It was a warm evening and a magical experience seeing the infamous Ben Lee; an Aussie who makes us all proud.

I managed to experience four songs from Wons Phreely, the first of Ben Lee’s supports. He captivated the audience with some edgy effects combined with his acoustic guitar sounds. The songs went down well with the 300-odd audience.

Australian Idol star Lisa Mitchell came on by my second beer and she left the audience wanting more. I felt both support acts were let down by minimal volume levels as numbers grew in the audience; a major disappointment. However, they performed very well for those positioned up the front. Lisa Mitchell just oozed appeal from the first song and the innocence of her songs kept the room buzzing. She had real depth in her voice – her songs exuded moments of joy and memorable lyrics. She also surprised the audience by later joining Ben Lee on stage for a duet that he recorded with Mandy Moore. Her musicianship was excellent and original as was her acoustic guitar skills. Lisa Mitchell is a talent to watch for years to come.

After coming back from an extensive tour of America and on the commencement of his Australian one, Ben Lee showed no signs of jet lag. He graced the stage like he owned it and entertained the 1000 or so crowd with some tales and jokes throughout the night, in between his popular repertoire. He came on stage wearing a striking gold jacket, to which he later revealed “[cost] around $800 with $300 worth of plastic buttons”.

Ben Lee was definitely on fire as he started the set with a solo intro of acoustic guitar, his voice influencing the crowd to sing within the first minute. This is a sign of the ultimate genius in any performer these days.

During the second song ‘American Television’, the rest of the band appeared (except for the drummer and the bass player). There were some subtle contemporary keyboards on this track with an off-beat guitar rhythm, an even mix and strong harmonies from the full trio. This song is also currently featured on Ben Lee’s MySpace and coaxed the audience into singing and bopping along.

The third track was awesome, exhibiting in depth harmonies and an array of mixed guitar sounds, not to mention a crack about a recent appearance on “Channel 7’s Getaway” which had the audience in stitches. A commendable guitar solo by lead guitarist George also featured.

Ben Lee played his current release ‘Love Me like the World is Ending’, embodying the strong message “we’re in the deep end Melbourne and this is where it matters”. He showed much respect for the musicians as well as the live audience, indicative from the audience’s positive responses throughout the night.

Ben Lee is at the peak of his career and he showed us that he has more left in him for years to come. ‘Gamble Everything for Love was a highlight with subtle keys, clear vocals and harmonies, partnered by an off beat feel guitar rhythm. Unfortunately, there were no drums or bass here which possibly had a few people in the audience trying their best to clap in time. At times, this was especially frustrating for a traditional band listener when the back beat means everything. However, Ben Lee later had people clapping in the aisles and the audience became the drum. There were hints of drum machine / percussive programming in the background which filled the void as did the playing of bass end notes on the lead guitar.

Ben Lee also played more familiar tunes from his current album like ‘Numb’ and smash hit ‘Catch my Disease’. Most importantly, Ben Lee entertained throughout the night. He showed great showmanship and a huge respect for his audience and musicians on stage, from the first song he strummed his pint-sized acoustic to the last song. He warmed the crowd with some comical discussions and continually involved the 20-50 year old crowd in his music by making them sing, chant and clap along from start to finish.

Overall, it was a worthwhile evening though I do wish Ben Lee had drums and bass playing along to fill out the sounds on stage.