A few months ago my wife Annika and I had the chance to go see Jack Johnson live in concert at the Chicago Theater. Aside from a few minor annoyances in the crowd, it was the best concert experience I have ever had. Jack’s stage presence and accessibility to the fans was just incredible. It was not a typical concert where the audience just listens and watches the show. Jack actually interacted with the audience and responded to fans as they shouted out questions and song requests.
Most couples have a song that symbolizes their relationship. Annika and I have an artist. There is at least one song on all of his albums that we have an emotional connection with. His music really speaks to our hearts and is a great picture of our love for each other. I loved that Jack opened with his song Do you Remember. He sings about how him and his wife first met. In the original version he sings about how they’ve been together for over ten years. Annika and I are blessed now to be able to say we’ve been best friends for over ten years! Since the summer of 2003 she has been my angel. The thing I loved about Jack’s live performance though was that he changed the lyrics to say that he and his wife have now been together for 20 years! He’s still singing this song about all those great memories after 20 years!
One of the things I love about the song is the part where Jack talks about him and his wife meeting because he locked his bike to hers. Annika and I share a similar story. Our relationship began while riding bikes through West Michigan with the Shiloh church youth group. There’s one distinct moment that I really remember where I began to realize, I really like this girl. We were riding through the Tunnel of the Trees along the shore of Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful sunny day. We were given permission to break from our normally assigned groups and ride with whomever we wanted during this section of road. Somehow I drifted back and ended up riding alongside Annika. We rode together for hours, meandering slowly along the road. There were times when we were only cruising around 10mph while we shared our life stories with each other. I will never forget that trip. It was the beginning of a friendship that will last throughout eternity. Thanks for being my wife Annika! I can’t wait to see the next 10 years of our life together and be able to sing along with this live version of Jack’s song!