Ben Harper @ 9:30 Club (July 25, 2005)

The best thing that happened last summer was the Zooma Tour with Trey Anastasio and Ben Harper getting canceled. To begin with it was at Merriweather Post Pavilion (traffic+traffic+open air venue+traffic=dag). On top of that, we probably weren't going to see Ben at his best. Zooma got canceled, Ben decided to do small gigs, and one of those was the 9:30 Club. The peasants rejoice.

This show was insane.

Insane.

Just look at the setlist:

Set I:
• God Fearing Man
• Ground On Down
• Jah Work
• Brown Eyed Blues
• Wicked Man
• Everything
• Burn One Down
• She's Only Happy In The Sun
• Breakin' Down
• Temporary Remedy
• Please Bleed
• Amen Omen
• Where Could I Go
• How Many Miles Must We March?

Encore I:
• Another Lonely Day
• Widow Of A Living Man
• Number Three
• Roses From My Friends
• I Shall Not Walk Alone
• Walk Away
• There Will Be A Light
• When It's Good
• Pleasure And Pain

Encore II:
• Steal My Kisses/Pressure Drop
• Get It Like You Like It
• Homeless Child
• Dressed In Black
• Gather 'Round The Stone
• The Woman In You
• Ain't Too Proud To Beg
• With My Own Two Hands/War

If you're keeping track at home, that's over 30 songs. What an amazing set. Before we left, Callo's girlfriend told us to call her during "Widow of a Living Man." I told Callo, fat chance. I had caught Ben four times prior to this (Bridge School Benefit '04, Providence, RI '01, Fairfield, CT '01, Waltham, MA '01) and I had yet to hear "Widow." I was as wrong as the kid that said "we aren't going to hear any Rage tonight" before the Audioslave show at Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Sometimes it's good to be wrong. What an insane show. Despite the people with little or no etiquette (yelling out "Free Bird" and assorted other b.s. that had little or no place at a Ben show), the show was perfect. At first we thought the Johnny Damon line in "Get It Like You Like It" was ad libbed, but when the new album dropped this past Tuesday, we realized we were mistaken.

Quite simply, this is one of the five best shows I have ever seen. That setlist speaks for itself.

Tickets went on sale this morning for him at Merriweather this summer (Sunday, September 10th) through BenHarper.net. Fortunately, Top was all over it and we scored 4 for the pit. Tickets go on-sale to the public April 1st, through our good friends at Ticketmaster.

If you've never been to Merriweather the sound under the roof is far better than on the lawn. I've learned this the hard way. I caught Velvet Revolver (awesome, one of these days we will discuss the greatness that is Scott Weiland), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with The Black Crowes (decent), Maroon 5 (gasp), and some others. I was very happy when Nine Inch Nails went the MCI Center route, but I guess the November timeframe helped on that one. Regardless, ditto for Pearl Jam. There is just something to be said for the sound quality in an arena as compared to an open air venue.