Member Review: Jack Johnson

Long time BPD member IgnatiousTheGracious writes:

Let me begin by saying that the show featured special guests Dan Lebowitz of Animal Liberation Orchestra on slide guitar and G. Love on guitar and harmonica (both of whose respective bands also opened). Singer Paula Fuga from Hawaii also made an appearance. Each were invited at different times to perform on stage.


Opening his two-hour show with You and Your Heart, the first single from his latest album, To The Sea, Johnson and his band - drummer Adam Topol, fedora-wearing bassist Merlo Podlewski and pianist-accordian player Zach Gill (also of ALO, who are on Johnson’s label, Brushfire Records) - were low-key off the top while striking imagery played on a large, wood paneled and curved video screen behind them.


The soothing images of waves, sunsets, beaches, seagulls and the band in closeup were often more interesting than the performance of the music being played.


All that was missing was a campfire on the beach, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you’re playing in such a large venue you’ve got to provide some dynamic energy.


Not that the Johnson faithful cared, as most of them stood up, danced and sang along.


But as the show progressed, Johnson - who alternated between acoustic and electric guitar and a ukelele - slowly moved into a slightly higher gear. Particularly when there was fresh blood on stage in the form of another singer or musician such as during Only The Ocean, Flake, Turn Your Love, Fuga’s Country Road, Love’s Rodeo Clowns, Staple It Together - with bass player Podlewski rapping - and At Or With Me.


On his own, Good People, Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology, My Little Girl, Breakdown, Banana Pancakes, and a cover of Steve Miller’s The Joker - which exceeded Miller’s own performance of the tune when he played the same venue not very long ago - were also standouts.


Even when Johnson screwed up the lyrics to Bubble Toes - by singing the second verse before the first - he was pretty darn charming about it.


After the show, he explained to me “I just got so excited about singing with the audience. Sometimes I lose myself"


Yeah, the guy's really real. Loved every minute of it.

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