Virgin Ben Harper and the Innocent
Criminals performed Sunday at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
By David Holmberg
Daily Bruin Staff
While the clouds threatened rain Sunday night at the Santa
Barbara Bowl, only Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals took the
crowd by storm. After over two hours of impassioned singing and
superb musicianship, the thousands in attendance were soaking with
the beauty of unequaled talent.
Leading off the phenomenal night was newcomer Jack Johnson.
Although most of the audience straggled in through his set, Johnson
demonstrated his potential as a budding star. It was clear there
was a substantial percentage of the sold-out concert who had come
just to see Johnson, who now resides in Santa Barbara.
With the help of his bassist Merlo and drummer Adam Topol,
Johnson played a mellow set of quickly rising hits, along with
several new numbers.
Two of Johnson’s songs off of his debut album,
“Brushfire Fairytales,” were big hits with the
audience. The infectiously energetic “Bubble Toes” and
the rocking “Flake” won a big response from the
crowd.
Although this is his first major tour, Johnson played with
laid-back ease, waving to a swelling audience that included his
parents. Johnson demonstrated potential for becoming a major
musical force, in much the same way as Harper did during his early
days.
The crowd, although responding enthusiastically to Johnson, let
the dam break when Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals took the
stage. Sitting in a single chair in the middle of the stage, Harper
took on emperor-like stature. Stylish but not outrageous, he wore a
simple yellow T-shirt and blue pants, and a significantly shorter
hair cut than past tours.
In this primarily college-supported musical genre, Harper is
king, Dave Matthews not withstanding, and he proved it to thousands
on Sunday night.
Harper, who has been performing to larger and larger audiences
since his 1994 debut album, “Welcome to the Cruel
World,” was at perfect ease with Sunday’s crowd.
His new comfort before thousands of fans is a welcome change to
his days of old, when the single phrase spoken besides song lyrics
was a mere “Thank you,” and he stood only from his
chair to take a bow and leave the stage. Today’s Harper is a
talkative one, telling jokes and stories, and even dancing in
complete self-enjoyment. His growth as a star has been well won,
and he has deftly risen to the occasion.
The most wonderful of these changes is his interaction with his
extremely skilled and well-used band. The talents of bass player
Juan Nelson were tapped often and joyfully, and his funky bass
solos were a particular highlight for both the crowd and Harper,
who could not help but groove along. The percussion work of David
Leach, which included a passionate bongo solo on the crowd favorite
“Burn One Down,” repeatedly brought the crowd to its
feet, unable to resist the rousing beat.
There was an undeniable chemistry between the three musicians.
Their energy on the final pre-encore song, “Steal My
Kisses,” was irresistible. Dean Butterworth’s drums
added a solidifying core that kept the long solos by the other
members grounded. Harper was the star, but he gave his band every
opportunity to shake the night.
Over the years, Harper has solidified his now definitive style.
With a preacher’s authoritative wail, he plays his acoustic
slide guitar, which evokes a Mississippi Delta blues sound, with
the power and energy of guitar-icon Jimi Hendrix. His ability to
switch instruments regularly, from acoustic and electric guitar to
his lap-slide guitars and oft-used Weissenborn, is impressive. And
his long fiery solos enveloped the audience, most notably on
“Excuse Me Mr.” and “Manic Depression,”
causing even the most indifferent listener to lose themselves in
the flame. Every song was belted out with such intensity it was as
if it were the first time he had ever cried out those blazing
words.
Lighters were out in force as soon as Harper ended, and it did
not take long for the rocker to return to the stage, remarking,
“This has got to be one of my favorite venues in the
country.”
In his first of two encores, Harper was joined by the impeccable
harmonies of the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. The quintet, whose
roots run back into the 1940s, provided gospel toned blues
accompaniment on several of Harper’s more soulful tunes,
including “I Want To Be Ready” and “I Shall Not
Walk Alone.” This high point of the concert reached its own
climax with the preacher-style wails of Harper being matched by the
gut-wrenching deep blues of the Five Blind Boys on “Give A
Man A Home.” The audience screamed and applauded every
soul-filled solo, unable to contain its enthusiasm as it witnessed
some of the most beautiful and consuming harmonies ever.
A second encore found Harper back on stage with the rest of the
Innocent Criminals, for a final group effort on “Welcome to
the Cruel World.” Although moving and heartfelt, it could
not, nor should it have, exceeded the fervor of the previous set.
However it served to slowly ease the audience back into
reality.
Of surprising effectiveness was the atmospheric lighting of the
stage. Colored lights flashed to the music, and smoke danced
throughout creating an effective aura of transcendentalism. Harper
was continually highlighted by a lone light, giving rise to a
mythical aura that was earned through his music.
The only detraction to Sunday’s intense performance was
the excessive security. Wrist bands were required for everything
save using the rest rooms; and the gate security stopped just short
of drug dogs and strip searches. The obtrusive security prowled the
crowds, overly concerned with stopping any illegal activity and
unnecessary fun.
The crowd Sunday night, which appeared to be primarily composed
of college students, was treated to one of those rare performances
where the performer is not just doing his job, but also sharing his
love of music. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals may have held
back the rain, but they did not stave off the impassioned fervor of
supreme musicianship.