John Butler Trio_05

A trio that certainly has a lot going for them! On Saturday I was lucky enough to see the John Butler Trio in a sold out Volkshaus. This money spent for this ticket was definitely worth it! I’ve seen the band a few years ago at Gurten Festival and was totally surprised back then. So getting a ticket for this show was a no-brainer!

This time i was able to enjoy a really great support act. Brett Dennen who took the stage together with Jamie McLean (who by the way has his own band and is just as cool, if not even better ;)) was there to warm up the crowd for JBT. And they did one hell of a job. Brett who was on stage barefoot has a really special tone in his voice and very catchy and beautiful songs.

Not long after it was the trio’s turn. The man of the night John Butler starts playing his guitar and the crowd is already going mental. The audience that is pretty mixed (maybe a bit on the alternative side) filled up the space in shortest time. From the very beginning everyone was in a great mood, dancing and singing along. There was literally NO squeezing or pushing in the 2 or 3 rows up front – everything was just really relaxed and chill. Awesome! Throughout the show were always great guitar solos ready for us. John Butler really plays those guitars like no other (or maybe like 1 or 2 others ;)) Most people can barely get 6 strings to sound decent (yes I am talking about me) but he works those 12 strings like a god. Incredible how he can move his fingers…
One of my favorite songs were played in the very beginning already. I didn’t get a video, but found one that Eva took of „Used To Get High For A Living“ in Belgium.

Another highlight was of course „Ocean“. A song that is being performed by John all by himself. A beautiful experience to get to hear this song played live. After about a quarter through we started hearing some background noises. A guitar tech was there right away and tried to find out what the problem was. After a few seconds it was done (more or less) and the tech disappeared again – not without getting a great round of applause. Just so you know what I’m talking about, have a look and listen – isn’t this just a piece of art:

http://youtu.be/ja9UeCypJNw

After finishing the song, the tech’s were back and tried to fix it once and for all. While John wasn’t able to play the rest of the band found their 5 minutes of fame 🙂 We were in for a great little jam-session with awesome beats. The two guys on drums and bass really know what they’re doing – even John Butler himself stood on the side and enjoyed the tunes. But the show must go on… And it did! The audience was still in the best mood and showed their appreciation with never ending applause after the songs. After the band left the stage it was time for the famous swiss wave. Something like the mexican wave, but cooler, since the artist him self usually starts it without even knowing. Every international act loves it and says it’s something unique to Switzerland. These guys were no exception and let us do it 3 times 🙂 After another 2 songs the show did end eventually. The crowd was not ready, obviously, but after another beer or two the venue did quiet down. It was a great night and just as mentioned in the beginning it was totally worth the money. One thing’s clear, I’ll definitely be back the next time!