As the rain poured down over Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta, devoted fans were enthralled in the monsoon of not only a gigantic downpour, but also of peaceful, lyric-driven music. Although Jack Johnson could not take his audience to the sea, the forces of nature were coincidentally on his side, and he brought as much water as he could along for the show.
Back in April, Johnson kicked off his 2010 “To The Sea” world tour to unveil his newest work from his latest album, To the Sea which was released on June 1, 2010.
Both the album and the tour are tributes to Johnson’s father, who passed away in August 2009. Johnson’s father, Jeff, was a well-known surfer who was extremely passionate about the sport. He essentially led Jack to the sea as he introduced him to the sport of surfing and became a life long role model.
Avid fans can gain a sense of who Johnson is through his peaceful, melodic tunes and the comforting words of his songs, but seeing him live reinforces his serene being. When performing, Johnson doesn’t make a spectacle of himself but stays on the level of the audience as he strums his guitar or the infamous ukulele that hails from his home state of Hawaii.
After playing three or four songs, Johnson, clad in a simple blue t-shirt and jeans, humbly introduced himself by saying, “Hi, my name is Jack,” in an almost nervous, first-day-of-kindergarten way.
Johnson beautifully incorporated songs from his new album and his older albums, which kept the crowd on their toes and avoided overwhelming the crowd with too many songs with which they hadn’t been well acquainted.
Among the set list were Johnson’s new songs “You and Your Heart,” “To the Sea,” “My Little Girl,” “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology,” and “Turn Your Love.”
Johnson’s personality radiated as he talked between songs. He dedicated “My Little Girl” to his new baby girl singing “hey little girl, you’ve gone and stole my heart and made it your own.” Then when switching from a song on the “Curious George” soundtrack, “Upside Down,” to his new song “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology,” Johnson joked about the transition from G rated songs to songs about drinking.
Along with his new songs, Johnson played many old favorites and shared more personal stories. Johnson announced that he was going to play a Christmas song and then left the crowd in suspense for 30 seconds (which seemed like an hour) before sharing that the song “Angel” was a gift to his wife when he didn’t have one.
Another amazing thing about Johnson is how quickly he can adapt to situations. From forgetting lyrics to songs and asking the audience for help to launching his flip-flop into the audience and even accepting silly sunglasses from an audience member, Johnson held his poise and remained personable.
To end the show, Johnson invited his opening act and friend, G-Love, as well as Paula Fuga, a Hawaiian musician featured on the album, back on stage to close with an acoustic version of “Better Together.”
The lyrics “It’s so much better when we’re together” conveyed the harmonious relationship they all shared as a musicians and friends and created a sentimental end to the night as the event came to a close and the musicians and fans dissipated.