Jack Johnson Rides the Wave From Hawaii to Florida’s Coast on the SURFILMUSIC Tour

Jade Read

Aug 19

6 min read

Updated: Aug 20

Jack Johnson Rides the Wave From Hawaii to Florida’s Coast on the Surfilmusic Tour

Jade Read

Editor-in-Chief

August 19, 2026

The surfing singer-songwriter Jack Johnson has ridden the wave from the North Shore of Hawaii to Florida’s coast, landing at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach and stepping into weather even hotter than the Aloha State.

Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive — Rachael Price

Opening the night was Lake Street Dive, a band of Boston Conservatory-trained musicians whose talent was clear from the moment they took the stage. Whether breathing new life into the Jackson 5’s classic “I Want You Back” or playing their own songs, the band brought a level of musicianship that was impossible to miss. They were nothing short of fantastic.

With Rachael Price at the mic, any band is lucky to have her. The way she takes ownership of every song can only be described as velvet wrapped around a firecracker, smooth but powerful. Pair that with Akie Be

rmiss on keys, Bridget Kearney’s elastic dexterity on bass, Mike Calabrese’s restless drumming and the effortless virtuosity of newest member James Cornelison, and you get a band packed with talent. Each member brings something different, but they know exactly how to find the same groove, especially during the ensemble pieces toward the end of their set when they play off one another and let each musician’s strengths shine.

As the first act came to an end, a projector counted down Johnson’s arrival with a classic film leader. Johnson and his band of longtime friends walked onto the stage and opened with the fan favorite “Mudfootball,” easing into the same rhythm as “Flake.”

That transition became a running theme throughout the night. Johnson turned “Flake” into Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime,” while “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” began with a verse of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Songs rarely stayed in one place for long.

After the first few songs, Johnson asked the crowd to throw requests into the air and see what the band could do. Immediately, familiar titles started making their way through the crowd and into the set.

The night was built around Johnson’s film, “SURFILMUSIC,” which was playing in theaters as part of the tour. He dove into stories about his uncle, his childhood in Hawaii and growing up in the ’70s while home movies played across the screen.

That led into the story behind “Holes to Heaven,” which Johnson said came from surfing on the North Shore with his father after bribing government officials with cigarettes and booze to let them through. He also joked about his father’s reaction to one of his lyrics, comparing part of the song to a diesel engine and calling it “the nicest thing he said about my songs.”

Johnson’s stories gave the songs another dimension. “Inaudible Melodies,” for example, was originally written to get an extension on a film class assignment. The song came from Johnson’s fascination with Bruce Lee’s speed and the idea that a camera shooting at 24 frames per second could barely keep up with him.

Johnson even returned to the song’s original lyrics:

“Slow down Bruce, you’re moving too fastFrames can’t catch you when you’re moving like that”

He then thanked his professor, Dr. Braddock, for the lessons that helped lead him there.

Around the amphitheater, something felt noticeably different from the usual concert experience. There was hardly a phone in sight. The crowd was completely absorbed in the music, doing something that feels increasingly rare at shows: enjoying the moment.

That feeling has a lot to do with Johnson himself. His music is the sentiment of slowing down, living in the moment and paying attention to the world around us. That extended beyond the music, too. Johnson made a point of ensuring the materials used throughout the tour, including cups and utensils, were reusable and reflected his environmental values.

Then came “Bubble Toes,” sending the audience into a roar. Longtime friend and collaborator Zach Gill stepped forward for a melodica solo on the instrument Johnson has jokingly dubbed “the hookah,” showing just how much he can do with it.

Gill got several more moments throughout the night, including the chance to choose the outro verse for “Wasting Time.” He went for the deep cut “Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down.”

The show then shifted into another chapter of Johnson’s history as “September Sessions,” his documentary about surfing, played across the screens. Johnson and the band essentially became a live film-score ensemble, composing along with the movie as it played behind them.

Between songs, Johnson continued pulling stories from his past. He explained that the poetic lines in “F-Stop Blues” were inspired in part by surfer Rob Machado getting seasick and vomiting over the side of a boat in Indonesia.

“He’s imagining lightning / Striking seasickness / Away from here”

Other lyrics came from much simpler moments. Johnson recalled seeing a little kid running toward him on a beach, stepping on hermit crabs without realizing what he was doing. That image became:

“Hermit crabs and cowry shells, crush beneath his feet as he comes towards you.”

To close the “September Sessions” segment, Johnson welcomed Lake Street Dive back to the stage for a cover of Florida native Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels.”

From there came “Banana Pancakes,” complete with an accordion solo that slipped into John Holt’s “Time Is the Master” before landing in “Washing Dishes.”

Then came “Tape Deck,” Johnson talked about pulling over with friends on the way to school to listen to music, eventually hearing Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” and becoming inspired to start a band. The song ended with an acoustic take on Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.”

Johnson pointed out the connection between “Tape Deck” and the next song, “I Got You.” Despite sounding completely different, both songs are in B-flat. That wasn’t intentional. One of Johnson’s kids knocked over his guitar, leaving it permanently in B-flat tuning. Johnson kept it that way for nearly a year, and eventually started writing songs in the tuning.

As “I Got You” settled in, Johnson asked the crowd for what he called “beautiful whistling.” The audience obliged before Johnson slipped in a bit of inspiration from the Brazilian funk classic “Mas Que Nada.”

The constant mixing of songs felt like a look into Johnson’s musical DNA. That continued with Pharrell’s “Get Lucky,” which found its way into “Staple It Together,” before “Good People” closed the main set.

But Johnson had promised the crowd he would take requests, and he wasn’t finished.

He returned alone with an acoustic guitar and started with a request shouted from the crowd: “Home.”

Then he invited fan and fellow musician Aaron Esposito onto the stage for Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” Johnson talked about his friendship with Buffett, joking that Buffett once corrected him on how he had been playing the song for years.

That led to another story about his first interaction with Buffett. Johnson recalled asking Buffett to come by his recording studio while his babysitter was waiting for a plumber. Buffett showed up and played along, pretending to be the plumber and saying, “I don’t got my tools today, can I come back tomorrow?” Esposito eventually left the stage, but not before giving Johnson gifts from his children.

“Do You Remember” followed, with Johnson changing some of the lyrics to reflect the 32 years that had passed since the song was written. The sentiment of looking back on decades of love took on a new meaning when Johnson asked the audience to quiet down and called out for Colin and Hannah.

Johnson dedicated “Angel” to the couple as Colin prepared to propose to Hannah. The cameras stayed away, giving them a moment that belonged entirely to them. Johnson ended the song with a simple, “Hope she said yes.”

His part-time cupid job wasn’t over. The next song was dedicated to Taylor and Sam, followed by the obvious choice: “Taylor.”

By then, the amphitheater was filled with couples leaning into each other, laughing and singing along. Then came perhaps the loveliest song of the night, “Better Together,” leaving couples locked into each other’s eyes and quietly mouthing the lyrics back to one another.

The second leg of the “SURFILMUSIC” tour landed in West Palm Beach with a night that felt less like a collection of memories shared between strangers. There was love for each other, love for the planet and, above all, love for the music that has made Jack Johnson one of the most enduring songwriters of his generation.