Sunday morning we woke up to more rain after what had been an already soggy, but delightful, weekend of live music in the Blue Ridge mountains. We opted to drive south and east to Myrtle Vegas for Ben Harper at House of Blues. Mainly to see our friend, Evil Vince, Ben’s merchandise manager and official tour photographer.
photo courtesy of Evil Vince
We entered our private box on the side stage, and inside we were pleasantly surprised to greet Kate Newcomer, another friend from Chicago and one who, like us, recently migrated to the Carolinas. Thanks to Evil’s generosity we were given the VIP treatment?–hang time on the bus, introductions to Ben and Leon Mobley, backstage beers, after show access and free admission. Even I can like the House of Rules when the carpet is rolled out to that extent.
The show was one of Ben’s better performances (that I’ve witnessed). The first set featured an irie Steal My Kisses/Pressure Drop closer and the second encore ended with Ain’t Too Proud To Beg > With My Own Two Hands/War. During War, Ben did a Bob Marley spin that would have dizzied the best of us. He also lept from the top of an amp over the keyboards to the front of the stage. He’s quite athletic.