Jack Johnson brought his laid back vibe to the Coast Film and Music Festival at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach on Saturday (11/8).
Billed as Jack and Friends, the handsome surfer/musician capped a two-night gig where he got to screen remasters of his surf films Thicker Than Water (2000) and The September Sessions (2002), and then rock out with his bros.
Festival cofounder Ben Warner said in advance that the weekend was designed to honor the Orange County Bowl’s roots and reconnect the venue to its 80 year-old vision as a space for concerts and community gatherings.
The fortunate attendees witnessed guests like Hermanos Gutiérrez, G. Love, Todd Hannigan and Xocoyotzin Moraza join Johnson and his longtime bandmates Adam Topol (drums), Merlo Podlewski (bass) and Zach Gill (keyboards).
The opening night was two-hour concert that opened with a Jimmy Buffett cover of “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” featuring well-known surfers Donavon Frankenreiter, Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, Benji Weatherley and Keith Malloy, alongside filmmaker Emmett Malloy.
From there, the Honolulu native moved through material across his vast catalog.
We're talking tunes from his debut album Brushfire Fairytales, “Flake,” “Bubble Toes,” “In the Summertime” and the title track, paired with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side classic, “Breathe (In the Air).”
“Tomorrow Morning” from On and On made it into the set and the In Between Dreams era was not forgotten with the selections of “Banana Pancakes,” “Better Together” and “Good People.”
The set also included “Breakdown” from the Curious George soundtrack, as well as the Sublime cover “Badfish.”
Gutiérrez joined Johnson for “Rodeo Clowns,” “Hold On to the Light,” “Low Sun,” “Holes to Heaven” and “Cerca De Ti.”
Frankenreiter stepped in for “Staple It Together,” and Love returned for “Willow Tree.”
Earlier in the day, the Coast Film and Music Festival hosted film screenings, environmental panels and outdoor presentations, making it a full experience even before the guitars were plugged in.
Johnson had a career long before his first album reached the public. Raised on the North Shore of Oahu, he shredded as a competitive surfer.
He appeared in surf films and building a name for himself in that community as respected amateur until an accident at age 17 that ended his competitive trajectory and redirected him toward filmmaking and songwriting.
His musical breakthrough arrived with Brushfire Fairytales in 2001, which sold more than one million copies in the US alone.
Follow-up releases such as In Between Dreams and Sleep Through the Static reached #1 on the Billboard 200.
Offstage, Johnson has maintained a focus on sustainability with low-impact touring, waste-reduction efforts and coastal conservation work through the Johnson Ohana Foundation.
Don't be bummed if you missed it, Jack will be taking this on the road next summer with many of his pals. If anything the Irvine Bowl shows were a dry run. Get your tix on Jack's website.
Jack Johnson SURFILMUSIC 2026
LEG 1 (with Hermanos Gutiérrez)
June 19 — Gilford, New Hampshire — Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
June 20 — Mansfield, Massachusetts — Xfinity Center
June 21 — Holmdel, New Jersey — PNC Bank Arts Center
June 24 — Saratoga, New York — Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 26 — Columbia, Maryland — Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Highmark Mann Center
June 28 — Wantagh, New York — Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
June 30 — Toronto, ON — RBC Amphitheatre
July 1 — Canandaigua, New York — CMAC
July 3 — Burgettstown, Pennsylvania — Pavilion at Star Lake
July 4 — Noblesville, Indiana — Ruoff Music Center
July 5 — Grand Rapids, Michigan — Acrisure Amphitheater
July 7 — Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio — Blossom Music Center
July 8 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Riverbend Music Center
July 10 — Clarkston, Michigan — Pine Knob Music Theatre
July 11 — Chicago, Illinois — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 12 — Shakopee, Minnesota — Minnesota Quarry Amphitheater
LEG 2 (with Lake Street Dive, *G. Love Tahoe only)
August 18 — West Palm Beach, Florida — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
August 19 — Tampa, Florida — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 21 — Alpharetta, Georgia — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
August 22 — Raleigh, North Carolina — Coastal Credit Union Music Park
August 23 — Charlotte, North Carolina — PNC Music Pavilion
August 25 — Nashville, Tennessee — Ascend Amphitheater
August 26 — Orange Beach, Alabama — The Wharf Amphitheater
August 28 — The Woodlands, Texas — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 29 — Austin, Texas — Germania Insurance Amphitheater
August 30 — Dallas, Texas — Dos Equis Pavilion
September 1 — Riverside, Missouri — MORTON Amphitheater
September 2 — Greenwood Village, Colorado — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
September 3 — Greenwood Village, Colorado — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
September 4 — West Valley City, Utah — USANA Amphitheatre
September 6 — Stateline, Nevada — Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic*
LEG 3 (with ^Hermanos Gutiérrez, *G. Love)
September 26 — George, Washington — The Gorge Amphitheatre^*
September 27 — Bend, Oregon — Hayden Homes Amphitheater*
September 28 — Troutdale, Oregon — McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater*
September 30–October 1 — Berkeley, California — The Greek Theatre*
October 3 — Santa Barbara, California — Santa Barbara Bowl*
October 4 — Santa Barbara, California — Santa Barbara Bowl*
October 6 — Phoenix, Arizona — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre^
October 9 — Chula Vista, California — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre^
October 10 — Los Angeles, California — Hollywood Bowl^
October 11 — Los Angeles, California — Hollywood Bowl^
