Lake Street Dive brings the soul before Jack Johnson blends singalongs, surf films and free flowing grooves on opening night of new tour.

The South Florida humidity was in no mood to negotiate.

It clung to every corner of iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, sending sweat rolling down the thousands gathered beneath its roof and across a lawn packed to the brim. Yet nobody appeared interested in surrendering to it. Spirits remained high, voices stayed loud and bodies continued swaying as Jack Johnson transformed the opening night of his SURFILMUSIC Tour into one long, welcoming ride.

There was no need for anyone to paddle too hard. Johnson and his band kept finding the pocket, gliding from one familiar groove into another while the West Palm Beach crowd happily rode along.

Before Johnson caught his first wave, Lake Street Dive stirred up the water with a colorful 12-song opening set driven by Rachael Price’s commanding voice and the band’s soulful collision of pop, jazz and rock.

Lake Street Dive performs at iThink Financial Amphitheater. ©South Florida Insider

“Hypotheticals” established their playful energy early, followed by originals including “Better Not,” “Better Than,” “You’re Never Around” and “Good Together.” They also dipped into familiar waters with the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” the Cranberries’ “Linger” and Orleans’ “Still the One.”

Price’s vocals moved effortlessly from silky restraint to full force, while the band kept the arrangements crisp, lively and loose enough to breathe. “Dance With a Stranger,” “Smooth” and “Good Kisser” gave the growing crowd plenty of reasons to leave their seats before the stage changed hands.

Then Jack Johnson arrived and the entire amphitheatre seemed to exhale.

His stage presence carried no manufactured urgency. He did not need to sprint from one side of the platform to the other or bury the songs beneath oversized production. With an acoustic guitar in hand and his longtime band surrounding him, Johnson created a space that felt warm, familiar and unhurried.

Jack Johnson performs at iThink Financial Amphitheater. ©South Florida Insider

The singalongs came almost immediately and rarely stopped.

Fans joined him through “Flake,” “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,” “Breakdown,” “Inaudible Melodies” and “If I Had Eyes,” their voices swelling through the thick night air. Heads bobbed. Shoulders rocked. Hands clapped in rhythm. Even the songs that carried a reflective edge seemed to land softly.

Keyboardist Zach Gill produced one of the early instrumental sparks during “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,” tearing into a melodica and sending its bright notes curling above the song. It was a spirited flash inside an otherwise steady current.

Johnson kept the mood playful as “Bubble Toes” drifted into Steve Miller Band’s “Take the Money and Run.” The crowd joyfully grabbed hold of the repeated “la da da da da” refrain before the transition pushed the song into new waters.

Above the musicians, waves crashed across the towering stage panels. Tropical landscapes and liquid patterns later gave way to shades of turquoise, pink, orange and yellow, creating the look of a sunset constantly reshaping itself behind the band.

The visuals never swallowed the performance. They moved with it.

Johnson’s music has always carried the rhythm of the ocean, sometimes calm and glassy, sometimes gathering just enough force to push everything forward. On this night, the production followed the same pattern. Colors rose and faded. Waves rolled through. The band stayed comfortably inside the break.

The concert found its deepest connection to Johnson’s surfing roots during a special segment devoted to The September Sessions, the 2000 surf film he directed.

Jack Johnson performs at iThink Financial Amphitheater. ©South Florida Insider

Archival footage stretched across the screen while surfers carved through curling waves above the musicians. Johnson and the band supplied the live soundtrack underneath, bringing his filmmaking and music together in the same frame.

It was more than a collection of stylish surfing clips. Johnson gave the footage warmth through his storytelling, including a goofy memory involving legendary surfer Rob Machado. His easy delivery made the massive venue momentarily resemble a beach gathering where stories grow funnier each time they are told.

Once the film portion ended, Lake Street Dive returned to join Johnson and his band for Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels.”

The stage suddenly became crowded in the best possible way.

Guitars, keyboards and layered vocals filled nearly every open space as the two acts merged into one large ensemble. Rather than feeling like a scheduled guest appearance, the performance unfolded like a loose jam among friends who happened to have several thousand people watching.

“Banana Pancakes” later brought another huge singalong beneath warm yellow spotlights. An accordion added extra flavor while rainlike imagery rippled across the panels. Phones rose throughout the crowd, but the loudest response came from fans who appeared far more interested in singing every word.

Johnson continued weaving unexpected turns through the set. “Roadrunner,” a cover of the Modern Lovers song written by Jonathan Richman, flowed into his own “Shot Reverse Shot,” with drummer Adam Topol receiving room to shine.

Before “I Got You,” Johnson offered another story that captured the evening’s relaxed personality.

One of his children had broken a tuning peg on his guitar. Instead of immediately replacing it, Johnson accepted the instrument’s altered B flat tuning and continued writing with it for roughly a year and a half.

A broken piece became a new direction.

He then invited the crowd to whistle along, and thousands answered. The sound floated across the amphitheatre with the same casual joy as the clapping, swaying and singing that had carried the show from its opening notes.

Those small exchanges revealed the heart of Johnson’s performance. He never appeared to be playing at the audience. He welcomed them into every song, leaving enough open water for their voices to join his.

That bond has carried Johnson through a career featuring four albums that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200: Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George, Sleep Through the Static, To the Sea and From Here to Now to You. “Upside Down” reached the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 and topped Adult Alternative Airplay, becoming one of the most recognizable songs in a catalog filled with easygoing favorites.

Johnson’s connection to the environment extends well beyond the ocean imagery surrounding his music. He and his wife, Kim, founded the Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation⁠ in 2003 to support environmental education throughout Hawaiʻi’s schools and communities. Their Johnson ʻOhana Foundation later expanded that work by supporting environmental, arts and music education worldwide.

His All At Once⁠ social action network also connects concertgoers with nonprofit organizations while promoting plastic reduction and sustainable local food systems. Since 2008, participating tours have collaborated with more than 600 community groups around the world.

Yet none of those accomplishments were presented with self importance Tuesday night. Johnson allowed the music, films and stories to flow together naturally.

One moment placed vintage surf footage overhead. Another packed Lake Street Dive and Johnson’s band onto the same stage. The next had an entire amphitheatre clapping, whistling or singing about banana pancakes while perspiration continued to pour.

The humidity never loosened its grip. The lawn never became less crowded. The voices never seemed to tire.

Johnson simply kept reading the water, finding the next groove and carrying West Palm Beach along for the ride.