CLICK HERE FOR MORE ONE LOVE CALI REGGAE FEST 2018 COVERAGE!
LONG BEACH, CA- Another artist who isn’t per-se reggae but had a featured slot as a headlining artist for One Love was Ben Harper. Ben Harper’s music tends to float in the blues/indie/jam/gospel rock genres, but that doesn’t mean that his soul isn’t filled with the essence of reggae. You can feel that essence on some of his popular cuts like “Burn One Down”- a stoner anthem that everyone and their momma loves- and “Oppression” (both tracks come from his third studio album “Fight For Your Mind”), on tracks that he himself categorizes as reggae (“Jah Work”, “Wicked Man” and “You Can’t Blame The Youth”) and on some collaborations with legit stars of the reggae industry like Stephen Marley for “Inna Di Red”). Clearly, Ben Harper loves reggae … and reggae loves him back.
As he took the stage with his Innocent Criminals, the One Love crowd gave him a thunderous applause.
While there is a dearth of reggae music that speaks to the notion of enjoying oneself, many recording artists use reggae music to speak their minds about social inequalities and political unrest. Bob Marley is probably the most famous reggae artist who used the art form as means to protest. Ben Harper’s music is just as socially and politically consious.
When the opening notes of “Oppression” started playing, I immediately got the sense that Ben’s set would be heavy with powerful messaging. He gave the stoner fans what they wanted by playing “Burn One Down” next, but the balance of his performance really carried heavier themes. The gravity of the performance and the messaging stepped up front and center when Ben performed “Call It What It Is” (a song shining light on police brutality), and really put the selection of songs he chose to perform that day in context.
His setlist told a story. Just reading the list now, after the fact, you don’t even have to know what the lyrics of each song are to feel the message. Ben masterfully crafted a setlist where the titles alone convey the overall sentiment he was trying to evoke and that is that there is a way through the darkness and we’ve got to… and can… get through it ourselves. Pretty powerful stuff. Very amazing performance.
Follow Ben Harper on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ONE LOVE CALI REGGAE FEST 2018 COVERAGE!
LIVE CLIPS
Ben Harper at One Love Cali Reggae Fest 2/11/18. Thoughts and photos coming to @BlurredCulture. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/mgMhImbMLM
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) February 28, 2018
Ben Harper at One Love Cali Reggae Fest 2/11/18. Thoughts and photos coming to @BlurredCulture. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/JapNPHcP3e
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) February 28, 2018
Ben Harper at One Love Cali Reggae Fest 2/11/18. Thoughts and photos coming to @BlurredCulture. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/Lv323miGw7
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) February 28, 2018
Ben Harper at One Love Cali Reggae Fest 2/11/18. Thoughts and photos coming to @BlurredCulture. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/lEnGFK92du
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) February 28, 2018
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