Free At Noon Flashback: Dhani Harrison’s guitar doesn’t weep, it wails

Dhani Harrison | photo by Liz Waldie for WXPN

A slice (of a slice) of Beatlemania descended upon 31st and Walnut on this pleasantly frigid Friday as the crowd that had lined the street shed their layers and traded in coffees for beers, fortunate to be among the few to have secured a spot at a show that had sold out days before. Nothing less could be expected for Dhani Harrison, and this boundless enthusiasm never wavered during his Free At Noon set – the applause heard after each song was near equivalent to what another band might expect to earn after their final bows.

Along with his four-piece backing band, Harrison performed tracks from his recently-released solo album In///Parallel, an excellent debut effort that marries alternative rock with a smattering of everything else. Beginning with “Summertime Police,” he transformed the venue into an ever-expanding soundscape accented by wailing power chords, mesmerizing synth loops, tight harmonies, and slow builds that simmered and smoldered and hung in the air. It was, as Helen Leicht pointed out, the perfect soundtrack to a fall day.

The set ended with the wild “All About Waiting” and anticipation for an encore that was sadly not to come. This evidently did not deter the crowd from continuing the party; as I write this, the restaurant at World Cafe is packed with concertgoers continuing to welcome the weekend.

Check out photos of the show below and watch out for Dhani Harrison’s upcoming interview on World Cafe. You can download In///Parallel here.