It seems Halifax has finally, thankfully forgiven the Barenaked Ladies. At the back end of the Fort Nites '98 concerts inside the fort on Citadel Hill Wednesday night, the 3,000 or so fans couldn't seem to get enough of the band that took a sonic swipe at Halifax with Hello City, from their first album Gordon. The second Fort Nites concert also featured Mary Jane Lamond and Toronto's Wild Strawberries. The Wild Strawberries warmed up the crowd with its smart pop songs, before Lamond really revved things up with her modern, funky arrangements of Gaelic tunes. But the crowd came to see the Barenaked Ladies, who last played Halifax in 1996. The Ladies' show, laced with ironic, witty humor, kept the mostly teenage and twentysomething crowd hopping past midnight. But then, how could anyone stay angry at these five charming guys from Scarborough? The band's Halifax fans have even adopted Hello City as the Barenakeds' unofficial tribute to the city. Never mind that it musically maligned the port city. "Now those of you who don't think we like Halifax, we've been here millions of times and we love it," said lead singer/songwriter Steven Page, after a bouncy version of Hello City. "God, I miss donairs!" exclaimed guitarist/songwriter Ed Robertson. The Ladies - who also feature drummer Tyler Stewart, bassist Jim Creeggan and keyboardist "Y2K" - were too busy taking good-natured jabs at the Fort Nites sponsors to worry about past slights. After opening with the raucous Old Apartment, the fun Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank and the less rompy and more jaunty Life, In a Nutshell, Page remarked how Cherry Coke is being marketed as a brand new drink. "It's been around for 12 years! Cherry Coke is no longer a novelty drink. Next year will be the bar mitzvah of Cherry Coke." But just like everything else in a Barenaked Ladies show, the sponsor jokes were all in fun. This concert not only featured the Ladies' wry sense of humor. It also showcased the band's masterful musical chops, wonderful harmonies and infectious songs such as those on the band's forthcoming album Stunt. It's All Been Done, Never Is Enough, One Week and Alcohol all got a great response from the crowd. But it was favorites like Be My Yoko Ono, Alternative Girlfriend and Jane that really got the crowd going. The Barenaked Ladies are performance masters. Let's hope they don't wait another two years for a return date.