Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, et John Butler

Born and raised in Hawaii, it’s no real surprise Jack Johnson is such a chiller. But there’s a unique delicacy and warmth to his soft, acoustic rock that has justifiably shot him to stardom, and melted hearts the world over in the process.

Forced out of the water by a surfing accident at the age of 17, Johnson soon found refuge behind a guitar, with his early life experiences crafting his sundrenched, tender and youthful sound. Indeed, it’s the honesty and transparency of his music that makes an evening with Jack Johnson so special. Often found on stage solo, just man and guitar, Jack’s charming music breeds intimacy - making the world’s largest arenas feel like the smallest beach huts. Like a good pina colada, Jack Johnson is best enjoyed with friends, so grab some buddies and head for the front row for a good singalong!

Over the course of seven records, Johnson’s trajectory has seen him headline festivals across the globe, but, admirably, his connection to Hawaii has always remained strong. A strong involvement in the Kokua Festivals helped raise funds and awareness for environmental education in Hawaii, whilst in April 2012 Jack set out on a seven date tour of the Hawaiian islands. Right on, Jack.

American singer-songwriter Ben Harper is one of those artists that hasn’t quite managed to capture the magic of his live performances on his studio recordings. It’s not that his albums are in anyway bad (far from it, he has created many of my favourite albums), but that he is so exceptional live that his recordings pale in comparison.
I first saw him at the Hammersmith Apollo, London, back in 2004 with his backing band The Innocent Criminals. From the opening of "Take My Mind" to closer "With My Own Two Hands / War," he was absolutely incredible, his distinctive voice impassioned and his guitar skills far more electric than you’d imagine. His more rock-inspired songs, like the funky "Brown Eyed Blues" and the stoner rock of "Temporary Remedy," were accentuated with otherworldly guitar solos and near-screamed vocals.
However, I have always been a bigger fan of his softer side, and he often dedicates large segments of his concerts to an acoustic section. On this particular night in London he performed delicate solo versions of "Waiting On An Angel" and "Walk Away," both beautiful, but the best song was a moving rendition of "Amen Omen."
Ben Harper has had a long and versatile career, performing in different projects and trying his hand at a variety of genres, but the one thing that has remained consistent is the quality of his thrilling and intimate live shows.

I was lucky enough to see Australian singer John Butler live at Crossroads as part of the John Butler Trio. It was an excellent performance and John is an excellent performer. They performed the fun and funny song "Treat Yo Mama" and it was a lively, upbeat, fun performance. It was interesting to see a country twang sound come from Australians. But they also rocked hard and had more to offer than just that. I also loved that they had big band instruments in the mix and not just rock guitars, drums, and keyboards.
The audience found the whole show quite compelling and fun. Everyone clapped and moved around to the music. It was very cathartic in both the music and just the show itself. Something about it felt like just letting off steam and having fun with friends. We all loved the music but we also loved just having fun to the beat.
It was a great atmosphere to be a part of, and John Butler and his Trio helped facilitate this very well. I highly recommend John Butler or the John Butler trio as live entertainment for any concert. You should see him as soon as you can, he is an amazing performer.