The final stage slot at the inaugural All Points West Music & Arts Festival in Liberty State Park featured a new headliner. It felt a bit strange when Radiohead did not take the stage, but that was all soon forgotten, as Jack Johnson played his catchy folk melodies for just under two hours. The Friday and Saturday alternative, hipster and indie crowd, while still present, thinned out enough to make way for the more hippy and family-friendly lineup on Sunday. Radiohead, Underworld, Girl Talk, Animal Collective, Kings of Leon, CSS and others went home, while Ben Harper, Trey Anastacio, and others took to the stages. At no day was this all more apparent than during Jack Johnson’s finale, where little children bounced upon their daddies’ shoulders or slept on blankets, while hippies wrapped in flowered skirts and sarongs danced the night away.

Johnson, always aiming to please his many fans, played through a catalogue of mostly familiar melodies and the crowd returned the favor by singing along in unison. Without Radiohead’s crazy light spectacular from Friday and Saturday, the New York skyline glowed with intensity and, at times, surreally appeared to hang over the scene like a large mural painting.

Whether it was the beauty of the scenery or artificial substances supplying help, there were fans intoxicated with the aura of Johnson. The jumbo-screens focused on a group of girls raising a home-made banner in the classic “I love NY” style, substituting their home with their favorite musician. This was nothing compared to the girl screaming, “I don’t want to go anywhere but on stage with Jack Johnson,” as her friend pulled her through the crowd (away from the stage) by her wrist. Of course, the majority of the crowd enjoyed the music just as the rest of the festival with good reason.

Two segments of Johnson’s set stood out as not only highlights of Sunday night, but the majority of people in attendance will remember them as important pieces of both their musical and, for many I’m sure, everyday lives. While the first segment is not as emotional, a special buzz came over the crowd when Johnson called upon his friend Trey Anastasio (of course, best known as the front man behind Phish) to join him on stage for the poppy favorite “Mudfootball.” When the song finished, Johnson approached the microphone to say, “I’d like to dedicate this song to the stars behind the clouds and hope they win the batter over the rain. This song is for them.” Gasps of adulation emerged from the crowd as the first notes of “Constellations” filled the air. This song blended smoothly into the next, a sing-along rendition of “Breakdown” where the audience equaled and, at times, overpowered the volume of Johnson’s voice. Just as the crowd began to relax, Mr. Johnson asked another friend to join him and this time, the guest stayed on for two songs. Matt Costa first played lead guitar for Johnson’s lead vocals on the headliner’s “Fall Line” before taking over on his own “Sunshine.”

While there were certainly other special lighter moments (“Staple It Together” allowed Johnson’s bassist to come under the spotlight, bringing him upfront to showcase his rhyming skills for a special rap section of the song), the other highlight was hard-hitting and emotional for all of the locals. Just after the first song of the encore, Johnson discussed how he turned on the news. A news reporter was standing in front of an elementary school and he watched the second airplane hit the Twin Towers. He started to cry. A couple of days later, he wrote the song he was about to play and he dedicated the song to everyone in the audience and their families who was in or around New York City on September 11. Just like that he started into his song “Times Like These” and, while some cheered and showed excitement, just about everyone had tears in their eyes (if they were not fully crying.) As if the intro was not impactful enough, turning to the right just about 90 degrees gave a clear view of the empty holes in the backdrop. It was a smoothed out murky night, yet the buildings oddly stood out crystal clear – all of them in the famous New York skyline, except for the dozen or so buildings no longer standing. Stars lit up on the stage set behind Johnson. They were a bit eerie for a minute, but by the end of the song, things felt calmer. The song finished with the crowd prepared for him to move on to something a little less dramatic.

Jack Johnson has many dedicated, loyal and even a few obsessed fans, but even those not so into his music could feel satisfied with the conclusion to the first APW festival in the New York metropolitan area.

Categories: Concert Reviews, Features, Festival News/Rumor
Tags: All Points West Music Festival, APW Live Coverage 2008, Jack Johnson, Matt Costa, Trey Anastasio