barenaked-music.ch - BNL in Switzerland (english)
June 26th 1999 - Open Air Festival St. Gallen

June 26th 1999 - Open Air Festival St. Gallen

An appearance at the 23rd annual St. Gallen Open Air Festival
(June 25th - June 27th 1999)
was the first (and so far only) BNL show in Switzerland.

I hate to admit, that I was not there!
To explain the reason here would go to far.
A fact is, that I already liked BNL a lot by this time.

A few hours after their show, it was broadcasted by the Swiss Radio DRS III.
This surprised me completely, and I'm still very glad, that I was (coincidently)
tuned into the right station at the right time.
I'm also glad, that I had a cassette-tape, to record the show.

Of course listening to it, I was very disappointed at myself, for not being there.

Maybe for some weird coincidence, somebody who reads this (in English!) was at that show!
If so, I would appreciate very much if you could send me a review and/or pictures!
So I could post it here, and with your permission translate it to German as well!

Setlist It's All Been Done
Who Needs Sleep
Straw Hat And Old Dirty Hank
Let's Drink Milk!
Hello City
Never Is Enough
Jane
Pull The Underwear Out Of Your Ass!
I'll Be That Girl
Alcohol
One Week
The Old Apartment
Brian Wilson
If I Had $ 1'000'000
BNL Rap

Banter/Improv's
The transcription of these Banters
is as accurate as I was able to do it.
I give no guarantee
for completeness and trueness!
Ed: "Although we are here under the pretence
of Music and Rock 'n' Roll and Dance.
We can be united under one slogan today
and that slogan Ladies and Gentlemen is
Let's Drink Milk!
Yeah, that's what Rock 'n' Roll is all about!"
after that follows a very cool Improv

Steve: "That was good clapping.
You clapped on the correct beat!"
Ed: "That's right."
Steve: "I have even more respect for the Swiss
Than I ever had before.
Cause Switzerland has the Funk!"
Ty: "Hey, where do you think
time-keeping was invented?"
Steve: "That's true,
they know how to keep time here."
Ed: "I need to make a public service announcement
if I could.
It's for all the people
sitting on the hill back there.
Hello, are you doing ok?
Just in the interest of your safety folks,
about every 20 minutes I need you to stand up
and pull the underwear out of your ass!
Because the longer you sit there,
the further down you're gonna slide
and the further up it's gonna go,
and you don't want to wait until later today,
to try and take it out.
So please, exercise caution
and keep a regular maintenance schedule!
Thank you Sir!"
Ty: "That means, the people
who are standing in the front,
have to take a couple of minutes to reach down
and put the underwear into your ass!"
Steve: "So we can all stay on an equal playing field."
after that follows a hilarious Improv
Ed: "...I said before everybody Let's Drink Milk!
But I must stress In your Ass I want no Silk!..."

Ed: "...this stage,
it's pretty magnificent.
I mean, it's out here,
in the middle of this field
there's this wonders big stage with lights.
And you know folks,
the thing that's even more amazing about that,
if you look under the stage right in the center
this whole stage has bin folded and opened out
of a standard issue Swiss Army Knife.
The whole thing!
It's amazing what you can do these days
with those little knifes"

Steve: "See, we always sing about Kraft Dinner.
The Kraft Company makes a delicious
Macaroni & Cheese available in a Box.
And sometimes people throw this stuff at us!
And we get grumpy, we get all mad
you know, sulking in the corner of the stage
because people are throwing Macaroni at us.
But being here makes me very glad,
that we are not from Switzerland,
and we didn't choose to say Raclette!
Cause that would be very cruelly
if people threw Raclette up on Stage.
... on your legs, it could be like
a waxing kind of thing, wouldn't it?
If I wanted to be a professional swimmer or cyclist."
Ed: "That's why everybody is so smooth here!"

Steve: "Folks we are Barenaked Ladies,
we come from Canada
and we thank you very much for watching us
and spending an hour with us this afternoon!
We hope you have a great weekend
here at this Festival!
We hope that you remember to drink milk
pull the underwear out of your ass
(loud) and buy our albums (laughing)!"

About "Let's Drink Milk!" "Let's Drink Milk" is a Swiss campaign.
(similar to "got milk?" in the USA)
They have booth's on Festivals, selling Milk-Drinks.
Random fact: Switzerland produces much more milk
than we will ever be able to drink!
(No wonder they tell us it's healthy!)

Other Bands/Musicians Metallica, Van Morrison, Blondie, Züri West,
and many more!
About this Festival Open Air Festival St. Gallen

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