Jack Johnson at CMAC in Canandaigua, New York
Some concerts just sneak up on you. During one of the hottest stretches of his 2026 tour, Jack Johnson turned a sweltering Finger Lakes evening into the kind of night that reminds you why you love summertime.
Opening act Hermanos Gutiérrez kicked it off. The duo’s instrumental set drifted through Latin American rhythms, spaghetti western guitar lines, desert psychedelia, and enough cinematic ambience to make you think someone was about to ride off into the sunset.
When Johnson and his longtime band hit the stage, the mostly younger crowd in the packed house was ready. The band played the hits but also kept the music moving with clever medleys, borrowing from bands such as Mungo Jerry and Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66. It added another layer of fun to music that stayed loose, organic, and wonderfully unforced. It didn’t rock so much as it rolled, finding an easy groove. Whether you came for folk, reggae, pop, or just a good time, there was something here for everyone.
A personal highlight arrived midway through the set when openers Hermanos Gutiérrez returned to join Johnson’s band for a few numbers. Both bands provided a live score to one of Johnson’s surf films projected above the stage. The result was part concert, part surf film, part road trip. It was one of those moments that could only happen at a Jack Johnson show.
Another standout moment came with “Girl I Want to Lay You Down,” as multi-instrumentalist Zach Gill stepped up to sing. His performance brought energy and reminded everyone just how deep the talent runs in this band.
Throughout the evening, Johnson was relaxed, funny, and generous with the spotlight, letting the songs—and his bandmates—shine as much as he did.
Toward the end of the show, Johnson took requests and stripped things down acoustically before pulling a random young fan from the audience onto the stage. As it turned out, the kid could keep up. That’s the thing about Jack Johnson shows—they leave room for happy accidents, and sometimes those become the moments everyone talks about on the drive home.
Johnson mentioned that he and his wife had spent part of the day out on Canandaigua Lake. Not many touring musicians get to dip their toes into the crown jewel of the Finger Lakes before clocking in for work, and somehow it fit the evening’s easygoing spirit. Relaxed, grateful, and fully present.
By the time the lights came up, the smiles on the way out said everything. The show had been groovy without trying to be hip, polished without feeling rehearsed, and uplifting without becoming sentimental.
If Jack Johnson ever makes his way back to CMAC, he’s absolutely worth seeing again.