Ben LeRoy | Live @ the Grand

His show kicked off Friday night a dream 20 years in the making. It was nothing short of grand, set perfectly in Wilmington's Grand Opera House. Ben didn't quite sell out the crowd, however by best guess I would put the venue at about 2/3 full of a 1200 cap. It turns out the ticket proceeds all were donated to Delaware Autism and Light Up The Queen. 

Through two sets in a little under 2 hours, we wound through a mixture of classic covers and new originals. I would best describe his original music as a cross between Peter Gabriel and Cat Stevens, and even a hint of Steve Earle in some sense. Although Ben and his entire cast was musically talented I did feel the show was at times a little over the top. He kicked off his second set with solo violinist joined by a drum line entering from the back of the theatre, until he joined them all on stage with the rest of the band, we're talking like 18 or so people on stage. Directly after the audience was entertained with a pair of professional dancers occupying the typical spot of front row seats and an intricately matched light show.  Entertainment value aside, I prefer to cut right to the music, it's what brought me to the seat in the first place. 

I'll see if I can't find the set list and post that soon, in addition to a few photographs from the night.