Ben Kweller at the 9:30
Dan, Amanda and I arrived at the 9:30 about ten minutes after The Kings of Leon began their set, and we kind of wandered around the venue a bit. I was not overly impressed with the band: think mullet death metal.
Afterward, we took our place about twenty feet from the stage, and waited for Adam Green to begin his set. He did at almost exactly 9 PM, and I basically stood around for the next thirty minutes with my mouth agape. I liked him at first, but all of his arrangements are simple and similar, and once I got over the shock value of the lyrics, I realized that it wasn't anything really special. More like performance art, where you don't know whether to laugh or cringe, than anything else.
Ben Kweller took the stage shortly after 10 PM, opening with a very straight Wasted and Ready. The next 45 minutes was, for all intents and purposes, the equivalent of putting "Sha Sha" on shuffle at a volume of 11. After that, seemingly running out of songs, they kicked up some newer (at least, to me), previously unheard stuff that I really dug.
All told, the show couldn't have been longer than 75 minutes. Combining the length of the show and the fairly straight-ahead arrangements, I wasn't overly impressed with Ben's live act. Admittedly, he's only got one LP out and is (I'm sure) working on new material. Just the same, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed after he finished with No Reason (I was just thankful that he didn't finish with In Other Words, which I sensed).
I don't mean to imply that I didn't enjoy myself: Ben Kweller writes fun music, and fun was had by all. The live act left a little to be desired, though. Of course, Ben just turned 21 "last June," so he's certainly got time. In any case, he's obviously talented and has a solid stage presence, so I'll be looking forward to his next tour.
April 18, 2003 - 09:52 AM