Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson brought his brand of warm, gentle, eternally summer-like acoustic rock to the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor on Wednesday.
Johnson’s concert, the second in the 2017 Waterfront Concert season in Bangor, drew a mixed crowd of adults and children, with the venue between half- and two-thirds full. From Johnson’s million-selling debut album “Brushfire Fairytales” to his original soundtrack for the 2005 “Curious George” movie to his most recent studio album “From Here to Now To You,” from 2014, Johnson’s music has wide appeal.
Johnson’s his sweet-natured, melodic, acoustic pop songs is highly accessible to listeners of all ages and has retained popularity even as his output has slowed down.
It was a mellow evening on the Bangor Waterfront. Johnson opened with “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,” off his 2005 album “In Between Dreams,” and continued through a number of his hits, like “Taylor,” “Breakdown,” “Flake,” “Upside Down” and even the fan favorite “Banana Pancakes.” Partway through the song “You and Your Heart,” Waterfront Concert staff allowed lawn seat ticket holders to move on down into the seated area — and, as it was, indeed, a mellow evening, they politely found seats closer to the stage.
For the song “Breakdown,” Johnson and his band was joined by Bahamas and his band, who opened the concert. Bahamas is the stage name of singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen, whose three albums of country-inflected indie folk have been very popular in his native Canada. He also signed to Johnson’s Brushfire Records.
Johnson, a passionate supporter of environmental causes, invited a number of national and local organizations to set up booths in the concourse of the venue, including Maine Farmland Trust, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and his own Ohana Charitable Foundation. Johnson this year composed the soundtrack to the documentary “The Smog of the Sea,” about ocean pollution. A new full-length album is planned for release later this year.
The next concert at the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion is Nickelback, scheduled for July 7.
