John Butler Trio

The Fillmore Charlotte

July 21, 2011

The Deal: John Butler Trio rolls into The Fillmore for a long night of amazing instrumentation, good vibes and one hell of a performance.

The Good: The night got started with a 30-minute set by Gomez guitarist/singer Ian Ball. He played a variety of songs including one dedicated to premature ejaculation — "Failure" — and one song dedicated to the 20th anniversary of him losing his virginity, a cover of "Run To You" — that's what was playing on the radio at the time, he said.

John Butler Trio took the stage roughly 45 minutes later, but it was definitely worth the wait. The band got started with Butler taking a seat to play "One Way Road." From there it was a combination of old and new songs and Butler made his way through a variety of guitars — dobro, 12-string acoustic (which he plays as an 11 string), 6-string acoustic, banjo and even an electric — as Butler used pedals and effects when he wasn't finding time to dance and laugh his way around the stage.

The band stretched out songs when necessary and stuck relatively close to the album versions for others. "Treat Yo Mama" got a long introduction, "Revolution" had a Hendrix-esque solo making listeners wonder how he was making an acoustic sound so electrified. The band found a moment between "Don't Wanna See Your Face" and "Better Than" to offer a bit of banjo-led instrumenta. After Butler jokingly told the crowd the story of why he is a "inbred, foolish bastard" — both of his parents had Butler for a last name, he was born on April 1 and was born three years before his parents married — the tale led to a reference to the movie Deliverance, therefore sparking the minute-long Southern fried "Hoe Down."

The most moving moment of the night came during Butler's 11-minute instrumental "Ocean." After talking to the crowd about the problems in Northwestern Australia in regards to the Kimberly Coast, Butler sat to play the crashing waves of acoustic aural orgasm known as "Ocean." Combining finger-picking, strumming, tapping on the body of the guitar and just about every ounce of emotion that one can conjure up, Butler silenced most in the crowd with the moving performance.

Making the night a family affair, Butler welcome two of his brothers-in-law out to join him on "Zebra" and had his wife sing duet for the first song of the encore, "Losing You." The main set ended with "Funky Tonight," lasting around 15 minutes as it offered extended drum and bass solos by Butler's talented co-horts, Byron Luiters and Nicky Bomba.

After "Losing You," the band finished its 15-minute encore with "C'mon Now" followed by a lengthy "Close To You" which included all three band members hammering away on drums. More than two hours of music in Butler's first Charlotte appearance gives many hope that he'll be back much sooner than later.

On an unrelated note, much praise has to go to the Charlotte spectators outside before the show. While I was walking into the venue, Butler could be seen outside of his bus having a plastic sword fight with his 5-year-old son. As the two chased each other around the small parking lot, laughing and playing, everyone gave glances at a distance and let the father and child enjoy their time together without interruption. It's not often that touring musicians get to spend time with family and the fact everyone left them alone was truly heart-warming.

The Bad: Going to a concert, especially one that gets loud and has moments of more peaceful acoustic performance, aren't the best venues to get together with friends and have long, loud conversations — go to a bar for that. So, I'm not sure why a couple of large groups decided to get together and yell the night away trying to talk to each other. Really? Is that what you paid for? To listen to each other yell and scream over the music all...night...long? I know the people around you didn't care to hear your conversations — they were more likely there to see John Butler play, not hear about who you're dating or why you don't like some guy.

The Verdict: I've been to 65 concerts so far this year, and this one is easily at the top of the list. JB3 offered more than two hours of music with soul, emotion and energy offered by a charismatic frontman and musically talented trio who honestly looked like they were having an absolute blast for every moment they were on stage together. As Butler asked the crowd, "Are you in a better mood than when you got here?" If you weren't, you better check your pulse.

John Butler Trio setlist

One Way Road

Used To Get High

Pickapart

Take Me

Company Sin

Gonna Be a Long Time

Treat Yo Mama

Ocean

Revolution

Ragged Mile

Don't Wanna See Your Face

Hoedown

Better Than

Zebra

Funky Tonight

Encore

Losing You w/ Mama Kin

C'mon Now

Close To You