Last night at The Outer Fields, Western Springs, Jack Johnson reminded us that summer is here. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Last night at The Outer Fields, Western Springs, Jack Johnson reminded us that summer is here. Photo / Brett Phibbs
REVIEW:
A few songs into his Western Springs concert last night, Jack Johnson broke into Paradise City “in case you guys were a little bummed out” about missing out on Guns N’ Roses, performing a few blocks away at Eden Park.
But looking around at this crowd, I don’t think anyone felt like they were missing out.
It was a big weekend for music lovers in Auckland, and after Johnson’s Sydney show got rained out last week, thousands of Kiwi fans came prepared for some wet and wild weather on Saturday night.
But they didn’t let the downpour stop them from getting down and dancing in the mud in the Outer Fields at Western Springs, ditching their shoes, jumping in puddles and going with the flow.
The rain stopped by the time Johnson wandered on to stage, a few minutes late. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans and easing right into the first song, Mudfootball (For Moe Lerner), he then won the crowd over with a “Kia ora, how you guys doing?”
If there’s one word to describe Johnson and his music it’s “chill”. And despite the weather, watching him perform felt like summer was finally here. His songs evoke days on the beach, sand, surf, and a little bit of something that somehow feels essentially Aotearoa.
Fans sang along to all his biggest hits from Upside Down, Sitting, Waiting, Wishing to Flake - which he reminds us was first played on the radio in New Zealand - to newer songs One Step Ahead and Costume Party.
Jack Johnson performs at the Outer Fields, Western Springs. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The rain held off right up until he introduced the title track from his latest album, Meet the Moonlight, in an attempt to “summon the moon” hiding behind the clouds.
But the only thing he summoned was the rain - that’s when it started pouring and the umbrellas and rain capes came out.
To keep up morale, Johnson pulled out some old favourites. Banana Pancakes and Good People had the whole crowd swaying and singing and forgetting for a few moments that they were getting drenched.
You could tell he was having a chuckle while singing the lyrics, “Can’t you see it’s been raining? There ain’t no need to go outside”.
Some of the crowd seemed to lose interest towards the end of the show, when Johnson returned for an encore without his band and announced he was taking requests.
But they finally got what they were waiting for when he closed with Better Together. And one thing was clear - a bit of rain can’t dampen Kiwis’ enthusiasm for live music.
