and it�s the second time I�ve seen them. The first time was also at a Barenaked Ladies concert. I don�t own any of their albums, but they�re a good band to sing along to.

Sarah Mclaughlin. What can I say about her? I absolutely love her. I saw her perform one other time at the Lillith Fair back in 1997. This time was so much better, though. The only things on the stage were Sarah, a piano, and a guitar. My only complaint was that she only played six songs. Six! I wanted so much more when she walked off the stage. She started with Building A Mystery, then she played her new song, Fallen, which is amazingly beautiful. Then she played Possession, a new love song she wrote for her husband, and Angel. She finished the night with Ice Cream, which, though simple, is one of my all time favorite songs by her. The all too brief set got me very much back in the Sarah Mclaughlin spirit and I think I�m going to add her new album to my collection very soon.

And then.....BARENAKED LADIES!! My all time favorite live band. This was my seventh time seeing them. I�ve seen them once at George Mason University, twice at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., twice at Merriweather Post, a great outdoor venue, once at the Baltimore Arena where I had GREAT floor seats, and last night at the Lyric Opera House, a nice small venue. Not as small as the Meyerhoff, where I saw the Indigo Girls, but still a cozy place.

The Ladies started with It�s All Been Done Before, which seems to now be their signature opening song. The first couple times I saw them they played Hello City as their opener, but not anymore. And they were amazing. Ed mentioned that he thought of calling out sick to go see the new Lord of the Rings movie, and they talked about Ed�s obsession with that for awhile. They sang a Frosty The Snowman/Dreidal Dreidal Dreidal medley and brought out Sarah to sing their God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Three Kings song. That was exciting. Last Christmas I bought a CD filled with unknown Canadians singing unknown Christmas songs just so I could have that song. They of course played their new single, Another Postcard, which I kind of hated at first, but I have to admit it�s grown on me. From the new album they also played Maybe Katie, Testing One Two Three, Celebrity, and the powerful War on Drugs. I�d read around the internet that some people had been dissatisfied with the audience performance during such a serious song, but I have to give props to Baltimore for being in tune with the mood. As soon as Steve started talking about the song and why he wrote it and what�s it about, everyone sat down and was quiet. Even the most obnoxious of fans seemed to get it. I can understand why it would be hard to calm down during that song when generally BNL concerts are extremely happy and upbeat and wacky, so it�s hard to change gears to something that�s more of a downer. They played the standards, One Week, Brian Wilson, and If I Had a Million Dollars, and the semi-standards, The Old Apartment and Alcohol. On the old school front they played Enid. From Maroon they played Too Little Too Late and Pinch Me.

It was a GREAT concert, and every time the Ladies finish playing, I always wish they�d keep playing. I could watch them play for hours and hours and hours. But that�s ok. I�ll catch them next time they�re in town.