Live Review: Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite

Ben Harper and legendary blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite treated Adelaide fans to their inspiring union of styles Saturday night at Thebarton Theatre. With the set's tone meandering from whiskey-lilted rhythm and blues to emotive solos, the crowd was in favour of variance; responding with let-loose boogie sessions, palpable silence and, occasionally, heckling.

Harper and Musselwhite however, were amused and warmed by the commentary of the audience and often instigated it.

Sharing, "I feel a lot of love in this room!", Harper went on to direct the crowd to further share their admiration with his bandmates, egging them on and instructing, "Say, 'I love you Jason!'" — referring to unfathomably talented lead guitarist Jason Mozersky (who demonstrated his skills on at least six different guitars).

Jimmy Paxson, the impressively-haired drummer, also deserved his own 'I love you'. This was in particular for his percussion solo during No Mercy In This Land. His rhythmic aptitude inspired a number of crowd members to leave their seats and join the dance party that had accumulated along the walls of the venue.

Last to receive the professed love of the audience, bass player Jesse Ingalls was frankly devastating throughout his performance. Richly versatile and distinctive bass lines anchored the folk and blues combination, most notably in Get Up!, in which the bass could only be described as duuurrrrrty. So good.

Of course, Harper and Musselwhite were the main event and the chemistry between these unlikely collaborators was infectious. The duo worked together throughout the set, each taking their supportive roles as seriously as their solos.

The double headlining act may have come as a surprise to some Ben Harper fans in attendance, however. The set was distinct in its exclusion of well-known songs from Harper's back catalogue, with the sole focus being their reiteration of southern blues and the mystic poetry of folk.

With many a song conjuring up images of ice-tea afternoons by the bayou, there were just enough up-tempo numbers to keep the energy of the night elevated. Indeed, just enough to frustrate some that it was a seated event.

Fortunately, Harper encouraged the audience to get up for the old-timey rock and blues number Movin' On. Obliging without hesitation, every seat was vacated, and punters delivered some belligerent, full-throttle hoe-down dancing. Musselwhite's unholy pipes and harmonica whistles added a dimension of authenticity not often heard in today's musical landscape.

Although almost every song proved to be a crowd-favourite, it was the moving encore which seemingly most impacted the audience.

Following a southern rock-style cover of John Lennon's Yer Blues, the duo exchanged the tone of the evening for one more stirring and sobering at the final encore. Inserting a rather long set break, Harper waited for the crowd to settle down before assuming the front of the stage, free of a microphone as a warm floodlight cast shadows down his face. Singing the first few bars of All That Matters Now a cappella, he singularly captivated the entire room, delivering an arrestingly heartfelt goodbye to the audience.

Overall, the Grammy-nominated artists demonstrated a performance that was true, gritty and memorable for years to come.