So, Cheryl, Spout and I just returned from the Jack Johnson concert in Nottingham. It was a really good show. I really enjoyed it.

There wasn’t much to it, to be honest. No crazy light movements, no crazy use of the backdrop screens, which isn’t necessary and would probably distract from Jack laid-back tunes.

The opening acts were ALO and Matt Costa both on Jack’s label, Brushfire Records. I was looking forward to hearing Matt Costa, but I was definitely more impressed and enjoyed ALO. They were a lot of fun and all but one band member sang as well, which reminded me Phish a little. The crowd really got excited as Jack joined ALO for one song early in the evening.

I will tell you one thing; Britain (at least Nottingham) LOVES Jack Johnson. The crowd sang along loudly, especially “Where’d all the good people go”, and of course “La da da dada, la da dada da dada da” from Bubble Toes. I was pleasantly surprised, then we realized the logic behind Jack’s tour. Of course, you stop in London; it’s a major international city. Cheryl and I came to the conclusion that Jack’s main tour stops are university towns.

Back to the show…the guitar player from ALO joined Jack and the band for a couple of songs. As I saw him sit on his stool, slide guitar in hand, I was sure that ‘Flake’ was the next song. Quite the opposite though was, ‘Constellations’. He also helped out on ‘Breakdown’, so Jack could play the ukulele, or as the British fellow behind us said, “my favourite, the little guitar”.

Adding some laughs during the show was Zach Gill, Jack’s piano player, and apparently lead member of ALO. He moves in very odd ways when he plays the piano and when he dances around playing the accordion. He has fun. Cheryl said he reminded her of the roommate from Notting Hill, just based on how he moved, not how he looked.

The only major disappointment was there were no performances from the Curious George soundtrack. Now, the movie has not been released in the UK yet, so most people probably aren’t aware of it, but I was still hoping for one song at least.

All in all it was a good show, and the encore was a series of songs with Jack by himself (a couple with Matt Costa & his guitar), which was a very nice intimate way to end the night. If Jack is ever in your area, I recommend the show for a good time.

SETLIST: Click here for the iMix on iTunes.

Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down (ALO & Jack Johnson)
Never Know
Taylor
Gone
Posters
Banana
Staple It Together
Constellations
Breakdown
Rodeo Clowns
Tomorrow Morning
Bubble Toes
Wasting Time
Belle
Mudfootball
The Horizon Has Been Defeated>
Badfish Boss DJ
Inaudible Melodies
Do You Remember
Flake
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Good People

Encore:
No Other Way
Times Like These
The News>Mystic
Fall Line (with Matt Costa)
Sunshine (with Matt Costa)
Better Together