Ed Robertson and the Barenaked Ladies performed at Massey Hall in Toronto Friday November 26, 2010. (Ernest Doroszuk, QMI Agency)

TORONTO - So the big question when Steven Page left Barenaked Ladies last year, after founding the band with co-frontman Ed Robertson 20 years previously, was could the Toronto pop-rock veterans carry on without him?

And could he continue on without them? More on that later.

Certainly the foursome - singer-guitarist Robertson, bassist Jim Creeggan, keyboardist-guitarist Kevin Hearn and drummer Tyler Stewart - released a well-received album, All In Good Time, earlier this year with its Page-centric first single, You Run Away, but would they be the same in a live setting?

The answer, judging from their hometown performance at Massey Hall on Friday night, is yes and no.

The feisty, funny foursome came out swinging at the beginning of their hour-and-50-minute show with the oldies-but-goodies Who Needs Sleep, The Old Apartment and Falling For The First Time, playing on a stage dominated by constantly changing light and video panels with stuffed animals and a muppet hanging around Hearn's keyboards.

Robertson, significantly, was front and centre - a place that Page used to occupy - and generally he or Hearn took over where Page's big voice used to dwell in the Ladies' vast catalogue of songs.

Truthfully, however, there were a couple of tunes where that operatic sound was missed - The Old Apartment, Lovers In A Dangerous Time, Brian Wilson, One Week, and If I Had A $1,000,000 not to mention the edgy back and forth banter between Page and Robertson although Hearn, Stewart, and Creeggan mainly made up for his absence on the comedy front and all three took turns on lead vocals to various degrees of success.

This is a group clearly comfortable with each other and their audience although, as Robertson pointed out it was "strange but amazing" to be playing a hometown show.

"I saw my dentist," he joked about his activities coming home versus sightseeing when they're on the road. "And she knows that 'cause she's here."

And when Robertson wandered over and made Hearn's muppet mouth the words while he was singing Another Heartbreak, it was a subtle but funny move.

Less subtle, but no less funny was Hearn putting on a red bra with black lace when it was thrown up on stage during Pinch Me.

Still, the show kind of lost steam midway through before rebounding nicely by the end.

Musical highlights included the sweet harmonies on Easy and Hearn's lead vocals on the acoustic version of The Sound Of Your Voice, with the other three gathered around a microphone doing doo-wop and dance moves.

And there's really no way to explain the hilarious medley of hits that ended their set before the encore starting with Hearn handling lead vocals on Pilot's Magic (as in "Oh, Ho, Ho, It's Magic...."), Stewart taking over on Jay-Z's Empire State Of Mind, and so on - I've Got A Feeling (Black Eyed Peas), Baby (Justin Bieber) and California Gurls (Katy Perry).

Then there was the story leading up to their cover of Bruce Cockburn's Lovers In A Dangerous Time as former keyboardist Andy Creegan's keyboards went flying out of the van while they were filming the video in Scarborough.

Yes, they've come a long way, but these boys haven't forgotten their roots.

Page, meanwhile, released a new album, Page One, back in October but only played one Canadian date on his November tour before cancelling the rest of the trek and is now heading out next February opening for Goo Goo Dolls, which is not exactly a great sign for his longevity as a solo artist.

On Friday night, I half kept expecting him to pop out from underneath Stewart's drum kit or Hearn's keyboards but he didn't and he won't. At least not now nor in the near future.

Wait for the inevitable reunion tour 10 years from now?

In the meantime, it's Barenaked Ladies 1, Steven Page, 0, for those keeping score.

SET LIST

Who Needs Sleep

The Old Apartment

Falling for the First Time

Rap

Every Subway Car

Easy

Another Heartbreak

Lovers in a Dangerous Time

Ordinary

The Sound of Your Voice

It's All Been Done

Too Little Too Late

Brian Wilson

On The Lookout

You Run Away

Four Seconds

Big Bang Theory Theme

One Week

Pinch Me

If I Had $1,000,000

Magic/Empire State Of Mind/I've Got a Feeling/Baby/California Gurls

ENCORE:

Alcohol/Feliz Navidad

Blame It On Me

Tonight is the Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel