A slow-paced Saturday night at Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., was not going to stop Gordon Bennett from giving the audience a good show.

An artist in true form accepts his or her environment and makes it something better within its own limitations. Classic rock band Gordon Bennett did just that with a little bit of entertainment strategy to slowly lure the crowd in, living up to its bacchanalian namesake.

The five-piece band from Metro Detroit has been together for 10 years and consist of Matt Webber on bass, Tommy Peacock and John Schreffler playing guitar, Tim Webber on drums and Mike Vartanian on keyboard. The 21-year-old musicians had great sound and lighting throughout the show.

Gordon Bennett opened up with blue smoke and slamming guitars, immediately demanding attention from the patrons. But as the night drew on and patrons drifted in and out, the band struggled to remain in control of the audience.

Taking advantage of an intermission between sets, Gordon Bennett did as any hard-working band would do, it analyzed the crowd and put together a successful formula to rock.

“We usually don’t play bars anymore, but we will play here at Harper’s exclusively,” Matt Webber said. “Because in bars you have to play a lot of cover songs and we like to play our own original music.”

Despite its desire for original music, Gordon Bennett performed covers like the Rolling Stones’ “Deadly Flowers.”

It began with a song called “11:11.” It’s about people getting together and enjoying life. It had a nice melody and solid vocals, performed by Matt’s twin brother, Tim Webber.

Tim’s voice is the jewel within the band. Although every band member can sing, there’s something about a guy playing the drums and his vocals drifting from the back of the stage.

Cooley Law student John Giardien said the band played great.

“They have great stage presence and sound like bands that are hot know,” he said. “They sound similar to Aerosmith.”

Another cool aspect of its performance was when guitar player Tommy Peacock stepped out into the crowd and played a small solo.

That was a very exciting moment during their show.

Overall, the Gordon Bennett band has all the right ingredients to be successful.

But maybe it should stick to playing in bigger venues with more hospitable people.