The Super Fan, Tanya.

During Bluesfest every year, a bunch of friends of mine stake out key spots at our favorite venues and settle in for many-a-night of musical bliss. We bring lawn chairs, coolers, food, drinks, umbrellas, and even tarps in case of rain. Nothing stops us. We are fans.

Ben Harper at BluesFest 2009

This year our 'fan' quotant was bested by a young enthusiast who showed us how to rock. We watched her out of the corner of our eyes in the section beside us. She was right up front and filled with a glow for Ben Harper. From the first pluck of the strings and uttered words, she was all there!Tanya the Super Fan

In fact, the words of every song was on her lips and the first notes of every piece got her hopping with excitement. It was contagious. Those nearby gave room to see her groove. We were all swept away in the catchy fun of her 'Ben' world.

Front and Centre, Tanya knew every lyric.

Throughout night, it was evident that Ben too noticed this 'SUPER FAN'. It would have been impossible to miss. After a rousing encore, Ben picked her out of the crowd and passed down his mini-tamberine thingy directly to her.

Ben makes eye contact with Tanya at the end of his encore.

We all thought it was a class-act on his part but what a thrill to watch her reaction! It brought a smile to all of us.She couldn't believe it.
(Neither could her friends. Here's photo-evidence guys.)

A major part of the fun that night was watching her raptured enjoyment of Ben. Thank you Tanya for showing us how to rock.



PS. Some additional photos...

Ben Harper's attention to craft impressed me.
Tanya's deeply soulful experience impressed us all.