Santa Barbara Celebrates Lobero Theatre 150th Anniversary w/ Jack Johnson Performing Live!

By Cheri Fox

The Lobero Theatre Santa Barbara, heritage celebrated with a spectacular community and vip event on February 21, 2023 . The Lobero Theatre welcomed over 600 guests to the Lobero Theatre for the 150th anniversary celebration and concert where Jack Johnson performed live. Jack Johnson started his career many years ago back in his college days in Santa Barbara, on the night of 150th Anniversary while performing live on stage at the Lobero Theatre Johnson expressed his adoration for Santa Barbara and how his career began when he fell in love with his wife and wrote his love songs over 20 years ago, and now how he was honored headlining the celebration for Santa Barbara’s 150th Lobero Theatre Anniversary.

This was a real community family style 150th anniversary.  Patrons of the theater and the community were asked to line up the old fashion way at the theater box office and wait to buy tickets in person for the celebration concert with Jack Johnson, Many locals waited several hours to obtain one of the 604 tickets for this special anniversary event. 

On the evening of the concert the heritage committee hosted a lovely VIP cocktail party for the theater patrons with lovely hor d’oeuvres including smoked salmon tea sandwiches ahi tuna tortillas shredded beef sliders and a wonderful European style cheese & fruit table ;

Several of the donors of the Lobero Theatre were present and David Asbell the Executive Director of Lobero Theatre Foundation spoke adorations of the restoration of the theater and of the Golden Eagle they have recovered and restored to the original place of the Lobero theater for the monumental occasion for the Ovation Celebration and the ongoing year long occasion. 

The Lobero Theatre has had several high profile celebrity entertainment over the many years including famous legendary actors and singers from the theater’s beginnings where Clark Gable performed, to Neil Young and David Crosby and many others.

The 150th anniversary was quite spectacular; the performance began at the Lobero Theatre with the opening act of Zach Gil a multi instrumental Singer songwriter known mostly with his work with ALO and the highlight live performance from Jack Johnson, he is quite entertaining when right before his act the lights went out and the theater became dark.  Jack Johnson appeared on stage to notify everyone in the theater that the power had gone out due to high wind storms throughout the whole block ,but they were working on it and we’re not sure if they could keep performing. 

The audience was calm and encouraged the artist to continue performing. What a pleasant surprise and a wonderful performance an amazing artist Jack Johnson singer and band performed in the moonlight created by the flashlights in the dark theatre , he wholeheartedly singing acapella many of his famous songs and some from his most recent release Meet the Moonlight 2022.  He is a genuine performer and authentic artist and a real professional Grammy nominated with over 25 million albums sold he started his 35 day North American tour.  

The performance was exceptionally unique to experience, to see and hear Jack Johnson perform in the dark with just a few flashlights beaming on the stage like Moonlight. It was a really heartfelt performance, a very remarkable performance to cherish and remember. Thanks Jack Johnson and thanks to the Morrow‘s family for their sponsorship of the Lobero Theatre, the heart and rhythm of the Santa Barbara for 150 years we certainly met the moonlight with Jack Johnson February 21, 2023 Lobero theatre 150th ovation celebration.

For More information and the year long Ovations Celebration 150th Anniversary; Lobero.org

Upcoming performances include, Colin Hay, (Men at Work), Jazz by  Derek Douget Band, Tierney Sutton, Paris Sessions, also tributes to Motown, tributes to Elton John, The Jungle Book and Chubby Checkers & friends community concert.  Lobero.og #lobero theatre  #lobero #loberomusic