Jack Johnson @ BrisbaneRiverstage, Brisbane(13/12/2010)

Wed 15th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

I either should have checked Jack’s website, or innately known tonight’s show would be allotted the ‘family’ time slot, but as I did neither and my ticket offered no clue, this reviewer regrettably missed tonight’s quality supports; Ash Grunwald and Tegan and Sara.

It’s capacity is somewhere around the 9,000 mark but tonight the Riverstage is as full as it’s ever been because, unsurprisingly, children under three accompanied by an adult are free. The size of the crowd holds even more water when you remember that a little band called The Eagles are also playing tonight about fifteen minutes away.

Jack Johnson is the ultimate anti-rock star. His album sales total over fifteen million units; he’s been among the top-billers at the world’s biggest music festivals for the best part of a decade; he can spout a list of friends/co-collaborators that any music fan would drool over – yet Jack Johnson really is mellow, friendly and unbelievably humble.

Johnson walks onstage seemingly oblivious to the eruption of thousands of screaming fans, picks up his guitar as if it was the morning paper (he’s dressed appropriately too) and addresses the hillside rhetorically “How you doin’?”

Living up to his famously shy reputation, the early portion of the set is relatively business only – if you can call strumming a guitar on your front porch business. While Johnson is somewhat withdrawn, the crowd certainly is not. Opening tracks Taylor and Sitting Waiting Wishing have the mass in full voice. You And Your Heart, the first single from Johnson’s latest album To The Sea sees the acoustic-lover stretch out and with the help of a gorgeous red Gibson ES, he gives his usual sound a softly-fuzzed West Coast beef-up.

The performance plays out like a live ‘Best of Jack Johnson’ double cd. Tracks from each of his five full length releases feature alongside a few surprises; Upside Down a track from Jack’s Curious George soundtrack and a medley of The Horizon Has Been Defeated into Sublime’s Bad Fish and Boss DJ into his own Brushfire Fairytales from his debut album of the same name.

Though Jack Johnson is undeniably the draw card here, he often relinquishes the spotlight and his band also gushed over. A glance around the venue forces the query of whether Jack Johnson is the only thing that teenage girls, boys and their parents have universally agreed on in the last decade – and really, what’s not to like?

For over 2 hours Johnson and his band play a massive set, musically personifying positivity, mother nature, friendship, love and innocence. He throws the odd “slow down everyone you’re moving too fast” global industry jibe wedged in for good measure, all to the sound of an irresistibly calming and charming soft-surf rock sound.

In 2008 Jack Johnson toured the world and donated 100% of the profit to various charities. Amazingly, this year’s To The Sea world tour is no different. Isn’t it nice to know there is still some legitimately philanthropic, talented artists around that aren’t trying to ram their do-goodedness down your throat with a ‘claw’. Thanks Jack, tomorrow I’m making banana pancakes.

SET LIST
Taylor
Sitting Waiting Wishing
You And Your Heart
If I Had Eyes
Never Know
Flake
Go on
Upside down
Horizon/Bad Fish/Boss DJ/Brushfire Fairytales
Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology
Rodeo Clowns w/ Ash Grunwald
Better Hope You’re Not Alone
From The Clouds
Bubbly Toes
Wasting Time
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun w/ Tegan and Sara
Banana Pancakes
Same Girl
Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down (ALO track sung by Zach Gill)
Breakdown
Mud Football
Good People
At Or With Me

ENCORE
Do You Remember (solo)
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Angel
The Phone In The Toilet Song
Better Together w/ Ash Grunwald and Tegan and Sara