Ben Harper Burns One Down at Bridges
By Nancy Hanna
Copy Editor

Claremont native Ben Harper's new CD, Diamonds on the Inside is coming out March 11, but on Saturday, March 1, he brought it home to his fans. From the beginning of the concert he appeared to be very comfortable on what is for him familiar turf. His act started unceremoniously. Bypassing the customary opening act, Harper simply walked on stage with his band, The Innocent Criminals composed of bassist, Juan Nelson, drummer Dean Butterworth, percussionist David Leach, and two unidentified persons, a rhythm guitarist and a keyboardist.

He opened his set with the as-yet unreleased "Brown-Eyed Blues." Throughout his performance he expressed his joy at being back home, mentioning both Pitzer's Grove House as well as Scripp's Motley as places he himself frequented and performed in as a resident of Claremont. Harper also let the audience know that his mother was in the audience, responding when an audience member shouted "You're hot!" with "that's a great thing to say with my mom right here."

As happy as Harper was to be home, the crowd was even more enthusiastic. The entire audience was on its feet from the beginning of the show, and filled the aisles until event security sent everyone back to their seats. But that did not stop people from dancing to favorites such as "Gold to Me" from their seats.

Older songs such as "Walk Away" and "Another Lonely Day" brought the audience into a more contemplative mood. "Roses From My Friends" resonated in particular with the second-semester seniors as Harper sang, "Why must a beginning be the means to an end / The stones from my enemy / These wounds will mend / But I cannot survive the roses from my friends." He pepped everyone back up, however, when he complied with the audience's repeated requests for "Burn One Down."

While the audience sung along to their favorites, the bulk of Harper's performance was made up of songs from his upcoming CD. While some songs such as "With My Own Two Hands" and "She's Only Happy In the Sun," had a familiar blues and reggae sound, "Temporary Remedy" had a harder sound that seemed to leave the audience at a loss of how to react, though the applause did not falter.

The audience was equally as excited to see The Innocent Criminals as they were to see Harper. The bassist Juan Nelson showcased his talents especially well, taking the opportunity to perform long solos that left even Harper himself visibly impressed. Not to be outdone, percussionist David Leach also made room for his own talents to be showcased, strapping a drum to his chest and taking center stage.

Later in the concert Harper even brought his mother on stage. As he introduced her, audience members greeted her by shouting "Thanks Mom" and "Good Job Mom." She sang a song along with Harper describing the plight of migrant farm workers in the United States.

Another noteworthy moment in the concert was when Harper took a moment to address the audience, asking that they disregard comments attributed to him in a recent Rolling Stone interview. He claimed he was misrepresented in the interview, saying, "You know, you trust people with your words and you trust that they will use them the right way," and expressed the possibility that he would no longer grant interviews, while assuring the audience that he trusted them, and he was only sharing this information with his hometown.

After his opening set Harper came back for two encores, leaving a well satisfied audience to make their way back home in the rain.According to his official website Harper will spend the rest of March as well as April in New Zealand and Australia, but will return to California to perform in Indio on April 26.