Credit: Branden Aroyan
And the show must go on. Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre is celebrating a 150th anniversary as California’s oldest active theater and the intimate Spanish revival architecture building has a storied history when it comes to hosting trending performers which includes a recent appearance by soft rock singer/guitarist/song writer/surfer Jack Johnson. The concert was originally scheduled for David Crosby, storied musician of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash but his untimely passing last month brought in Jack Johnson and his bandmates – Zach Gill along with drummer Adam Topol and bassist Merlo Podlewski – on their way through Santa Barbara on a world tour to promote Jack’s new album Meet the Moonlight, which will take the group through Europe until the end of July. After all, Jack’s blockbuster career includes 8 studio albums, headlining at Cochella Valley Music and Arts Festival, directing and writing soundtracks for award winning surf films and championing environmental causes.
The Lobero Theatre performance started off with a rocking set from Zach Gill on piano and accordion then shortly after a windy storm knocked out power in the area which included the Lobero Theatre. Hillary Hauser, CEO of Santa Barbara-based Heal the Ocean, writer of underwater adventure books and her latest Dancing On Waves was in the audience. Here is her review of the concert.
Jack Johnson is considered Santa Barbara’s own. He graduated with a degree in film studies from University of California, Santa Barbara where he met wife Kim in the university cafeteria. From that moment on it’s been straight to the skies. She worked as his agent, booking engagements and turning down big offers to wait for the right time for the bigger time. The two are tight as thieves, as the saying goes. Johnson is considered the Balladeer of the Mellow as his music tends to put listeners into a new more peaceful frame of mind. Jack said on the day of this concert, “It gives me joy to see I can make a person’s day happier, whatever way I can.”
So when the lights went out in the Lobero it could have been chaos – but no. Another performer might have pulled the plug but Jack had fun with it and his songs spoke to the moment in his early hit Slow Down Everyone, You’re Moving Too Fast and Banana Pancakes where the lyrics are about forgetting the storm and stress – just stay inside and let the mess subside. In other words Jack’s motto is to take it easy, rain outside, the lights are out in the Lobero but who cares. The audience caught the vibe almost immediately and during one song everyone in the dark theater was waving cellphone lights in beat to the music on the stage.
On stage you could see Jack and his bandmates improvising the program as they went along, a cappella. Zach Gill alternated between accordion accompaniment and keyboard in beautifully clear and improvised fashion. Drummer Adam Topol beat the rhythm on a big bongo and the wood block he was sitting on, and bassist Merlo Podlewski strummed non-amped guitar and sang his own song of which few listeners have ever heard. They all told stories and the group also played the sentimental tune Teach Your Children as a tribute to David Crosby. It was all feel-good stuff like being in Jack’s living room or with them all around a campfire. The evening turned out to be one of the most brilliant impromptu performances ever.
Jack and his wife Kim established two non-profit organizations in Hawaii – the Johnson Ohana Foundation and Kokua Hawaii Foundation, both of which have raised millions which is distributed to environmental groups doing good work for the planet. Jack also donated proceeds from this concert to the Lobero Foundation. Jack Johnson’s Meet The Moonlight Tour continues this month in Las Vegas and goes through England and an assortment of countries in Europe including France, Germany, Austria and Italy.