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TORONTO -- When a singer makes James Taylor seem riddled with angst by comparison, then you know he is laidback. Almost too laid-back for his own good.
Jack Johnson is such a person.
The Hawaiian born singer-songwriter and filmmaker, in his third visit to the sold-out Molson Amphitheatre in as many years, concluded his North American tour Saturday with a two-hour show that was void of theatrics or rock star antics. He strapped on his acoustic guitar and went to work on roughly two dozen breezy, summer-sounding folk-pop tunes beginning with Never Know, from his latest album In Between Dreams.
Backed by a tight three-piece ensemble of piano, bass and drums, Johnson, wearing jeans and T-shirt, said little during the first batch of songs including Taylor and Banana Pancakes.
Most of the time he swayed to the melody with eyes often closed, but still appreciative of the standing crowd clapping and singing during Do You Remember and the catchy Sitting, Waiting, Wishing.
After mentioning that someone had just given him a banana, Johnson offered up Symbol In My Driveway, ad-libbing about the smell of weed in the air as images of water, palm trees, the sun and sea came up on the stage's large backdrop.
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The new songs such as the funky Latin groove of Staple It Together and Breakdown, the latter with Johnson playing ukulele, held their own againt the island-tinged Rodeo Clowns as Johnson rapped his way through the song. This was upstaged by Bubble Toes as the house lights came on during the loud campfire-like sing-along.
This vibe was also apparent during the Parisian cafe-ish Belle and also Constellations as cigarette lighters flickered from the pit back to the lawns. "It's good to see Toronto has gone with lighters and not with cellphones," Johnson said.
Johnson did a few cover versions during the evening, the best being The Beatles' Two Of Us with help from support act Matt Costa, while the worst by far was Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love?
Perhaps the highlight of the night was Flake from Johnson's debut album Brushfire Fairytales. Here Johnson and company broke out of their safety zone with a bluesy-cum-reggae closing that had a definite spark.
The band had its lighter moments, stopping briefly after Flake to have a beach ball-kicking contest after draping the piano with a Canadian flag.
After closing the main set with Good People, Johnson returned alone for the encore's start with Fall Line and the pretty No Other Way.
The concert was notable for its general admission seating, meaning first come got first chance at prime seats. The end result was similar to sitting in a massive movie theatre, with the late arrivals pacing the aisles annoyed about seats no longer available.