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Ben Harper on Tour
Ben Harper first graced the stage at age 12 and has never looked back. In the ‘90s, he took to the jam-band circuit, touring alongside big names like Dave Matthews Band, but soon grew a much wider audience with his poignant folk ballads, bluesy acoustic pop jams, fiery political anthems and moving covers of everyone from Led Zeppelin to Leonard Cohen. Since, he's proven just as dynamic alone with a guitar as he is alongside any one of his many friends and collaborators, like Jack Johnson, the Blind Boys of Alabama and his longtime backing band the Innocent Criminals. He's toured relentlessly over the years, performing in spots as far-flung as French Polynesia and across Africa, along with numerous festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Ben Harper in Concert
Ben Harper has long been a potent voice for both freedom and feel-good music. The California-born singer-songwriter was inspired to pick up a guitar at a young age, after spending time at The Folk Music Center and Museum (founded by his grandparents), and attending life-changing shows by artists like Bob Marley. He began performing on his own at age 12 and spent his teen years crafting his sound on the slide guitar, before signing with Virgin Records in 1992. Harper's debut album, Welcome to the Cruel World, came out in 1994. He's been incredibly prolific since, following up with politically charged sets like 1995's Fight for Your Mind and catchy, beatboxing hits like 2000 single "Steal My Kisses." Over the years, Harper has never sat still, experimenting with fascinating fusions of folk, blues, rock, reggae and gospel, and proving himself a consummate collaborator, too. Just take a look at his impressive streak throughout the 21st century: He's collaborated with gospel greats Blind Boys of Alabama for 2004's There Will Be a Light; backup band the Innocent Criminals on albums like 2006's Both Sides of the Gun, 2007's Lifeline and 2016's Call It What It Is; rock group Relentless7 on 2009's White Lies for Dark Times; blues legend Charlie Musselwhite for 2013's Grammy-winning Get Up! and 2018's No Mercy in This Land; and even his own mother — the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ellen Harper — on 2014's Childhood Home. With all that under his belt, there's no way he's stopping anytime soon. His ambitiousness, as both a musician and activist, continues to be an inspiration.
I Loved the performance of Ben. I wish he would have played my favorite songs. I only rated this even 2 stars due to it being indoors. all the drunk people falling all over you and people making so smokey you could barley see ben.
Awesome...best concert of the year!!Totally worth the money..
I didn't know what to expect when going to the show and I was absolutely impressed with his talent. He's an amazing & diverse musician and he & his band kept the experience very intimate and energetic.
Amazing! Great venue, and Ben Harper's music is best described as soulful- he is an incredible artist and knows how to put on a great show. I continue to be impressed by him and his versatility.
BEN HARPER seemingly hasn't played the BAY AREA recently but hopefully with a sell-out show at the historic Warfield and the enthusiastic greeting and response he got from an audience who loved every minute, Ben will visit us a little more often. While showcasing his brilliant music-making and soothing mellow voice, Ben Harper is a pure gift. He showed his love to his audience throughout the lengthy generous show and the audience showed their love back. Backed by an energetic band, Ben Harper played old and tried out a few new songs. Hopefully, BEN HARPER will be back in the Bay Area very very soon for us all to enjoy.
Aside from the smokers, Ben and band were friggin' BEASTS!!
I have seen Ben five times. Each time is different and awesome! Ben is truly a gifted performer. It was my fiance's first time seeing Ben and her first concert with me. She was smiling the whole time! I am sure we will see Ben again!
first BH concert - great mix, his acoustics were the best of all
I am grateful to have had many opportunities to see Ben Harper live and each time is beyond an experience! He is ever evolving as an entertainer and without question, always challenging himself to bring 1000% to each show. His talent is untold and will forever make my sole dance.
Let me begin by saying that I am a real fan of BH, owning almost all his records, some counting among my favorite albums. It pains me to give him such a poor review but for the sake of honesty here we go ... We went to his show yesterday evening at the Warfield in SF and were treated to a confusing and schizophrenic diet of surprising covers ("I am on fire" from the Boss as opening song ... not sure what the point was?), botched versions of his rock songs (Wasted for instance, with a super boring and noisily indulgent distortion solo), individual musicians solos (5 long minutes of super heavy handed drumming complete indulgence!), and kind of nice but somewhat indifferent solo renditions of some his classic mellower tunes (Walk away, ... ). The sound balance was crude and poor, the drums overpowering everything else (this drummer should take on some kind of sports to absorb some his unwanted energy), the guitars sounds heavily distorted and lost in the mix, ... (Let's not even mention the opening act, which was the usual atrocious experience) Ben was his usual smiling and congenial self but frankly also a bit cheesy in his praise of the public and of SF ("you're the coolest town in the US" ... really?), but of course the audience was totally thrilled with him, no matter how poorly the music was coming across and doing disservice to the incredible songs of this uniquely talented musician. This is the third time I am seeing Ben live in SF, and the third time I am really disappointed. The previous time was a few years ago, he was playing with this awful band Relentless 7 in Oakland, and it was such a waste we had to leave after 1 hour (I suspect some of the same Relentless 7 guys were again on stage with him yesterday ... grrrrr!), and the time prior to this was an indifferent show at the Paramount theater, where the public (specially its female side!) was wild with appreciation and Ben was just crooning and bathing in the praise rather than making real music. It may be that the best thing real fans of Ben can do for him and for themselves is to give him a bit of tough love, so he starts again focusing on musicianship and authenticity rather than trying to please everyone and perhaps himself? Just a thought ... In any case, I am done with his shows until his records show a different and real turn for the good ... so long Ben, I still love you of course but will abstain for the foreseeable future!
3 and 1/2 hours of Ben Harper. It was awesome. The opening bad was great too.
Ben Harper put on an incredible performance! That said, I would definitely see him again. However, I doubt that I will ever see a show at the Ogden again. It was probably over 100 degrees at the venue, which I can deal with. The crowd was rude, perhaps because of the heat, I don't know. I was literally pushed down to the floor by people. Mind you, I walk with a cane and therefore slowly, but there was no excuse for the people spilling drinks on my wheel chair ridden friend or pushing me to the ground. I found myself hard put to believe this crowd was actually here to see Ben Harper. I've seen friendlier mosh pits!
Ben Harper and the boys balanced old material, new songs, great cover and responding to the energy of the crowd for the most heartfelt, sincerely responsive concert I have ever attended. The band, the crowd, the music, all working together harmoniously, it was a truly epic concert that I am sure all in attendance will remember,
This was by far one of the best show i have ever been too. Ben was sooo amazing as well as his incredible band. The best part by far was seeing how humble and appreciative he was of his fans. To see someone that can sell out a show in minutes be still so thankful us was priceless. if you have the opportunity to see him on this tour it is a must!
When I've seen Ben in the past, he was touring with the Innocent Criminals. I wondered what his solo tour would bring. He played a great set list of acoustic and band supported songs. He played a great variety of new and old tunes and his energy was fantastic! He's a great performer.
Almost three hours - flawless set list, 2 encores and a great night.
Great music but they played lots of slow songs that didn't keep the crowds attention. Also, they didn't have the sound adjusted very well so I could barely hear the vocals.
Solos were pretty good. Other songs were good, too, but the band dynamics were plain strange. I thought the bass player was going to lose it - think he may have had equipment trouble? He was definately unhappy. The opener band rocked!
Amazing energy for a 2.5 hour double-encore full-throttle show.
This was one of the best shows that I have ever seen. I am usually a pretty hard critic about concerts, but this show blew my mind. The lighting wasn't much to be talked about, but the music was unbelievable. Much better than when I saw him at Red Rocks.
