For two Nights in a row, Jack Johnson won over the Hearts of Santa Barbara
By Iris Heckes
On both Oct. 3 and 4, Jack Johnson hit the stage of the Santa Barbara Bowl with bandmates Zach Gill, Merlo Podlewski, and Adam Topol, and opener/special guest Garrett Dutton, “G. Love,” as part of his “SURFILMUSIC” tour.
When tickets went on sale in November 2025, both shows sold out almost immediately, filling up the entire amphitheater.
Jack Johnson is a special figure to the Santa Barbara community. While he wasn’t born here, Johnson moved from Oahu, Hawaii, to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he made surf documentaries and graduated with a B.A. Surfing is a big inspiration behind not only his films but his songs as well.
The show was a huge success. Johnson and his band invited the special guest “G. Love” onto the stage for multiple songs. “Today is actually a really special night,” said Johnson, referring to his friend G. Love. During the first show, G. Love celebrated his birthday.
Both Johnson and his pianist, Zach Gill, were energetic and connected with the audience for the entirety of the performance. Gill shocked the crowd by standing on his piano for parts of the performance.
Johnson has made a huge impact on the Santa Barbara Bowl. Johnson is a longtime partner of the Bowl, focusing on eliminating single-use plastic with reusable cups. “Everybody loves this place; this is the best place in the world,” said Johnson, celebrating the venue. “Cheers, Santa Barbara Bowl!” The whole crowd proudly waved their reusable cups in the air to ‘cheers’ with Johnson, a program he helped pilot in 2014. Now venues across the country are following suit.
Around halfway through the night, Johnson recognized the nonprofits that supported him and his initiatives, including the Community Environmental Council, Environmental Defense Center, Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, Heal the Ocean, and Explore Ecology. Johnson’s social action network, AllAtOnce, supported the organizations. He also showed his own surf film titled “The September Sessions.”
The band made sure to play all his hits, including “Better Together,” “Banana Pancakes,” and more. Johnson even incorporated cover songs into his set list, turning them into a “Jack Johnson” style of music. Some of the covers were “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, and “Bad Fish” by Sublime.
Although the crowd was a little sleepy at first, everyone woke up when fans were shown on one or all three of the large screens on Johnson’s set during “Where'd All the Good People Go?”
Because of his special connection to Santa Barbara, Johnson’s band exited the stage, and he became just a man with a guitar taking requests from the audience. “It’s a little different every night; tonight we nailed it for you guys,” he said. Johnson welcomed his band back on stage, celebrating not only Gill and honorary member G. Love but also Podlewski on bass and Topol on drums. “What’s up, Santa Barbara? Do I get my intro, Jack?” joked Topol.
While Johnson was just passing through, Santa Barbara residents will be cherishing the two wonderful nights at the Bowl—until next time.
