Jack Johnson Turns an Ordinary Wednesday into a Summer Highlight

The hottest show to date on Jack Johnson's 2026 tour wasn't just measured by the thermometer. On July 1, Johnson brought his SURFILMUSIC Tour to Canandaigua, NY, where 15,000 fans of all ages packed the amphitheater to capacity. A sold-out CMAC crowd endured the sweltering July evening, and Johnson rewarded them with a career-spanning set that felt less like a concert and more like a gathering of old friends.

HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ

The evening opened at 7:30 p.m with Hermanos Gutiérrez, a two-piece instrumental band formed in 2015 in Zürich, Switzerland by Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez. They played a 45-minute set with their signature blend of Latin and Western-influenced style, heard through intricate guitar lines and a haunting sound. Their music set a cool vibe for the evening.

JACK JOHNSON

After a brief intermission, Johnson walked onto the stage with his longtime band mates at 8:45 p.m. Footage from his new documentary film, "SURFILMUSIC" (which chronicles his career over three decades) played on a giant screen behind the stage. The band then launched into a medley of early favorites "Mudfootball" and "Flake," with a touch of Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime," much to the fans' delight as the crowd cheered loudly. This set the tone for an incredible show with a 4-set setlist of over 35 songs and stories sprinkled in from Johnson's career. It was great to hear some background and inspirations for his songs. I also heard some surprise Easter eggs woven into his songs; I swear the band broke into a Rush song at one point!

After playing the songs "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" and "Breakdown," Johnson paused to share a story about his dad:

He used to come into the studio sometimes, and he'd hang out with us. He'd come in the morning and check it out. He'd say, 'That sounds pretty good.' Then he'd come back in the afternoon and say, 'Hey, what are you guys doing in here? You guys sound like you're wasting your time. It sounds the same as this morning. You should record this all at once and then just go surfing and hang out.'

The reason I bring my dad up is that one of the nicest compliments he ever gave me was this: this next song reminded him of a diesel engine. I wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but I thought it was a cool compliment. It's a song about being on a boat with a bunch of friends, and it was the first song I ever brought home, back when I was making surf movies in the late '90s. This is a song called 'Holes to Heaven.' I wrote it on one of my first surf trips. [Onscreen] they're going to be playing some of the images around us from that trip.

Up next were "Inaudible Melodies," "If I Had Eyes," and a fun performance of "Bubble Toes" that had bandmate Zach Gill do a dance across the stage. Then it morphed into a cover of Steve Miller's "Take the Money and Run," followed by "Wasting Time."

For the next song, Johnson brought back the opening act, Hermanos Gutiérrez, onstage. He told the crowd it was a dream to tour with them since he had listened to their music for years before he knew them. He recalled hearing about them from a friend and putting on their music in his kitchen, where his first thought was, "I want to jam with those guys so bad." Johnson explained that they wrote "Hold On To the Light" together, and that it was about his late friend Tamayo Perry, the man the "SURFILMUSIC" documentary is dedicated to. Here, Johnson opened up about how Perry was a great surfer and an even greater friend, and that it was really nice to make a new friendship with the two brothers while writing a song about an old friend. From there, Hermanos Gutiérrez remained with the band through the next five songs. Footage from the 2002 documentary surf film, "The September Sessions," played on the screens while the band scored a condensed version as it played.

Set 3 had fans singing along to hits like "Banana Pancakes," featuring an unexpected accordion solo by Gill. Here, Gill said the solo was named "The Cana-day-gwa," a nod to the city's name (which then prompted Johnson to ask the crowd how to actually pronounce "Canandaigua"). It was followed by "Upside Down" (from the soundtrack of the 2006 animated film, "Curious George") with "Time Is the Master" and a cover of "Badfish" by Sublime.

For the next song, Johnson shared the influence behind it:

My wife and I lived in a van together for about four months, and it was a perfect test. If you can live in a van with somebody for four months, you know you’re gonna last forever. So here's a song about those times.

Then he continues, "When I recorded this song, I could kind of whistle, but I can’t whistle like that anymore. I don’t know what happened, but if you guys can help me, this is your first note." He played a note on the guitar, then asked, "You guys ready? 1, 2, 1, 2." The band then broke into my personal favorite, “I Got You,” while fans joined in on the whistling parts. The mashups were great and kept the set energized.

The band was clearly having fun onstage, and it spilled over to the audience. Fans stayed in their seats and were not leaving early to beat traffic. Johnson closed out the show with a mostly solo acoustic set taken from fan requests. A lucky fan from the audience got the opportunity of a lifetime, joining him on stage for "Home," playing guitar and singing along. Johnson also acknowledged shouts from fans for ballads like "Angel" and "Do You Remember." He ended the night with an encore performance of "Better Together."

It was almost 11:00 p.m. when the performance ended, and it felt like nobody wanted to leave! It was that good. The entire show wasn't flashy with effects or lighting gimmicks, just a group of great friends and musicians that played their hearts out and made it a very memorable show.

If you get a chance to see Jack Johnson, I highly recommend it so you, too, can have your own summer highlight!