Melanie’s v-day gift to me was for both of us to go see Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. I was so stoked that she was able to get tickets to such a great venue with an artist that would for sure rock the house.

The line was around the corner by the time we got in it. One good reason for getting actual tickets mailed to you (not printed from your computer) is that small venues like the El Rey apparently take longer to verify all the self-printed tickets. So, since we had actual tickets, we were sent to the front of the line and got in within 10 minutes of the doors opening. We got a few drinks and settled on a good spot on a step beside the the dance floor about 20 feet away from the stage. The crowd had a mellow vibe as everyone seemed to be anxious for the show to start. With no opening act, we waited over an hour for the show to start.

The guitar tech plugged in Ben’s lap slide guitar, strummed a few strings and walked off… this created a buzz, bouncing and floating around the room. Everyone knew it was set to go and began cheering. The band took the stage and Ben ran out and they broke into a few new songs from the upcoming new album. Overall, they played a great mix of old as well as new songs. I can’t wait to pick up the new CD next month to hear the new material again.

The audience was great and Ben and the band appeared to truly soak it in. At one point, Ben told the crowd that they were the best fans in the world. He made it a point to thank the crowd many times, and the crowd returned the love even more.

A decent opening set that included a reggae version of “Steal My Kisses” that smoothly segued into the Toots classic “Pressure Drop”. The first encore was Ben with an acoustic guitar. The place came to a hush and the crowd could be heard singing along on “Roses From My Friends”. I was thinking it was a short encore, but the audience was not about to let them go just yet. The entire band returned and played a second encore that could have been a live set on it’s own. A few songs in, Ben welcomed a friend to the stage… Marc Ford from The Black Crowes jammed with them for the remainder of the show. He played amazingly and made the night that much better.

The vibe was pure electricity for the whole show, but even more so for the last 6 or 7 songs. The band lined up to take their bows… but the crowd did not let up… they all went back to their instruments and played “With My Own Two Hands/War”. The crowd was in a frenzy at this point… the song even whipped Ben into frenzy and had him dancing his butt off … so much that he even fell on it.

Melanie and I both left the show feeling great and knowing that we had just experienced something awesome, and grateful that we got to see the show together. We’ve always like Ben’s music, but we are now forever in debt to him for giving us the best show ever. This was both of our first Ben Harper shows… and this will be the live show that all future live shows will be compared to for me… even future Ben Harper shows. I heard they were filming and recording audio for the show, so hopefully there will be some sort of live DVD in the works!

I took my Canon S70 point-n-shoot since there were no “professional” cameras allowed at the venue. I would’ve loved to have had my D70s and tele-zoom with me. Here are my choicest shots of the night…

Here’s a set list (which I found on the benharper.net forums)

Set I:
• Better Way
• Both Sides Of The Gun
• Engraved Invitation
• Homeless Child
• Forgiven
• Please Bleed
• Morning Yearning
• Waiting For You
• Happy Everafter In Your Eyes
• Reason To Mourn
• Black Rain
• Get It Like You Like It
• Steal My Kisses/Pressure Drop
• Serve Your Soul

Encore I:
• Another Lonely Day
• Roses From My Friends

Encore II:
• Gather ‘Round The Stone
• The Way You Found Me
• Wicked Man
• Dressed In Black
• Diamonds On The Inside
• Amen Omen
• Burn One Down
• Where Could I Go
• With My Own Two Hands/War