Jack Johnson show plays like friendly sing-a-long

By Suneal Kullori
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It’s almost like it wasn’t even a rock concert.

Sure, the place was packed, kids screamed passionately about
wanting to make love to the singing man on stage, and a delightful
blend of sweat, alcohol, and marijuana aromas filled the club. But
something was definitely different.

Jack Johnson, possibly the most laid-back man who ever lived,
provided the unique feel of Saturday night’s show at the
House of Blues. This unlikely rock star seemed more like a
dorm-room buddy than a musician whose albums are selling faster
than Viagara at an old folks’ home.

The show was like a friendly, musical gathering, with
everyone’s good friend Jack playing sing-a-longs around a
campfire.

But there was no campfire, and Jack wasn’t anybody’s
friend. It was a rock concert, it just didn’t feel like
one.

After an entertaining opening act by the ex-front man of Toad
the Wet Sprocket, Glen Phillips, Johnson came out calmly in black
jeans and a green T-shirt.

There were no fireworks, no goofy dances, and no extravagant
light shows. It was just three guys playing music that hundreds of
people were ecstatic to hear.

The band’s calmness was a marked contrast to the
excitement of an audience that yelled all the words to nearly every
song.

Even Johnson was surprised about the liveliness of his
audience.

“Usually L.A. crowds get a bad rap, but you guys are the
best,” Johnson commented between songs.

He definitely did not have to work too hard to get the audience
pumped for the show.

Yet even the excitement had a different feel to it. It was a
laid-back sort of excitement. The crowd was influenced by the
incredibly relaxed style of Johnson and his band.

The normal rock concert traditions seemed slightly tweaked by
Johnson’s music. People flashed “hang loose”
signs rather than middle fingers and audience members gave each
other space rather than fighting for position.

The musical imperfections that are usually inherent in rock
concerts at small clubs were also virtually nonexistent. Johnson
and his talented band effortlessly played tracks off his newest
album “Brushfire Fairytales,” other original songs and
a couple of cover songs.

One of the shows highlights occurred when the band covered Bob
Marley’s “Trenchtown Rock” and then went into
Sublime’s “Garden Grove.” The audience seemed
ecstatic to hear some of their old favorites Jack
Johnson-style.

Even Johnson’s good buddy came to join the festivities. As
soon as Ben Harper emphatically ran on stage with his signature
slide guitar, the House of Blues nearly exploded.

The two performed Johnson’s “Flake” to finish
the show in a truly exciting fashion. Yet after the performance,
the crowd seemed somewhat upset by the fact that Harper only played
one song with the group.

Nonetheless, everyone seemed to have an amazing time. People
moved to the music, sang along with the songs, and enthusiastically
yelled.

Even though Johnson seemed like he should have been on a
surfboard, and the audience seemed to be from anywhere but Los
Angeles, it was definitely a rock concert.