Fans of all ages and creeds gathered at The Gov on Friday night to hear Aussie legend Ben Lee. Evidently, Lee attracts a calmer crowd than some. The audience waited patiently for him to appear, murmuring with building excitement as they claimed prime vantage points.
They also welcomed the supporting acts, Adelaide’s own Banjo Jackson and saucy pop-princess Sahara Beck. Jackson played with passion in an indie-roots duo. Beck’s on-stage charm and varied musical styles, which included an enlivened cover of The Jungle Book’s “I Wanna Be Like You”, quickly charmed the audience.
Lee greeted the crowd as though meeting an old friend. He performed his first songs, “Ripe” and “I Am a Sunflower”, solo on his acoustic guitar. His cheerful manner was irresistible – taking a moment to say “Thanks, guys!” after every round of applause.
He soon welcomed his band onto the stage, performing “Begin” along with keyboard, base, and percussion. Lee entertained the audience in-between songs with his casual, charismatic drawl.
Other highlights included “Big Love”, “Cigarettes Will Kill You”, “No Right Angles”, “Forgiveness”, and “Happiness”. Lee repeated the chorus to “Happiness”, becoming faster and faster each time, sharing the joke with the audience.
He explained the origin behind his bittersweet song “Everybody Dies”, describing it as a product of intense parenting. When his daughter asked if she would die one day, his wife said no, though he wondered if they were just postponing a larger conversation. “Everybody Dies” was his unique answer to her question. His rendition was unabashed and moving.
While his band took a short break, Lee opened the stage to requests. When a young woman asked for the 2009 single “I Love Pop Music” he agreed, but admitted that he could not recall all the lyrics. He asked her to look them up, and invited her onto the stage to hold her phone as a makeshift music stand.
Saving his most beloved songs for last, he sang “Love Me Like the World is Ending” and “Catch My Disease” – changing the lyrics to “I was back stage at The Gov”.
Lee is the kind of artist who makes the audience his priority for the evening, who drinks from a water bottle and not a beer glass, and who signs every last CD after the show.
Review by Nicola Woolford.
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