LIVE: JACK JOHNSON – Nashville, TN, USA – August 25, 2026

Venue: Ascend Amphitheatre

City: Nashville, TN

Date: August 25, 2026

Review and Photographs by: Jacob Smith (https://www.jhs-photo.com)

On Tuesday evening, playing to an almost sold-out show at the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, TN, Jack Johnson did not disappoint. Playing a rather robust 29-song set filled with multi-song covers and masterful solos from every member of the band. What started as one of those somber days in Nashville due to the passing of the icon Dolly Parton- what better way to pay tribute to a once-in-a-lifetime soul than to go see some amazing live music? It’s hard to believe that I have been listening to Jack Johnson for 25 years at this point. His music still seems as fresh and fun as the day it came out. About halfway through the night, Jack had a big screen lowered down to be slightly above and behind him. He then started talking about filming the movie’ September Sessions’ back in 1999. Once done with a very humorous story about the experience him and the band went into a short improv session performing music from the movie while it was played on the screen behind. This was the first time I was able to catch him perform live, which is surprising because of how much of a fan I have been over the past 25 years. So when I saw that he was swinging through Nashville and playing at a wonderful outdoor venue. I knew I needed to try my best to be there. His music always has that summertime campfire jam session feeling to it, so seeing him at Ascend Amphitheater on a nice, mild August evening was perfect.  There were so many moments I would like to highlight, from full songs to his masterful weaving of numerous songs into his full normal routine, that left the evening exceptional.

I was curious if there was going to be a moment during the show that he would pay respects to Dolly Parton, who had passed away earlier in the day, and boy, did he. In his true jam vibes mid-song, all of a sudden his keyboardist broke into the opening notes of her song “9 to 5” and the entire crowd jumped to their feet on the lawn to help pay respect to her. I was happy to hear “Flake” and “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” performed live. Those were my absolute favorite songs by him, so seeing them finally performed live was well worth the wait. Near the end of the evening, he stopped and thanked his band and the crowd, and then went into a story about how, after a show, one time Willie Nelson asked him to go play poker and ended up getting him high and taking all of his money in a game of poker before jumping into a song dedicated to that story aptly titled “Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money” to the laughter of the crowd. The evening ended with a beautiful Jack-only acoustic set of “Do You Remember”, “Angel”, “Taylor”, and the finale of the evening with “Better Together”. Leaving the venue, I talked to several people while exiting, and several had driven states away to catch this one specific show in Nashville due to the venue and night. All smiles and happy thoughts from everyone were felt and seen. I still don’t know what it took me this long to be able to catch him perform live. I guess it was just some serious life conflicts, but no matter that fact. I will make sure to see him again.

Setlist: Mudfootball / Flake / In the Summertime – You and Your Heart – Sitting, Waiting, Wishing – Sunsets for Somebody Else – Holes to Heaven – Inaudible Melodies – Bubble Toes – 9 to 5 – Take the Money and Run – Constellations – Who Do You Love? – Mas que nada / Staple It Together / Get Lucky – Breakdown – Shot Reverse Shot – Wasting Time – Banana Pancakes / Time Is the Master – You Don’t Know How It Feels – Upside Down – Badfish – F-Stop Blues – Intro (September Sessions) – September Sessions Improv – Good People – A Pirate Looks at Forty – Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money – Do You Remember – Angel – Taylor – Better Together

[Show as slideshow]

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries