Thursday – june 21, 19:15  – Magic Mirrors tent

“..So.. is anybody drunk yet?”
–Jonathan Wilson joking with the audience
(the bass player immediately raised his hand)

Jonathan Wilson’s concert at Bergenfest on Thursday evening was a time travel back to 70s California and Wilson and his band turned the hot venue into a cool west-coast breeze.   Jonathan Wilson had an easy going vibe going, he joked with the audience and it was an overall good feeling in the “tent”.

Wilson’s album, Gentle Spirit, have been making huge waves this last year and it was on many best-of-the- year lists in 2011. That said, the evening wasn’t all calm and cool. The band (and what a band, they’re fantastic both individiually and as collectively) frequently manouvered into a heavy rock’n roll groove. Just magnificent.

On the album his music is clearly related to the softer Laurel Canyon sound, cool, melancholic tunes layered in strings and organs, beautiful . In concert, the songs open up  in a more “aggressive” way. It’s like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with emphasis on Neil Young and I also heard Pink Floyd’s influence on several songs.

It was an absolutely great concert, and we all wanted more when it was over.

Best song: “Can We really party today?”

Rating:  Egil 5/6 , Hallgeir 6/6

Here is his great album:

-Egil & Hallgeir