Ben Lee Returns to HG
This is what a scared American looks like.
No, that's not a still from Brokeback Mountain. That kooky young man taking David Hasselhoff's lips hostage is none other than Australian indie pop rocker Ben Lee. He is returning to Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont tonight. Canadian duo Madisen will open the show. Lee opened for Aimee Mann last year, and played a gig at Club Metrome in downtown Burlington a year before that.
Glad to have you back Ben, but don't get any ideas.
See comments for my review of the show.
posted by Logan @ 6:15 PM
1 Comments:
While comedian John Valby (aka "Dr. Dirty") held court in the main ballroom, Ben Lee entertained his faithful with folk-pop gems and his own brand of witty banter.
I nicknamed the opening act Clearly Canadian as I was at first unable to recall the name of the Vancouver based male/female duo -- it's Madisen. But Clearly Canadian about sums up their sound: clean, crisp, and probably not going to be stocked in that many stores at this juncture.
Ben was introduced by a couple of DJs from WNCS, the station that backed the show. They mentioned that he was due to play to 90,000 people at the Commonwealth Games in his native Australia at the end of the month. When Ben came out he commented wryly that he always strives to rock every venue like he's playing to a packed arena. He also said his goal was to make everyone feel less cool than when they walked with a number of call and response sing-a-longs. He did not disappoint on either front.
After surviving a brush with "death by flower arrangement," 27 year old Lee and red-headed keyboardist/percussionist Lara Meyerratken launched into a charming set of old and new tunes. Missing were songs about sex, like "Apple Candy" and "Get Gotten" off the new record, which Ben had included in the set when opening for Aimee Mann. Perhaps this was appropriate since, as Ben pointed out himself, there were parents and kids in the crowd and he aimed to play for everyone. Instead, he dusted off some older songs from his teenage years including the angsty "End Of The World" from his second solo album and a now grown up rendition of "My Guitar" from his first (with the crowd helping out on background vocals).
Songs played from the new album included "Into The Dark," "Gamble Everything For Love," "No Right Angles," and "Close I've Come" (not sure about that last one). Ben joked that while his latest record Awake Is The New Sleep was still going strong a year after its release, he felt that if he'd taken a page out of Kid Rock's book and included prophetic lyrics like "I'm going platinum" it may have met with even greater success.
"Cigarettes Will Kill You" from 1998's Breathing Tornados also made the list, along with a new song called "Sand" co-written with former Frente! lead singer Angie Hart (will have to look out for that one).
Ben had a funny story about another song off the new record, "The Debt Collectors." With his next stop being Toronto, he was reminded of the dream that inspired the song. He said he'd dreamed that alt-folk singer Connor Oburst (aka Bright Eyes) had hidden drugs in his luggage which caused him some anxiety crossing the Canadian border, leaving him feeling "backed into a Connor" (insert rimshot here).
As if in response to my very own blog entry, Ben told the story behind the picture of him smooching "The 'Hoff." Ben was at the Australian equivalent of the Grammys. Despite managing to snag several awards, he was doubtful that he'd win for Single of the Year and told a bandmate of his that if he won he'd kiss presenter David Hasselhoff right on the lips. Low and behold he won and made good on his promise. Suffice it to say that Ben did not receive any phone calls from David after the incident.
Bucking normal "rock 'n' roll etiquette," rather than leave the stage for two minutes and coming back for the encore, Ben and Lara simply turned their backs to the crowd and encouraged everyone to cheer loudly. Ben felt the emotional release would do everyone some good. He also suggested to turn to the person next to you and ask "do you think they're coming back" to complete the illusion. After soaking up the requisite applause with their backsides, Ben and Lara faced the crowd once again and played clap-along single "Catch My Disease."
In spontaneous Pied Piper fashion, Ben parted the crowd and made his away to the back of the lounge where he stood atop the bar for one last number. Sans mic, he led everyone in a Cum-Ba-Ya-like rendition of "We're All In This Together" (his next single).
The very approachable Lee signed autographs at the merch table after the show. He signed my ticket stub and I chatted with him briefly about a moment during the show when he'd had a girl come up on stage and hold up lyrics he'd printed off the "InterWeb" for a forgotten song that had been requested by a friend. I'd witnessed a similar occurance at an Evan Dando gig a couple years back when Evan needed some help with a song called "Hard Drive" which had been written for him by none other than Ben Lee. Ben said he'd had trouble remembering all the words to that one too.
All in all a great show at the intimate Showcase Lounge. Good luck to Ben and 90,000 people who are about to become a little less cool and thankful for it.
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