Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals & Jack Johnson

After an easy one-hour drive I said goodbye to eight dollars just to park my beat up 1986 Japanese truck at The Sleep Train Amphitheater, which was hosting Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals along with Jack Johnson. Of course I can't complain too much: gas would have eaten my eight bucks had the performance been held at Cal Expo as originally planned. Thanks should go to a militantly efficient parking crew that made coming and going a breeze.
Seeing Jack, I couldn't help but notice how ordinary looking he was; his hair cropped like he had shaved his head a month ago, his green T-shirt and comfortable fit jeans all said "I only need to impress myself." The young crowd, mostly 18- to 23-year-olds, mirrored Johnson normal appearance, with the exception of a smattering of hippies. There was two-fisted beer drinking at $6.50 a fist with occasional whiffs of herbal libations. Otherwise the crowd was either mesmerized or subdued.
Despite his guise, Johnson’s voice is anything but normal. He sings in a silky, smooth, sexy baritone that’s so relaxed it could lullaby a caffeine addict to sleep. Jack, accompanied by a bass player and drummer, opened up to screams and cheers of adoring, mostly female fans. His casual approach didn't hurt his charm. He began with "It's All Understood" and the audience warmed up even more to him as he played "Hold On If You Can." The highlights of his performance included a G-Love song where the DJ provided masterful record scratches to something about "Disco Radio Magic." He encored with an acoustic solo of "Slow Down Everyone" followed by Jimmy Buffet’s "A Pirate Looks at 40" and ending with "In Times Like These."
In a way, Jack is the modern day Nat King Cole. He croons and swoons. Although Jack’s relaxed, he's a strong performer. His only weakness is that his songs can sound somewhat monotonous, although his lyrics are good. I'd like to see him as surf champion again just as well.
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals is another story. Ben dressed up more for the audience with his 1970s western shirt and tight, flare-bottom slacks. He put the political in the context of the personal with his moving acoustic opener, "Oppression" with the line "Oppression you're gonna learn to fear me." The sound got super loud with a heartbeat drum beat and overdrive fuzz tone on the guitar as the band pounded out "Glory and Consequence." Harper did an excellent version of Marvin Gaye’s "Sexual Healing," while bass player Warren Nelson did a pounding solo during "Steal My Kisses." The crowd went wild as the band performed "Burn One Down" an ode to cannabis use. The djembe player deserves praise for his drumming during that song. During the finale they played a Wailer-esque version of “With My Own Two Hands” that segued into Bob Marley’s "War." Harper spun around the stage twirling with his guitar until he tripped over the monitors in front of him. He reappeared for an acoustic encore of "Another Lonely Day," "When It's Good," "Blessed to be over a Witness," and ended with a version of "Faded / Whole Lotta Love." Harper’s fall from stage just made him more real to me and the audience.
The Innocent Criminals earned some love that night as well. Ben Harper’s band is tight and spontaneous enough to respond to Ben's many moods and tempo shifts. Having no current radio or video hits, it's amazing to consider the faithful following that Ben Harper has generated for nearly 10 years. Ben Harper has earned his success every inch of the way.
– words by Kozmic Kev
– photo by Teresa Ensslin

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