Ben Harper Covers Led Zeppelin at Toronto's Virgin Festival

Brand new band, same old Ben Harper.

For a moment at the beginning of his headlining set on the first day of Toronto's Virgin Festival with the recently formed Relentless7, Harper seemed to have adopted a more stoic stage presence, standing nearly still and expressionless in front of the microphone. But that didn't last long as the slightly diminished crowd pushed him to belt it out like they knew he could.

Relentless7 have gained some fans with their high-octane covers of Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' and Queen's 'Under Pressure,' but the most well-received tune of the evening was Harper's own 'Another Lonely Day.' A fan favourite that's likely been on every one of his setlists since he first recorded it, it sounded almost unrecognizable with its usual acoustic arrangement punched up with the backing of his band. The audience didn't react to the song immediately, but once Harper sang the first line they went wild.
The rest of the set was at times both raucous and reflective, with Harper alternating between standing at the mic armed with a blond Fender Telecaster and sitting down with his trademark Weissenborn slide guitar. Each band member showed viruosity, but at times Harper got lost in an extended jam. Those who stayed 'til the end were treated to a roof-raising rendition of 'Immigrant Song.'

Harper has a special relationship with Toronto. Back in 2006, while in town with the Innocent Criminals at the Molson Amphitheatre, a tropical storm whipped through the outdoor venue, bringing heavy winds and torrential rain. Despite the hellish conditions, every corner of the venue was packed and rocking. To this day, he maintains that particular show is one of his most memorable ever.

Saturday night's set saw no such storm, but Harper was just a fiery as always.