Girl at the Rock Shows

One of my boyfriend’s friends put it best. This weekend was like a beautiful case of whiplash. It started with the calm and almost meditative state that Death Cab for Cutie put me in on Friday night, progressed to the punk rock chaos that was The Bouncing Souls, and then went back to a more chill and meditative state with Jack Johnson to close it out. Really, this was the kind of weekend I live for. I got to see so much amazing live music and really capitalized on the fact that I’ll listen to just about anything as long as it makes me feel something, and I was feeling a bit of everything on Sunday night.

The Jack Johnson show took place at the absolutely stunning Mystic Lake Amphitheater. I really dug into a review of this venue when I saw MGK here the other week, so I promise not to dwell on it too long, but, seriously, what a fantastic venue. From the staff to the setting to the sound, I just can not get enough of this place, which is wild since I’ve only been there twice. It just feels so, well, lovely, and that made the perfect setting for Sunday night’s show. It was hot. Scratch that. It was hotter than hot. But I didn’t care. I was in my happy place and about to cross an act off my bucket list that I didn’t even know was on my bucket list.

Opening act Hermanos Gutiérrez was not on my bucket list, but that wasn’t because I didn’t want to see them, more that I had already had the honor of seeing this act live. The first time I saw them was back in 2022 at the Turf Club. That was a much, much more intimate space, and it let me see the beauty of this duo in all of its glory. I’m glad I had that experience with this duo prior to seeing them on Sunday because, honestly, I feel like they were swallowed up by the size of this venue and just the overall excitement that was in the air. Don’t get me wrong, Hermanos Gutiérrez’s sound was absolutely flawless as it always is. Their Latin instrumental music will take you away and into a whole different world if you give it a chance. From Alejandro’s guitar and lap steel performance to Estevan’s guitar and percussion work, I love how Hermanos Gutiérrez will take over your mind, body, and spirit without really asserting themselves in a way that you would expect. I saw that happening throughout the audience as they played through their opening set on Sunday. Sure, the roar of the audience, at times, overpowered the sound coming through the speakers, but the smiles I saw throughout the crowd weren’t happening because of the unbearable heat; they were happening because of the sonic bliss that is Hermanos Gutiérrez.

I said that the headlining act was an act to cross off my bucket list, but also an act that I didn’t even know was on my bucket list. That’s confusing, I know, but, truthfully, I couldn’t tell you the last time I thought about Jack Johnson. I vividly remember checking out his 2005 album ‘In Between Dreams’ and loving the calming yet playful energy of it, but also remember hiding it in the back of my closet as if I was ashamed to admit I liked it that much. I was young and dumb, what can I say? I was lost in a world of Slipknot and Marilyn Manson. What kind of freak would I be if people knew I was jamming to “Banana Pancakes” like all of the suburban moms at the same time? I hate that I ever had this mentality because, going back to listen to this album and the various other releases that Jack Johnson has put out over the years, showed me that I really missed a lot of quality time with this amazing musician.

Jack Johnson’s come-up and history are insane. From his work with G. Love that really seemed to put him on the map to his documentary called ‘Surfilmusic’ about his life from surfing to music, Jack Johnson is one of those guys who seems to be quietly changing the world. Okay, I guess I thought it was quiet because, again, I hadn’t really thought of him in years, but clearly I’m in the minority here. Jack Johnson may have been a small snippet of my life, but for the sold-out crowd of nearly 20,000 people in attendance on Sunday, he was everything, and you could easily hear and feel that as soon as the music started.

Joined on stage by an insanely fantastic band, Jack Johnson kicked the night off with “Mudfootball” before quickly shifting into a medley of “Flake” and “In the Summertime”. Each song reads like a story in more than one way. Sure, there were the lyrics that felt simple, but you could feel in your heart of hearts that every word had a sense of depth attached to it; there were also the notes being played by the entire band that created an ocean of feelings and tones to get lost in. Personally, I adored watching the piano player, but as a piano player myself, that was a given. I just loved how every member (including the pianist) knew when to stand up and steal the spotlight, but also when to back off and let Jack Johnson take all of the glory. When I say spotlight, I don’t mean it literally. This was the kind of show where it didn’t feel like there was a spotlight. The stage had a very collective kind of vibe to it. Instead of a competition between musicians or a hierarchy of sorts, it felt like everyone’s stage was working together in such a beautifully cohesive and cooperative way. Obviously, every band is working together, so this is nothing new, but there was something different about the beautiful and calm yet energized vibe that radiated from this band and this stage.

After a few songs, Jack Johnson invited Hermanos Gutiérrez back out to perform a few songs. It was a match made in heaven. From Jack Johnson’s subtly gritty vocals to Hermanos Gutiérrez’s genius instrumentation, I feel like these two acts should have been working together for decades. Maybe they have been, and I’ve just been blind. Regardless, the partnership was one of my favorite parts of the night. Another favorite part for me was the covers Jack chose to do. The cover of Sublime’s “Badfish” wasn’t a huge shock, as I feel like Sublime’s stoner-jam-rock kind of vibe matches that of Jack perfectly, but I was surprised when Jack Johnson played an acoustic cover of “One” from Metallica. Like my own weekend, this felt a bit like whiplash, but it was a beautiful kind of whiplash that I hope to feel again.

Jack Johnson and the band thrilled the audience with around thirty songs of pure, calming bliss. Although the heat never really subsided, something cool seemed to take over the audience. Standing there throughout the night, you quickly forgot about the sweat dripping down your back or the sun beating on your cheeks. All you cared about was the positive and slightly euphoric feeling you were getting from the music and the overall setting of the night, and if you ask me, that’s a heck of a way to close out a perfect weekend.

Line Up:

Hermanos Gutiérrez

Jack Johnson

Venue: Mystic Lake Amphitheater

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 52

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Hermanos Gutierrez – 1

Jack Johnson – 0

Show on Deck – My Phylzzz / In Lieu / Unstable Shapes

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