John Butler Trio turns up the musical heat to fire up Meijer Gardens crowd

On a cool August night, things got so hot at the Grand Rapids amphitheater that fans were leaping on stage and getting escorted off by security guards. Talk about rocking the house. (Review, photo gallery)

Inspired Performance: John Butler led his trio through a crowd-pleasing two-hour show. (Photos/Anna Sink)

The heat was on stage, not in the lawn seats.

Overcast skies and spring-like temperatures greeted the John Butler Trio’s debut performance at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Friday night.

So, Butler and his bandmates simply cranked up the musical thermostat with some torrid playing that cemented the trio’s reputation as a top-flight, must-see live act, with a two-hour display of rootsy, funky rock that absolutely entranced the audience of 1,700-plus in one of the most compelling Meijer Gardens concerts of the season.

Butler alternated between acoustic guitar, banjo and electric guitar.

In fact, things got so steamy by the end of the unseasonably cool night that the ebullient throng qualified as perhaps the craziest Meijer Gardens crowd in the history of the 10-year-old outdoor amphitheater: Several fans scrambled on stage one after the other – one even doffing his shirt in an impromptu belly-dance – to hobnob with the band, only to be quickly whisked off by security guards.

One of those concertgoers, a Flint teacher, briskly shook my hand and gushed about the experience afterward in the parking lot, thankful that he wasn’t arrested but over-the-moon excited about his spontaneous leap onto the stage to engage with his hero.

That’s the sort of inspired reaction that Butler induces with his gregarious stage demeanor, fiery songs and downright prodigious musicianship, most of it on acoustic guitars manipulated and enhanced with effects pedals, slides and occasional loops.

Following a pleasant half-hour opening set by six-piece Austin, Texas, folk-pop band Wild Child, the Australian-bred Butler pumped out a dizzying blend of instrumentally pleasing, uplifting, world music-hued rock well-suited to the jam-band scene — like some sort of musical polygamist who marries Rusted Root, Dave Matthews Band and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

It started with the crowd-pleasing “Revolution,” “Ragged Mile” and the funk-infused, audience-energizing “Used to Get High,” and continued all the way through the encore-closing rock assault of “Close to You” and “Funky Tonight.”

Standing Room: Much of the crowd stood all night.

THE VIBE

There’s nothing quite like a jam-band crowd, and that goes double for the John Butler Trio. Friday night’s colorful and enthused-from-the-get-go audience offered a twist on the gang that embraced Umphrey’s McGee at Meijer Gardens earlier this summer. The exuberant 20-somethings clearly impressed Butler and his bandmates – Nicky Bomba on bass and Byron Luiters on electric bass, upright bass, keyboard and didgeridoo. During the encore, the band had audience members face away from the stage for a countdown, then turn and dance like they’ve never danced before. And they did, from the foot of the stage to the top of the amphitheater, waving, hopping, spinning and shaking in unprecedented fashion. My guess is Butler will demand to come back to the amphitheater for its singular vibe.

THE NIGHT’S BIG MOMENTS

There were many. “Treat Yo Mama,” with Butler on lap steel guitar and Luiters on a stand-up bass and didgeridoo, literally lit up the amphitheater with rhythmic power and a Mideastern lilt; Butler’s acoustic guitar solo on “Ocean” drew raucous applause for its eye-popping, string-bending prowess; “Devil Women,” meanwhile, oozed potent rock fervor with Butler on electric guitar.

THE BANTER

“I wondered whether you’d come. It looks like you’re all here.” – Butler, immediately after taking the stage to boisterous cheers from the crowd

“It’s very, very nice to be here. We’ve never been here before. It’s like a long-lost family.” – Butler

JOHN BUTLER TRIO: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY BY ANNA SINK (AUG. 2, 2013)

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