Monday, June 23, 2003

Kid Koala, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals (06.22.03)

the Band: Kid Koala, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
the Date: Sunday June 22, 2003
the Venue: Bull Run Regional Park (Centreville, VA)


(Photo credit to ravendave and his flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/ravendave/)

Kid Koala opened the show. I totally missed that performance. Oops. I arrived just before Jack Johnson came on stage. He was the co-headliner and the performer that drew me to the show. This Hawaiian-born, surfer-musician was great. Laid back, chill … just enough hippie-jam band to make me dance in a field in the middle of the Northern Virginia countryside. The setlist was a great mix of tunes from both Brushfire Fairytales and On and On. My favorites were Times Like These, Flake, and Bubble Toes (with Marley’s Stir It Up mixed in).

(Photo credit to Ben Harper’s website)

Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals were the main attraction. Ben Harper is the California-born singer-songwriter who helped Jack Johnson get his start. Mr. Harper and the Innocent Criminals, made up of Juan Nelson, Leon Mobley, Oliver Charles, Jason Yates, and Nicky P., were AMAZING! I really didn’t know much about Ben Harper, but this show made me an instant fan. I even picked up my first few Ben Harper CDs at the merch table. Ben and the gang played selections from their recent album, Diamonds on the Inside, as well as tunes from their previous material. My personal favorites were Excuse Me Mr., Burn One Down, Diamonds On the Inside and of course Faded (with Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love mixed in). Absolutely unbelievable show!

Full setlist for Jack Johnson: Times Like These / Plastic Jesus – Fall Line / Cupid / We’re Going To Be Friends / Losing Hope / A Pirate Looks at 40 (Jimmy Buffett cover) / It’s All Understood / Drink the Water / Mediocre Bad Guys / Sexi Plexi / Middle Man / Posters / Poor Taylor / Tomorrow Morning / Bubble Toes – Stir It Up (Bob Marley cover) – Bubble Toes / Wasting Time / Further On Down the Road – Ramble On (Led Zeppelin cover) – Further On Down the Road / Flake / The Horizon Has Been Defeated / Holes to Heaven / Trenchtown Rock (Bob Marley cover) – Garden Grove / Inaudible Melodies / Mudfootball / Rodeo Clowns

Full setlist for Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals: Bring on the Funk / Excuse Me Mr. / Brown Eyed Blues / Temporary Remedy / Ground On Down / Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye cover) / The Woman In You / Steal My Kisses / Diamonds on the Inside / So High So Low / Burn One Down / With My Own Two Hands – War (Bob Marley cover) / ENCORE 1 / Walk Away / Waiting on an Angel / I Shall Not Walk Alone / High Tide or Low Tide (w/Jack Johnson) / ENCORE 2 / Faded – Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover)

‘Cause I’m gonna burn one down . . .