<p><em>The always adorable Ben Kweller is doing a three night stand in Brooklyn this week, performing all of his albums in full. We sent mega-fan and co-worker Mary Toto out last night to get the scoop.</em></p> <p>We were lucky enough to get into <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/kweller_ben/artist.jhtml">Ben Kweller’s</a> sold-out show at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.spsounds.com/">Southpaw</a> last night, the first of three nights he’s doing at the Brooklyn venue, followed by a nationwide tour. There’s a catch with the New York shows- each night he’s playing a differend album in full. Last night’s show covered his debut, <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sha-Ben-Kweller/dp/B000060P7P/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-0437371-4660749?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1185897868&sr=8-2">Sha Sha</a></em>.</p> <p><img src="http://www.subterraneanblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/kweller-008.JPG" alt="Ben Kweller Southpaw 1" ></p> <p>First things first, someone at the venue (we’re not pointing any fingers but it must’ve been <em>someone’s</em> job!) “forgot” to turn on the air conditioner. When we arrived to the packed venue, our first instict was to run for the hills because we thought we were going to melt. But then we thought about it some more and decided to stay, and we’re very glad we did. After all, who doesn’t love the Kwell? (Don’t actually answer that, ya haters!)</p> <p>Upon entering the show each fan was given a “Commemorative Lyric Book” to use to sing along with, although given the circumstances we thought this worked better as a fan. Starting off the night right with some friendly sarcasm that rang true throughout the whole set, Ben greeted fans with a brief “Welcome to the Behind the Music of Ben Kweller” speech and got right down to it. He played the first few songs in the order they are on the album but then changed it up mid-set. We appreciated this because it kept us guessing. Belting out classics like “Commerce, TX,” we felt ourselves bopping along to the beat even though we told ourselves we wouldn’t because that would just make us hotter. And of course, after hearing all of <em>Sha Sha</em>, the Ben delivered an amazing three-song encore, including the classic “Sundress” his latest feel-good single “Penny On Train Track”.</p> <p><img src="http://www.subterraneanblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/kweller-009.JPG" alt="Ben Kweller Southpaw 2" ></p> <p>So why do we love BK so much? We decided it’s not just the music, but the personalized touches he puts on everything. From the “Commemorative Lyrics Book” to the red <em>Sha Sha</em> box that was filled with treats for his Ben-hungry fans, the show felt like more of a house warming party than a concert. Kweller told us that he went so far as to dig through his old Tupperware to find the very same thermal shirt that he’s wearing on the cover. Talk about dedication! Plus, who wouldn’t want the chance to grab a brand new red toothbrush from their <i>Sha Sha</i> box?</p> <p><embed src="http://www.mtv.com/player/embed/wp/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" FlashVars="CONFIG_URL=http://www.mtv.com/player/embed/wp/configuration.jhtml%3fvid=59017&allowFullScreen=true" width="400" height="330" AllowScriptAccess="never" base="." ></p>