HEADLINER: JACK JOHNSON
SUPPORTS: BEN HARPER / JOHN BUTLER
DATE: NOVEMBER 7TH 2026
VENUE: RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
REVIEWER: HAYLEY TREADWELL – REAL WOMAN REAL REVIEW
PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDREW TREADWELL – ANDREW TREADWELL PHOTOGRAPHY
What a line up for a gorgeous Spring afternoon in Brisbane! It’s always exciting when Jack Johnson comes to town, but to have Ben Harper and John Butler along was pure perfection!
I had been looking forward to this all week, a chill evening on the hill at Brisbane’s Riverstage, dancing and singing in the Spring air to songs I have listened to from my 20’s through to now, and the night did not disappoint.
John Butler was the first on this amazing line up to take the stage and I have to say this was the most fun John Butler set I have experienced! High energy, high happiness and high fun! People dancing around whimsically and singing along gleefully! This was the perfect way to kick off the afternoon!
Hearing ‘Peaches and Cream’ live is always a big moment for me, and I’m sure for a lot of others in the crowd. I don’t think I stopped dancing from start to finish of this set!
Ben Harper arrived on stage next, humble as ever and kicked straight into his set. A genius of musical art, it was glorious to see and hear Ben Harper perform live! And when we reached ‘Diamonds on the Inside’ the crowd response was one of the greatest I have heard! In all my life I never thought I would see this beautiful song live, and I loved singing along to it with the rest of the Riverstage crowd! Ben Harper gave all his love to each song and created a very special atmosphere in Brisbane.
As we waited for our headliner, clips from Jack’s new movie SURFILMUSIC played on the screen. Jack is here to promote the movie, which is in cinemas now, and what better way to promote his love of filmmaking and original roots, than to put on a tour and talk about surfing!
Jack told us stories of his love for filming Surfers and how he would finish doing this and go home and try to put to music the experiences he had had in the surf. And I can’t think of any greater inspiration than what we already have in this world, the ocean. This is how we got the amazing artist that is, Jack Johnson.
Jack took the stage in Brisbane and delivered a stunning set. The die hard fans erupted when we got ‘Taylor’ so early in the set, later Jack included clips from his documentary ‘The September Sessions’ treating the surfer fans to ‘F-Stop Blues’.
Always thrilled to hear my favorite song by an artist I love, Jack performed a gorgeous rendition of ‘Banana Pancakes’ which included a Dolly Parton tribute with a ‘9-5’ interlude!
And one of my favorites moments of the evening was Jack bringing John Butler up on stage with him to perform ‘Breakdown’, with John seamlessly splicing in ‘Used To Get High’ on one of the choruses.
Hearing their voices together and watching their interaction on stage was truly special. And we also got ‘Trippin on You’ (by John Butler Trio) which the whole band seemed to really get into and enjoy.
I think the biggest sing along of the night came with ‘Good People’, although Jack had complimented the Night 2 crowd earlier on for their awesome singing during ‘Sitting, Waiting, Wishing’, proclaiming we were better than the night 1 crowd.
And whether it was night 1 or 2, or the lucky folks going tonight for night 3, those of us that saw this line up and lost our minds, the final performance of the night was everything we could have hoped for!
All 3 musicians came together on stage for an exquisite performance of ‘Better Together’, and in that moment, they were all just that! 3 musical and vocal geniuses on stage singing a song about unity. My heart is full!
The connection between these 3 artists is so intricate, and their love for each other and the music is undeniable on stage, how lucky we were to share this moment.
I left this gig with the biggest smile on my face and a truly peaceful feeling in my soul. Life is a lot for all of us sometimes, and I believe there really is no better way to let it all go than dancing it out in the night air with some incredible live music and about 10,000 like minded people!
To the wonderful folks at Face to Face Touring, Live Nation Australian and Mad Dog Publicisity.Thank you for inviting us to cover this show.
And to Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and John Butler, thank you for a beautiful, soulful and fun night of music.
