Live Review: Jack Johnson, Bahamas

There's an affiliation with Australia that makes a Jack Johnson concert here feel special, as it did on this temperate last night of spring. We were all about to get so chilled, it may as well have been winter again.

As the sun went down and a cruise ship departed the Quay, Bahamas started their set. Their music is similar to the headliner; laid-back, unassuming and easy to sway to. The main difference is that they come from Canada, a place very unlike their namesake.

Lead singer/guitarist, Afie Jurvanen (a sometime collaborator with Feist) is a charismatic fella, introducing the band through song and displaying some silky guitar skills. Great backing vocals (and pantsuit) from Felicity Williams gave the group the extra depth it needs. Not to say that the whole band didn't support well, particularly in some excellent guitar tangos.

Arriving on stage with crutches and a knee brace is never a good sign. "I've got some good news and some bad news", Jack Johnson announced. "Obviously, you can see what the bad news is. The good news is that I don't play guitar with my knee!"

Johnson perched himself on a stool and got straight into Sitting, Waiting, Wishing. His voice is so cool, relaxed and welcoming that we got the feeling hundreds of people's relaxing holiday memories flowed back into their heads.

He launched into Taylor second and the crowd joined in loudly. It was a packed audience, the first of an impressive three-night run in Sydney's most picturesque venue.

The thing about Jack Johnson is that while a lot of his songs sound similar, his delivery is always just different enough to make them unique. The bridge in Taylor, the chorus in Breakdown, the playfulness of Upside Down. They're just so damn easy to enjoy.

This year's album All The Light Above It Too is another celebration of his prolific career. New tracks, Sunsets For Somebody Else, Big Sur and his first ever politically tinged song, My Mind Is For Sale fit in perfectly with the older tracks.

"We're taking requests tonight!" declared Johnson and people start throwing out track suggestions immediately. It all went wrong, however, when he forgets the words to No Other Way. The band and the people up front started trying to yell them out and finally, on the third attempt, he got it, to the crowd's delight. Such is the laid-back attitude of the Hawaiian. His band were also chilling out. Keyboardist Zach Gill is an exceptional player and we discovered later that he has some decent pipes on Wasting Time.

Johnson regaled us with his favourite Australian story involving the Gold Coast, stolen computers and a bloke named Steve. It's an entertaining yarn from someone we could've listened to all night. He also shared that a bunch of his tracks were written in this country. The affinity is real.

We got treated to a trio of solo acoustic tracks in the encore, including a humorous anecdote about losing in poker to Willie Nelson before accompanying song; Willie Got Me Stoned And Stole All My Money.

The crowd yelled for Angel and they got it, before finishing with the track that many a baby might've been concieved to, Better Together.

A beautifully performed night of music from the master of soft rock before the greatest harbour in the world.