Mellow, chilled, laid-back and with a '70s lounge feel, Jack Johnson in concert is everything you would expect of the surfer singer-songwriter.
Playing at Brisbane's The Riverstage to a sold-out crowd (3 December), Johnson is slightly shy, acknowledging he still gets nervous when he looks directly at the crowd for too long.He seems genuine in a quietly-charming way, with sweet commentary on people in the crowd and an obvious love for the music and his band.
The people in attendance were exactly what you might expect of a Jack Johnson performance – a mix of young and old, surfers and skaters plus families and older couples.
Jack's music invites you to sit back and relax and many people brought blankets and rugs to match that mood – but unfortunately due to the size of the crowd, there simply wasn't room and everyone was standing from the very front right back to the bar at the top of the hill.
The setup was simple – a huge screen behind the four-piece band with a wooden backdrop framing everyone. At one stage he introduced everyone on stage, and at different times, they each played an improvised solo which fit in beautifully with the soulful lighting display and the mesmerising visuals on the video screen.
Playing most of his main hits, Johnson also wove in some of his newer tracks from his latest studio album 'Meet The Moonlight' – at one stage apologising for it when he said he knew everyone was here for his classics.
But no one in the crowd seemed to mind, some singing along and most swaying to the sweet beat of the songs. He also played beer bottles filled with water, creating this beautiful sound as an intro to one of his new songs.
It was clear though that most were here for his well-loved tunes including 'Better Together', 'Bubbly Toes', 'Upside Down' and 'Banana Pancakes'.
He also brought out one of his support acts – Emily Wurramara – to sing with him on a couple of songs. Or was it him singing with her, as Emily seemed to take the lead when she was out there. It was a glorious melding of vocals and sounds, and was a highlight of the show.
Johnson's concert was exactly as expected in that it was laid-back and loose, but at the same time it was different, multilayered and more complex musically.
Standing there soaking it in, it felt as though psychedelic dreamscapes of sound were washing over the crowd; proving once again, that this surfer from Hawaii has effortless talent and weaves a mesmerising mix of sounds into his shows.
