The Paradise wasn’t sold out prior to the show, but by the time Ben Kweller took the stage around 9:15 Friday night it sure had the look and atmosphere of a sell out. The crowd was entertained by a couple of solid opening bands to start, New York’s “The Dig” and Kentucky’s “Sleeper Agent” provided a great start to the night with some energetic, crowd pleasing rock.
Kweller kicked off his set with “Mean to Me”, the opening track off his new album, “Go Fly a Kite” and immediately got the crowd at the Paradise going. He continued with an energetic variety of both new and old songs, all of which the crowd seemed to love. After a strong and energetic start to the show the band exited leaving only Ben Kweller on stage to provide the crowd with a beautiful and personal cluster of stripped down songs. As he played songs like “Thirteen” and “Lizzy” which featured just him on the piano with a harmonica, Kweller’s passion captured the room as everyone attentively listened to his every note and quietly sang along with him.
Like many, when I go to a concert I love interaction between the musicians and audience; throughout the show Kweller maintained almost constant communication with the audience, from personal stories to jokes, his stage presence and obvious respect for the crowd made the show even more enjoyable. During one of his anecdotes between songs he divulged to the crowd his love for Boston, which I’m sure almost every artist says in every city they visit, but in telling the crowd this Ben Kweller sounded genuine. He reminisced about how much time he spent in Boston his whole life, how some of his best friends live here and how he met his wife in Cambridge. After expressing his love for the city of Boston he also pronounced his love for the Paradise and proceeded to dedicate his next song to the people stuck behind the poles, which everyone in attendance could appreciate.
After a set of about 17 songs he exited the stage and thanked the crowd for their attendance and participation in the show, it was not long at all before he re-entered for a highly demanded encore. He opened up the encore set with “Commerce, TX,” a lively rock song from his first album “Sha Sha.” Next he yelled to the audience “Now it’s time for the Pearl Jam covers segment of the show,” which he and his band followed up with a hilarious and seemingly unplanned cover of Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy.” Finally it was time for the night to truly come to an end, seeming overwhelmed by the love and energy of the crowd, he thanked the audience once again and closed the show with the wonderfully catchy and energetic “Penny On the Train Track.”
As the crowd exited it seemed everyone’s expectations, including my own, were highly exceeded by the wonderful, personal and entertaining show Ben Kweller put on at the Paradise Rock Club Friday night.
By: Taylor Chumas