There are few artists today who sound as good live as they do on the radio.
There are fewer artists who also appeal to several generations.
And there are even fewer artists who have the ability to motivate and inspire their audience.
And Jack Johnson is one the few who is using his awesome influence to save the world.
His concert on Sunday at the Intramural Field drew an extraordinary crowd, from silly adolescents to grandparents and everyone in between.
But the cause was not just the music but also for All at Once, an innovative social action network.
The organization includes a number of nonprofits, like Treepeople and Surfrider, and Jack Johnson and his band members. It acts to motivate community members to take part in local and global issues, with the main cause being the environment.
In fact, a Village Green was set up in the back of the field, where attendees could educate themselves and talk with representatives with local, national and global nonprofits.
This was a massive undertaking for Johnson, yet the effort speaks to the integrity of Johnson as a musician and as a member of the community.
And of course, Johnson’s velvet voice has the ability to transport audience members to another world. His first song, “Hope” from his newest CD, set the mellow tone. This was not going to be a loud, raucous concert; I don’t think Johnson can be raucous. But he managed to create a very intimate setting for the concert, a feeling that it was you and couple of your friends chilling together, singing along in a summer breeze. I was actually shocked when I walked out of the IM field to see so many thousands of people.
At first, the show did not focus on Johnson’s individual talents but on Johnson as a member of a band.
His pianist, Zach Gill, accompanied him vocally and even did his own solo accordion performance, called “The Devil goes down to Bavaria.” Energetic and fun, the song did showcase Gill’s talent, although I think the crowd was a bit peeved that Johnson had faded to the background for those particular three minutes.
Johnson also asked Paula Fuga, a Hawaiian ukulele player and singer, on stage, where they sang a highlight of the night’s songs, “Country Road.” A beautiful and political song, their melodic voices complemented each other, and the whistling solo was surprising and sweet.
Another favorite was Johnson’s rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Time is on my Side.” A definite contrast to Mick Jagger’s rough vocals, Johnson’s version sounded like musical honey, soft and smooth.
He played the favorites, including “Taylor” and “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing.”
But his forte is the mellow political song, and he delivered with “Sleep through the Static.” Witty and quick, the song could have ruined the relaxed mood if sung by any less talented of an artist, yet Johnson has a stage presence and a voice that calms even the most rowdy of concert goers.
Again, I admire the tenacity and dedication that Johnson has for these causes, when so many other artists are so prone to forget the larger issues at hand.
And the best part of the night? The encore of just Jack on stage, the beautiful backdrop of a starlit sky behind him.
By that time, I think that most of the audience members had deluded themselves into thinking that Johnson was just singing to them individually, or maybe that was just me. Nevertheless, his heartfelt gratitude for his family, who accompanied him on the duration of the tour, made me choke up.
And when he finished his set with “Angel” and “Better Together,” both dedicated to his wife, I was ready to burst into tears at the beauty of the melody.
Jack Johnson has a timelessness and a talent that can make the world stand still, and my only regret for the night was that it ended too soon.
E-mail Bissell at abissell@media.ucla.edu