JBTI blogged about JBT growing into something more interesting a month or so back. Due to a surprise lift from a kindly local from the minshuku we’re staying at (40 odd minutes walk from the Green Stage), I was able to slide in just as John Butler picked up his slide guitar. Actually, it was a banjo that he started the day’s activities with. But that doesn’t work with where I’m going…

Today the million dollar hippie showed us at FRF his million dollar makeover. And it ain’t half bad. Fellow FujiRocker Jeff commented to me, “Yep, this certainly is John Butler Trio!” as we walked in. So yeah, it isn’t all fresh and new. But enough of it is. New tracks like One Way Street fill out classics like Zebra. Butler quickly moves on to his 11 string guitar, where an instrumental piece slowly builds into a raucous ruckus, which the still image you see titling this piece comes from. The quartet? Well today the trio was rounded out (at times) by keyboardist Brother Michael. At least that’s what I caught of the introduction.

Yeah, you read right earlier. That’s an 11 string guitar. It’s quite obviously his favourite. There’s a string missing off it, Seasick Steve style. Never to be replaced. Not needed for the sound. He ingratiates himself to the audience. I even note a number of them moving in time. But somehow the newer sound doesn’t quite engage me as much as it does in his recent recordings and videos. There’s something very… very… John Butler Trio about these guys. You might say well, that’s obvious. But when listening in advance it was the change we’d all been waiting for. Live, well it’s good. I like it. But there is a sameness that I feel doesn’t reflect the size of the changes the band has gone through.

Overall, a good performance. But, I think I’ll need not have been too disappointed had I not got that lift.