Jack Johnson at the Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, TX, April 25, 2018.
Review by Stacey Lovett / Photography by Michael Mullenix
Mother Nature temporarily took center stage briefly pushing back the set times for Jack Johnson’s show at Austin360 Amphitheater, but the April showers didn’t keep his fans from throwing ponchos over their Hawaiian shirts to re-live his almost 2 decades of sing-along tunes.
This Austin date kicked off his North American tour for his 7th studio album All The Light Above It Too, however, only a couple songs from it were performed that night. Portland, Oregon based Fruititon opened up the show and set the vibe with their chill West Coast bluegrass harmonies of strings and voice. As the crowd dried off and trickled in through their set, they filled the amphitheater with an upbeat, mellow feel that mirrored Johnson’s set. He opened with “You and Your Heart” which spurred an instant mass sing along and continued through the night as the Hawaiian native crooned his island tunes to the Central Texas crowd. Most of his setlist consisted of songs from the early 2000s – a bulk from In Between Dreams – and entertained fans of all ages in attendance, from those die-hards since the early years to the younger Curious George lovers. No matter the age, his beachy guitar-driven set brought lighthearted smiles and a gentle sway from the sea of people.
The bad weather subsided and the night succumbed to waves of clouds overhead in the night sky as the joke of the unpredictability of Texas’s weather played through the night too. Between the must-play hits, like “Sitting Waiting Wishing” and “Bubble Toes,” Johnson entertained some requests as well as turned the spotlight and mic over to his fellow bandmate, Zach Gill for a few choruses. He invited Fruition back on stage for an impromptu jam session with him and his band, their individual sounds melding together in great talent and sound onstage, especially for being previously unrehearsed and their debut collaboration. The whole evening played up that air of friendship and good times and just overall chill island vibe that Jack Johnson graces the souls of his listeners with. Throwing in some homages to Steve Miller, Queen, and Jimmy Buffett alongside his tunes, Johnson kept the love of music and good company alive on through a monster encore worthy of half a set itself. His music has encompassed the feel-good essence that flows through life and joins listeners and humans alike in a kicked back paradise of sound. With the crowd trading out beach towels for blankets and tarps, Jack Johnson brought the island feel to Texas despite the saturated start and, only if temporary, made the Capitol City landscape feel a little less landlocked.
JACK JOHNSON PHOTO GALLERY
Click to View Full Images
Jack Johnson Setlist: 1. You and Your Heart; 2. Washing Dishes; 3. Same Girl/Mellow Mood (Bob Marley cover); 4. Taylor; 5. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing; 6. Gone; 7. Flake; 8. My Mind is for Sale; 9. Rodeo Clown; 10. Good People; 11. You Can’t Control It; 12. If I Had Eyes; 13. Bubble Toes; 14. Wasting Time; 15. No Other Way; 16. Breakdown (with Fruitition); 17. Big Sur; 18. Bohemian Rhapsody; 19. Banana Pancakes; 20. Shot Reverse Shot; 21. Mudfootball; ENCORE: 22. Do You Remember; 23. Upside Down; 24. Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money; 25. A Pirate Looks at Forty; 26. Angel; 27. Better Together
About the Author and Photographer
