The John Butler Trio are currently on their Funky Tonight Tour throughout Australia from the 19^th November until the 10^th December.

On Sunday, the Empire Theatre in Toowoomba had the privilege of hosting the John Butler Trio once more. The allure of the John Butler Trio’s blues and roots music was in effect as nearly all of the 2400 seats were in use for the concert. The Empire is a grand old theatre, originally opened in 1911 and used primarily to show silent movies. Unfortunately, the theatre was destroyed by fire in 1933. For many years the Empire Theatre remained unused until it was refurbished and reopened in 1993 where it established itself as the premiere theatre for performing arts in the Darling Downs region.

I have now had the pleasure of listening to the John Butler Trio perform three times in person:

• December 3^rd 2006, Funky Tonight Tour
• December 11^th 2005, Homeward Bound Tour
• May 25^th 2004, Sunrise Over Sea Tour

The first encounter with John Butler in 2004 was the most amazing live concert experience I had ever been involved with. The exceptional guitar skills of John and the beautiful timbre the band creates, solidified me as a John Butler Trio fan in the same concert. The outdoor concert held at the Brisbane Riverstage in 2005 was a spectacle to behold with thousands of fans soaking up the wonderful music and great atmosphere. After having such an excellent experience at the Empire Theatre in Toowoomba two years earlier, I was eager to hear the John Butler Trio perform there again and they didn’t disappoint. Its the true sign of a quality band when they deliver consistently high standard performances live; not all bands can do it – but the John Butler Trio certainly can.

Below are some (rather ordinary) photos snapped throughout the concert on a little Canon Ixus 400:

• Toward the start of the concert
• Band shot toward the start of the concert
• John somewhere in the middle of the concert
• John at the start of the encore
• John clapping & singing with the crowd after playing Peaches & Cream in the encore
• Band shot during the encore

I tell everyone about the John Butler Trio that cares to listen as I believe them to be one of the most unique bands that have come out of Australia. The guitar skills of John Butler will surpass everyone’s expectations, setting a new watermark for all other guitarists to strive for. With his unique style, you’ll walk away from the concert wondering how he manages to create the sounds, rhythms and where required incredible speed with his guitar. The John Butler Trio percussionist, Michael Barker, also brings a raft of wonderful sounds to the band. Due to the pace that a lot of the John Butler Trio music is played at, Michael would have to be the hardest working man on the stage; regularly wiping himself down after a song with a towel. In some of the fast songs, I don’t know how he keeps up; keeping different beats on either leg and his arms are going in every direction at once. Shannon Birchall on the bass is also great, the deep mellow sounds of the bass really add a special element to their music and when he busts out the solos, the audience really appreciates what they are hearing.

If you ever get the opportunity to get tickets to see the John Butler Trio, you really must treat yourself. The band really do deliver masterful performances which you’ll be sure to remember.

The John Butler Trio are currently on their Homeward Bound National Oz Tour.

On Sunday, it was Brisbane’s privilege to host the band at the River Stage. For those that don’t know, the Brisbane River Stage is a semi-natural grassed amphitheatre backing onto the Brisbane River. It has space for about 12,000-15,000 people in a mixture of sitting and standing.

I have had the pleasure of hearing the John Butler Trio play twice now. My first encounter was in 2004 at the Toowoomba Empire Theatre, for his initial Sunrise Over Sea tour. The atmosphere that a theatrical theatre provided was surreal, it was electric. Claire and I left the concert in total awe; we would have bought another set of tickets and gone back in to hear it all over again.

My second encounter was at the River Stage. Since it’s a large outdoor area, I didn’t think the concert would have had quite as much impact – I was wrong. The sound was excellent and loud, very loud. The River Stage would have been at close to capacity I think, with 10-12,000 people there. Everyone was well behaved, which was great and for the most part everyone remained seated (where appropriate) so that everyone could get a great view of the concert.

Andrew came with me this time, it was his first John Butler experience and he was thoroughly impressed with the talent on display. This first thing that hits you is the array of unique sounds he manages to draw from his guitars, superb. Once the first song or two are over, you then get to appreciate just how hard he is playing when he starts ramping up into some of the faster songs – wow. As the concert progresses, the other band members are taking more and more of a role, until at times they are the sole focus of the music and John is backing them.

Even though we were outside with a huge audience, John still drew you in. At one point, he unplugged the leads from his guitar, walked to centre stage and played Peaches & Cream into a single microphone. He asked the audience to try and remain quiet and it was, as before, brilliant. There was another instance where John was backing the drummer and he is literally urging the drummer to go harder and faster. That was a display of absolute percussion talent – I think everyone was lifting their jaws, the roar of the crowd when it finished certainly backed that.

The three photos were taken by Andrew on my Sony Ericsson K750i mobile:

• Middle of the concert
• Toward the end of the concert

There are songs on the Sunrise Over Sea album where John’s guitaring has you in awe, however as impressive as it is, it isn’t a scratch on what he delivers on stage. John has an absolute gift for the guitar, which is hard to explain unless heard live. If you ever get the chance to see him live at a town near you, I would whole heartedly recommend you purchase the best tickets you can get your hands on and enjoy the ride – pure brilliance.