Concert Review: Ben Kweller Gives A Rock N’ Roll Rom- Com To BK Steel

Ben Kweller gave a set to Brooklyn Steel that felt like rock n’ roll version of a rom-com. The songwriter creates tracks that sing to the quirkier people of this world finding love, of which who has not wanted “someone” to think their craziness is genius. With that in mind, his set was filled with “rock n’ roll” hand signs and passionate sing alongs.

First, I have to say that Ben Kweller is one of the sweetest people on earth. He was kind to everyone he met: from behind the scenes to at the merch table. That kindness emanated in the good-natured verses of song such as, “You Can’t Hold Me Down,” “Falling,” and “Starz.” His voice emanated like a folk troubadour roaming through Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens as if it was Stars Hollow. He makes verses that allow his voice to wind through them with a lavendered approach. Even his “darkest” or most emotionally wrought songs can’t help like the new “Heart Attack Kid” or “Mean To Me” remain affable, melodic odes to believing that you deserve “better” in life and love. 

The undercurrent of optimism in Kweller’s tracks feel symbolic to who he is as a person. He bashes around the stage like a kid playing guitar in his bedroom to an invisible, mass stadium. That aloof giddiness is charming to the crowd because, to them, he is the poet they wish they could be. While we all observe life, not all of us can create the melodies and linking words that represent both our hurt and hope for tomorrow. From “Penny On The Train Track” to “Sundress,” Ben Kweller did, and he headbanged and happily swung his guitar while doing so.

Ultimately, Ben Kweller felt like the sonic, love child of Tom Petty’s music and Meg Ryan’s films. His songs reel with the images of eccentric persons that, as individuals, struggle to see their worth, but then they find “their one” and no longer do. I know I am supposed to say that, “You don’t need anyone to tell you your worth” because you do not. Yet, how you love and who you are loved by is a measurer of your person, and Ben Kweller has the music to prove it. For More Information On Ben Kweller Click Here.