Jack Johnson @ nib Stadium,4/12/10

Tue 7th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

At 6pm sharp, Jack Johnson introduced the first act Ash Grunwald himself, spurring a rush to the front of teenage girls and guys to glimpse their hero in the flesh. Opening with Skywriter, Ash Grunwald unleashed his incredible guitar work and powerful voice. The casual way he performed his songs made the venue feel much less like a stadium. The Dolphin Song brought smiles to people’s faces as he imitated dolphin noises, said “bullshit”, and sang so impossibly fast but didn’t get tongue-tied. A perfect sing-along, Stop Taking Life so Serious filled the stadium with sound from the audience. Ash Grunwald’s head moved constantly back and forth with passion as he played Fish out of Water, his dreadlocks like long, brown snakes. He asked the crowd to clap along, which they willingly did and there were a few dancers towards the end of the set. Grunwald’s last wish was for everyone in the audience to dance, setting a “boogie challenge”. His impressive and boogie-worthy guitar and bass drum work encouraged the masses to dance or bop their heads back and forth like rag dolls as the music got faster. It stopped suddenly and he waved and walked off the stage to cheers.

This time, Jack Johnson didn’t introduce the next act, as Canadians Tegan and Sara didn’t need an introduction. The crowd was much larger and more compact as the sister act began slowly before the band joined them on the stage. After each song, the virtually pitch – perfect Tegan and Sara swapped guitars like playing cards. It became almost a joke to the audience, with some predicting whether they were going to change their guitars after each particular song. Storytelling plays a part in their set, and thankfully they are excellent storytellers. They told us about their love-hate relationship with the flies of Perth and proceeded to dedicate Walking with a Ghost to the flies, the audience, and Jack Johnson because he’s so “nice”. I Bet it Stung was a clear winner, as was On Directing and Hell. The band left the stage again and the two sisters played an acoustic version of Back in Your Head, which was a nice interlude in a fast-paced set. Fittingly, it started to rain. Alligator was received well, and was described by them as their “So You Think You Can Dance” song. Ending on Speak Slow, the rain stopped and, reluctantly, so did their energetic set.

The rain had cleared by the time Jack Johnson took to the stage and the stars come out from behind the clouds. Clad in an unassuming brown t-shirt, worn jeans and what appeared to be no shoes, this guy was so chilled-out that it was impossible not to love him. Smiling behind his beard and floppy hair, he and his band opened with the well-known Taylor, complete with footage of the ocean and birds on the large screen behind them. Laughing, he said, “I hope this isn’t the only song you guys know”, he launched into Sitting, Waiting, Wishing. New songs You and Your Heart and If I Had Eyes all of which were sung along to.

His effortless voice, guitar work and ability to make a stadium feel intimate was relaxing and reassuring as the candle’s flame on the piano flickered in the wind. Another crowd favourite, Flake, was pitch-perfect and fit in with his next song, a cover of the Steve Miller Band’s The Joker, which had the crowd singing along whether they were old or young. Everyone with a view of the stage was grinning like a child at a fair. Wasting Time saw the talented keyboardist Zach Gill jump up to sing a verse before sitting back down to play perfect piano.

After much anticipation, Jack Johnson got out the acoustic and played Banana Pancakes and the band joined him a verse later. Gill stole the show again with his accordion solo – and humble and unassuming Jack didn’t seem to mind. Ash Grunwald came out, and picking up his steel acoustic, he joined Jack and his band for Rodeo Clowns, providing slide guitar solos over the top of vocals. The result was magical and he was gone as soon as he came on, waving in appreciation as the stadium cheered him on. a ukulele, played by the man himself, and images of palm trees accompanied Breakdown. His whistling solo was joined by hundreds of others who decided to whistle along with him, and although the crowd was mostly out of tune, it was unexpected and touching. Randomly, during Mudfootball, bass player Merlo Podlewski put down his instrument and rapped a (surprisingly good) verse. Although completely surprising, it added another element and was met with raised eyebrows. Ending with Where’d All the Good People Go? and At or With Me, he exited to cheers.

Minutes later he came back for a few more tunes. This time he was alone except for his acoustic guitar and microphone. Talking about how he wrote the next few songs for his wife because he forgot to buy her presents for various holidays and special events, he opened with Do You Remember?. Tears and smiles were everywhere, and he didn’t relent as he continued with the heartfelt Angel, reminding us all that he’s just a guy, in love with his wife, playing songs about his life. On a more upbeat note, he got the crowd involved with his own version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Ending, for good, on Better Together, he said a final thankyou and goodbye.