Jack Johnson 2008 World Tour, Sydney

It was a late afternoon in Centennial Park, when I walked with thousands of others to see musician/pro-surfer/film maker/environmental activist: Jack Johnson.

Upon entry, a girl offered me a small booklet with the smiling Hawaiian on the front cover playing his guitar. ‘All At Once’ was scrolled above Johnson’s head –the first track on album Sleep Through the Static, and a campaign supporting environmental non-profit organisations and active participation in local and international communities. Whilst flicking through the booklet, I noticed a cop with a sniffer dog also working the crowd. He too, was concerned about the environment -particularly “grass”.

Thousands upon thousands of people were already sprawled on the field, marking their turf with random thongs and bags. The crowd anticipated the occasional cool breeze, which would provide relief from the Saturday sun. Though for the most part, people took matters into their own hands. Guys and girls carried beer cans stacked in each hand, carefully manoeuvring around the seated patrons. An hour later into the first supporting act Will Conner, and I overhead that a girl was past out in the toilets. Maybe she just wanted a nap and some shade before the show.

As tempting as it was to sweat in the sun and have drunks spill beer on me as they lunged toward their spots, I went to see what was on offer at the tents: seventeen food stalls, and twice as many for the bar; a Red Cross medical tent; a free water station; merchandise; and the Village Green. It was here that I could enter a draw to meet Jack Johnson in the flesh today. All I had to do was show proof of travel by mass transit, recycle something, and donate to a non-profit organisation. Considering the odds were twenty thousand to one – and that I really didn’t give a stuff - I moved on to find a place to sit down for the concert.

By sunset, I settled on the green down back - with all the other fans that wanted to ‘properly enjoy the show.’ From here, I was able to see the complete stage, a sea of heads, and the police escorting young men to the exit gates.

The stage was set and it quickly turned to dusk. A pearly half moon hung over the open clam, and clouds moved swiftly in the sky. Some hurried off to the toilets while others headed for more beer. A familiar full-bodied herbal smell passed my nostrils as these people walked by.

My attention was caught from a cheer created by the mass before me and I squinted to see an Aboriginal performance group on stage. My partner said it was Yothu Yindi, to which I gullibly responded ‘Is it?’ …I bet I wasn’t the only one. The crowd stood for the group from Sydney’s southeast, as they began a welcome ceremony. The sound of the Didgeridoo, wood blocks and singing filled the grounds whilst a red and orange glow oozed from the stage. I suppose I should have seen this coming, after all he is friends with Xavier Rudd.

Fifteen minutes after the Aboriginal group finished the welcome ceremony, a roar swelled as Jack Johnson casually strolled on stage with his acoustic guitar strapped around him. He opened the night with ‘All At Once’: a sombre and heartfelt song about losing hope. He sung, ‘Which way will you run?’ when you feel overwhelmed and out of control. I thought about the girl unconscious in the port-a-loo, five in the afternoon. He went on, ‘There’s so many things we got too proud of, we’re too proud of, we’re too proud of.’ The smug look on the man under arrest earlier popped up in my mind. If you’d like a preview of the ‘new hell’ Jack Johnson refers to, stick around for the concert aftermath. Beer cans and plastic bottles lay in clusters on the field, while used napkins and sauce stained paper cups tumbled around in the wind.

Global warming, greed, heartache, and war - Jack Johnson made a delightfully deep turn with his latest album by drawing attention to the cloud, and not the silver lining. Before us stood a man that accepted the way it was, despite his hunger for the world to change.

Jack Johnson’s 2008 world tour is a campaign against our weaker and lazy selves; a tired attitude more widely held than should be. Of course I drove to the concert, does Jack Johnson know anything about Sydney’s public transport system? Sure, the war in Iraq disgusts me, still the total number of petitions I’ve signed are zero. Where is the love? Well, I love to hate just as much as the next person. Jack Johnson sees the storm cloud overhead, but he doesn’t give up on his audience completely. All his efforts with eco-minded organisations have rejuvenated the connection between youth culture and social awareness, prominent in the 1970s. His maturity has flourished in this album, along with his passion for environmental reform. With any luck, his new tone will strike a chord for young people around the world.