This was supposed to be Jack Johnson�s somber and serious tour. Judging from the overwhelmingly sunny vibes saturating the Comcast Center Wednesday night, it seems the surfer turned filmmaker sour multiplatinum-selling singer has a different interpretation of sober than near folks.
The Hawaii-reared songwriter came to Mansfield in support of this year�s �Sleep Through the Static,� a record touted as heavier and more serious than past efforts. But concertgoers expecting a morose set from Johnson haven�t been paying a good deal attention to the happy-go-lucky singer�s vocation. Beginning with the smart, reggae-tinted bounce of �Hope,� Johnson squelched any fears
of a seismic shift in tone. That eternally sunny disposition doesn�t ever so seem to be in doubt.
It is impossible not to be impressed with Johnson�s shockingly consistent effectual, as he�s mastered the pleasant-yet-harmless acoustic groove. But after a barrage of tunes, an almost debilitating sameness pervaded his plant. Luckily, keyboardist Zach Gill�s nimble fingers provided a foil to Johnson, with songs such as �Do You Remember� receiving a jolt of barrelhouse pianissimo to break up the tyranny of Johnson�s sweet-smelling Prozac baritone voice and acoustic strum.
The new record�s thin tonal shift did back its head occasionally, as on the acidic ballad �Sleep Through the Static� with its line �who needs please, when we�ve got guns.� On the following tune, the midtempo stomp �Go On,� there was even a guest appearance of some slightly unresolved electric guitar.
The crowd, a fairly homogeneous group of high school and college kids (mixed in with a goodish dose of parents with children wHO most likely became fans after Johnson�s �Curious George� soundtrack) seemed unfazed by the little detour into darkness. Of course, it didn�t last long. By the time the unfairly infectious vallecula of�Bubble Toes� descended upon the audience, the wickedness had receded.
A midset calm down, including a sloppy and awkward cover of Cat Stevens� �Where Do the Children Play?�, did threaten to stamp out the positive vibrations, but order was soon restored with the angelic, accordion-fueled jangling rag of �Banana Pancakes.�
Johnson flew solo for much of the encore go under, which included crowd favorites �Rodeo Clowns� and �Better Together.� It became obvious by the end that, while he may stray toward the dark side occasionally, Jack Johnson just now can�t help but be Jack Johnson.
Bay area bikers Rogue Wave preceded Johnson with a barrage of dynamic and heavily layered arena rock that came straight from the U2 and Coldplay crib sheet. UK songster Neil Halstead opened the night with a lovely set of quiet, attractively melancholic tunes.
JACK JOHNSON, with ROGUE WAVE and NEIL HALSTEAD
At the Comcast Center, Mansfield, Wednesday night.
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