It crossed our minds that his set, the entirety of which he performed without anyone else onstage, was something of a risky endeavor, especially set between two full bands. But Kweller pulled it off without a hitch.
At least to our ears. He wasn't so easy on himself, though.
"Sorry I'm singing like shit tonight," he said after performing three or four songs on the piano. "I ate a bunch of burritos right before the show. And you should never eat right before you sing."
The crowd disagreed, cheering him on at the top of their lungs as he put his guitar back on.
He had the pipes, the skill and enough intellectual, emotion-rousing lyrics to keep the attention of audience members for the whole set.
The crowd, sparse though it may have been, ate it all up and seemed eager for an encore. Unfortunately, Kweller didn't deliver; we assume because he wasn't the headlining act.
Even without an encore, he successfully stole the show away from two other talented groups... and he did it all by himself.
Personal Bias: None. We just happy that today is Friday. We so excited.
The Crowd: Sparse, but lively and enthusiastic.
Overheard In the Crowd: More cheers for Ben Kweller than for Pete Yorn. We told you he stole the show.
Random Notebook Dump: The eligible bachelors of Houston would have done themselves a favor by attending Thursday's show, where the ratio of men to women couldn't have been more than one to five.
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