Jack Johnson at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals
Jack Johnson‘s show at CityFolk was a laid back affair, something anyone familiar with his music would have expected. Despite the setting of the great lawn at Lansdowne, the outdoor show still had a a fairly intimate feel to it with the way the food and drink vendors surrounded the perimeter of the lawn.
For anyone looking to get away from the crowd, the hill at back of the lawn made a good vantage point as well.
I was surprised at the number of children in attendance. Considering his soundtrack album for the Curious George movie, there may have been many little ones familiar with a few of his songs.
Rolling through a setlist that included Flake, Upside Down, Breakdown and Wasting Time, his concert covered most of his albums.
The concert was delayed for a few minutes as the stage techs had to deal with a malfunctioning piece of equipment. It prevented them from raising one of the lighting trusses. One tech finally climbed on the truss and rode it all the way to the top. Holding the stubborn switch as the crowd cheered, she then repelled back down to the stage with a rope. When she was safely back down on the stage, Jack was there waiting with a thank you. He then strolled over to his mic, thanked her and began the show as if nothing had happened.
From the start, you had the sense that like his music, Jack is pretty laid back and just goes with the flow. They restarted one song three times. He joked that they hadn’t played it in over a year and he kept missing a chord. They teased Same Girl before Jack changed his mind and they broke into Shot Reverse Shot.
His second last song, Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money, is a humorous ode to Willie Nelson. Jack mentioned he was playing Farm Aid in a few days. He wanted to practice the tune before he played it for Willie at the benefit. It was a fun end to the show, before he finally closed out with Better Together.
Jack Johnson at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals
Jack Johnson at CityFolk 2017. Photo credit: Scott Martin Visuals