Harper wows the crowd

by Chas J. Hartman
Assistant Entertainment Editor

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals treated a sell-out crowd to more than two hours of eclectic music Friday night.

Opening act Jack Johnson hit the stage at 8 p.m. and received cheers from the half-filled auditorium. Johnson’s drummer Adam Topol began pounding on his bass drum, then bassist Merlo and Johnson joined in to start a tight 13-song set. The band managed to run through most of Johnson’s debut album Brushfire Fairytales.

With plenty of Latin-influenced drum fills and music reminiscent of the Dave Matthews Band, Johnson had no problem getting the crowd to dance. The most excitement rushed when Johnson performed "Rodeo Clowns," which he wrote for G. Love’s last album. All in all, the audience seemed pretty receptive to Johnson’s brand of acoustic music.

By the time Harper walked on stage, the 1,870 ticket holders were in attendance. As Harper’s band appeared one by one, the crowd stood in unison and did not sit down for the rest of the night. With a tribal drum beat resonating loudly, Harper took a seat on his ornately decorated chair.

Harper performed "Burn One Down" first, which has the line "I’m gonna make peace on Earth." Contradicting that statement, police officers patrolled the aisles, something reminiscent of a wild heavy-metal show rather than a peaceful night of alt-rock influenced folk music.

Pulling out his hypnotic slide guitar for the second song of the set, Harper never strayed far from its side. Although the slide appeared most often, he also used a double-neck guitar, in addition to his trusty six-string electric. With "Burn to Shine," Harper played a solo on his double neck guitar that sounded like something Eddie Van Halen might play.

Best of all, Harper’s set list reflected the variety of music styles on his albums. One moment he sounded like a reincarnated version of Jimi Hendrix, the next moment like a '60s folk crooner. Overall, "living life to the fullest" appeared to be the music's theme.

For those not too familiar with Harper's music, cover songs engaged them in sing-a-longs. The most riveting performance was when Harper covered Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" and slipped part of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" into the middle.

To the audience's surprise, Harper performed two encores. First he performed solo with his acoustic guitar, and then bandmates joined him for the second. In classic rock and roll fashion, Harper concluded the evening with his biggest hit, "Sexual Healing."

Harper ended the concert with a stunning rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," and by then, it was apparent that this performer is an expert at pleasing the masses.