Jack Johnson - 07/07/08 by Daniel Webster

He may be a quiet and unassuming man, but Jack Johnson is steadily set to rule the world. A Hawaiian beach-bum who makes low-fi, low key acoustic music and surfs, he still manages to almost sell out the MEN Arena, bring along a load of support acts from his own record label and try to enlist all his fans to help him save the world.

G Love and Special Sauce were the main support act and brought their quirky, bluesy, summery folk-rap-funk music to the Arena and an appreciative crowd. That's the advantage of going on tour with your record label boss, as Johnson has built up his little empire of bands who are riding on his coat-tails. G Love is perhaps a little too unconventional for most of the Johnson fans to stomach, but he and his band brought good times to Manchester and that's what's important.

There was never much doubt what kind of good times Jack Johnson would be bringing, as his trademark laidback groove is almost a stereotype after all the millions of albums he's sold over the last few years. Quite how such seemingly unspectacular music has managed to capture so many people's imaginations is a bit of a mystery, but nor does he deserve the critical drubbing he so often gets from serious music types who feel aggrieved about his success.

However, the cavernous MEN Arena isn't really the place to experience his music, which is written and performed like it should be played around a campfire on a beach in the twilight of a sunny day in Hawaii. A big soulless arena just doesn't suit Johnson, and he doesn't seem entirely comfortable up on the big stage, even though it's somewhere he must be used to by now. Musically, even the newer material sounds a little thin in such a setting, but the simple melodies and catchy hooks still manage to make an impact even though they are having to fill such big spaces.

Some of the less familiar tunes seem to wash over the crowd in a setlist that always entertains but never quite catches fire, but the favourites like Sitting, Wishing, Hoping and Breakdown go down much better. To his credit, Johnson is an engaging performer and even though this is hardly a thrilling evening's entertainment, it's still a fun, laidback and chilled out gig that showcases everything that is good about the man and his music. It's just a shame he couldn't do it in a more natural setting for his eco messages and his songs.