Last week this time I jumped for joy when I learned that I would be going to see Eric Benét on the second night of his sold out two-night stand with Dwele at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. Although I had seen him briefly on my birthday at the Stone Soul Picnic in DC, this was my first bonafide Eric Benét concert experience. I was too busy on that unbearably hot August day having a heat stroke, keeping my side eye locked on the riff raff in attendance and trying not to lay hands on anybody's unruly children, that I couldn't really enjoy his set like I should have. But last week was a different story. I was cool and collected, prepped and primped, and beyond ready to see Mr. Benét and find out what all of the hype was about.

The general admission dinner theatre was packed. I learned that people had lined up hours before the doors opened to secure the chance to get seated close to the stage. A pang of jealously hit when I walked into the music hall and saw that the best seats that were all filled by the time I got there, but I found a table with a decent view of the stage and sat next to a hilarious couple who were about as entertaining as the artists on stage that night.

The show started relatively on time and Dwele served as the opening act. Oddly enough, this was my first time seeing him in concert as well. I had heard mixed reviews about his live show, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to agree with those who warned me that his concert was a little boring. Don't get me wrong, Dwele sounded great, but he wasn't very exciting or engaging on stage. With the exception of the first single from "Sketches of a Man," his new material didn't seem to connect with the audience either. He only sang a couple of his older hits, which I thought was strange since those were the songs that people were more familiar with. He stretched out his set for an hour and afterwards went to the lobby to meet and greet fans. Anyone wanting to take a photograph with Dwele, however, was in for quite a surprise when one of his people informed us that we couldn't take photos with our personal cameras but instead had to pay money to take a "professional" instant photograph in front of a fugly airbrushed backdrop. They were selling photographs with Dwele for $25 (yes, in US dollars) or for the bargain price of $15 you could take one without him. Seriously. My side eye was doing the Electric Slide but despite that madness, I got my photo with Dwele for free and a priceless story to tell. 

The intermission ended and it was time for the headliner to take the stage. A fleeting thought crossed my mind as Eric's set began when I wondered if his show would be as underwhelming as Dwele's. But the moment that man took the stage, the energy in the room changed and it was on. And by the time the first verse of "Spiritual Thang" escaped his lips, my fears were permanently laid to rest. The uptempo track from his solo debut, True to Myself, was the perfect way to begin his show on a high note. He carried that energy into his second song of the night, "Femininity," which left ladies gasping and swooning--myself included--from his breathtaking live version.



Eric kept the vibe mellow with two songs--one old, one new--that kept the audience enthralled. Between each song he would stop to say a few words, and he was consistently charming and witty. A particularly amusing moment came when he explained the meaning of the song "Spanish Fly" off of his new disc, Love & Life, saying that the song was about the drug but he didn't promote its use as a mood enhancer--that's what his album was for. Amen to that!

Another show-stopping moment for me was when Benét sang one of my favorite songs in his catalog, "Love Of My Own," from A Day in the Life. When I tell you that he put a hurting on this song, he put a hurting on this song.



What I really appreciated about Benet's live show was that he easily flowed from his older material into songs from his new release. There were no lulls in his set; everything was on the same level. He handled his slow jams with the same intensity as he did his faster tunes. "Don't Let Go," an album cut from Love & Life, had the audience singing the words and grooving right along with Eric as if they'd spent years with the song and not just a few weeks. The next song up was the crowd-pleasing and wedding favorite: "Spend My Life With You." His backup singer, Kim Johnson, formerly of the group JS, stepped in to take Tamia's place on the duet and together they performed a syrupy sweet rendition.

Where that song was heartwarming, Eric's next song on the set list was the heart-wrenching "Pretty Baby." I was literally on the brink of tears when he sang this song from his last release, Hurricane. That track's lyrical content has always gotten to me, but hearing it live was quite emotional. He carried on with another gripping song from the same album, the pleading ballad "I Wanna Be Loved."    

Benét didn't stay in that sad song zone for long, though. The next track was his sexy new single, "The Hunger," which I had been waiting all night to hear. His live rendition didn't disappoint and satisfied my raging appetite.



Greedy me wanted more of course, but I knew that the show couldn't go on forever. His last song of the evening was his catchy hit "You're the Only One For Me," which he wrote as a nod to the old days when songs had meaning. Eric exited the stage to a barrage of applause from his audience of fans and admirers. The chants for an encore started almost immediately and he acquiesced just as quickly, returning to sing "Georgy Porgy" to a crowd that was now out of our seats and ready to party. Eric and his band made sure to get down with the get down and served up a fittingly hype finale for a stellar show.

Later in the evening, Eric came out front to sign autographs and take photos with the droves of fans who stayed behind to show him love. His fan club, the True EB Fans, were there in full effect and it was great to meet a few of them.

After seeing Eric Benét in concert, I am convinced that he needs to release a live CD or, better yet, a live DVD. His live show was dynamic and delectable. He is Mr. Personality and a live album would showcase that fact. Listening to or watching him in the comfort of your home wouldn't be as great as being there to witness him for yourself, obviously, but a live album would be a nice addition to his catalog nonetheless.

Eric is taking tonight off to celebrate his birthday in some grand fashion I'm sure, but he has some remaining tour dates on his schedule through November, and I'm holding out hope that he will tour again in the new year. I've always been on Team Benét but now that I've been bitten by the concert bug I'm here to say that the hype is to be believed.