Kweller warmed up freezing crowd

By Carolina Astrain

Published Feb. 13, 2007

Outside the wooden and tin structure of Mojo's, cars lined the street in 14-degree weather. A line of fans also accumulated and was not allowed to enter until 7:41 p.m. — 41 minutes after the designated door time inked on the $18 tickets.

The crowd consisted of a premature adults with spots of teenage scenesters here and there.

Stepping into the little girl's room, I overheard three girls talking about how excited they were about seeing their friend's band, Amsterband.

Amsterband, which hails from Springfield, opened with the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights," a popular cover choice of late, and roused a sing-along, good feeling from the frozen-toed crowd.

After playing its signature "St. Nick," the band divided the crowd and asked the middle line to raise their hands up in a tee-pee fashion, creating a type of mohawked pit.

Lead singer Brian Roberts lead the chorus as the divided crowd yelled, "MIZ-ZOU," in lament of the men's basketball team's recent loss to Kansas.

"I hate Kansas," Roberts said.

Having won over the crowd, Amsterband left the stage as a successful opening act.

Finally, at 9:20, Ben Kweller, along with his bassist Chris Morriessy and drummer Mark Stepro, donned the stage and opened with "Walk On Me."

Kweller, lankier and more towering in the flesh and sporting cowboy boots and gray velvet bellbottoms, swung to and fro with his microphone stand and stomped his feet.

Kweller introduced his band mates and proceeded to play crowd favorites.

Before "Sundress," Kweller asked for a guitar switch and took three tequila shots.

The crowd reached its loudest as he and his band members toasted to tyranny. After a refreshing drink, Kweller unleashed an impromptu rap that had the crowd giggling and smiling.

Affectionate faces of fans sang along intimately with Kweller, made possible by the cozy confines of Mojo's, which allows close interaction with the talent.

Toward the end of his set, a black bra was flung onto Ben's shoulder, which elicited a smile from the performer.

An encore called Kweller back onto stage, and he played "Thirteen" from his recently released self-titled album. He stumbled a bit and apologized as he paused, trying to recall his nostalgia-filled lyrics. He bridged the middle of the chorus with his harmonica.

Morriessy and Stepro reunited with Kweller onstage afterward, and the three unleashed "Penny on a Train" before ending the night with fan favorite "Wasted and Ready."