Jack Johnson Sells Out Santa Barbara Bowl for Benefit Concert

Jack Johnson and many of his talented friends sold out the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sunday evening to benefit the United Way with local disaster relief efforts.

At the beginning of the show, the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade Chief Abe Powell spoke about the recovery efforts his non-profit is providing in Montecito by helping to dig out mud from homes and properties. Johnson, who was sporting a Bucket Brigade t-shirt, and his wife Kim volunteered with the non-profit group the day before the show.

In an intimate setting, first responders and volunteers from the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow were treated to special seating on the side of the stage as if watching their own private show. At one point during the concert, they were all invited to the center of the stage to receive applause and a standing ovation from the crowd as the words “Thank You” were projected on the screen.

The evening’s musical guests included Ben Harper, Kenny Loggins and his daughter Hana, David Crosby, and Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) with Zach Gill, who Johnson met in the UCSB dorms while they were both in college.

Johnson played fan favorites and some of his older original songs as well as some covers from the 1970’s including the Youngbloods hit “Get Together.” All the musicians played separately and together in a cohesive blend of quality music. If you could imagine the most organized and relaxed jam band session with obvious talent, this was it.

The show ended with a heartfelt group performance of “Better Together” with all the musicians and friends on stage. It was a lovely event for the victims of the recent natural disasters and our community.

All proceeds from the event went to the United Way who supports local agencies that aid in fire and flood recovery.

Priya Talwar and Julia Elliott contributed to this article