My wife and I drove two hours to get to the legendary Troubadour club last Saturday night to catch a performance by Brendan Benson, an artist that I had recently discovered through my son. Although I certainly admired Benson's formidable talents as a songwriter and powerpop craftsman, I was unsure how he would deliver in a live setting.
Well, the show simply rocked. Backed by a pretty tight three-piece band, Benson rocketed through about an hour and a half of his best material, including a number of tunes from his stellar 2009 album, "My Old, Familiar Friend."
In the end, I was amazed that this guy is still playing clubs. An artist of this caliber deserves much more recognition than he is getting right now. I guess that's the fate of a true artist who happened to hit his stride in the era of R&B, Rap and Hip-Hop, Sad.
Benson and Band only have a couple of US dates left before heading over to Europe. Try to catch the show if you can. If there was any justice in the world, it would be your last chance to see him in a club setting again.
If you can't make the show - pick up one of his CD's - you will be impressed.