Oscar The Third: Like broken glass reflecting pieces of the sun

Monday, 11 July 2011

Like broken glass reflecting pieces of the sun

Jack Johnson is one of those musicians that New Zealand absolutely loves, because he is practically one of us already. Being a surfer from Hawaii, he is already used to the NZ lifestyle of beaches, waves and barbecues. When he announced his show supporting his new album To The Sea, I picked up a ticked as soon as it was possible, so a few weeks later when it was announced that Tegan & Sara were going to be his opening act, I was stoked. T&S are an indie duo from Canada, I originally got into them through an old girlfriend, but I've really grown to love them over the years. I showed up at Vector Arena just before lunch to get a good place in line, only to find a group of girls had beat me to the front. The funny thing was that not one of them was there for Jack, they were all lining up for the opening act, Tegan & Sara. Eventually some JJ fans showed up (it's really no surprise they were a bit more laid back about lining up early), and it was one of the most fun lines I have ever been in. Just a lot of talking and singing, someone even bought an acoustic guitar, but that was nothing compared to the game of 20 person Uno we had going on at one point. T&S played a really good set, and they can just be so adorable when performing. When Jack emerged on the stage and peered through the lights to look at the audience, you almost could've mistaken him for a surfer checking out the waves. He stood there in his jandals, with his awesome new beard and started playing an array of new and old hits. The audience was fantastic, they had such a great attitude and would sing along to every song. One guy even pulled out a harmonica at one point. When JJ began to play a new song To The Sea, his chilled out acoustic band transformed into a unique bluesy unit filled with distortion and psychedelia, the quirky Pianist even broke into an impromptu rap. Jack is a superstar, but he also blends in perfectly to the NZ culture, an amazing way to welcome the warm ripples of summer.

Jack Johnson w/ Tegan & Sara. 02/12/2010. Vector Arena, Auckland, New Zealand