Photo credit: Simon Green
Eric Johnson, Islington Assembly Hall, London, July 29th
By Simon Green
There is a real danger with hyperbole – music promoters use it liberally, naturally, but its casual use by many music reviewers can leave the impression that everything is just amazing, which experience tells you just can’t be true. With that proviso in mind, it has to be said that Eric Johnson’s return to the UK to play live in London (and the rest of the UK for that matter) for the first time since 2013 was a pretty sensational experience for those of us that appreciate top notch guitar playing.
Eric Johnson certainly doesn’t go in for any flamboyant stage antics; there was no stage trampoline for him do a double back flip while soloing, or anything similar. He was the essence of low key in terms of stage presentation. However, his guitar provided all the musical pyrotechnics that were required to ensure that the capacity crowd at the Islington Assembly Hall were held spellbound by his playing.
Photo credit: Simon Green
It can be hard to define what it is exactly that separates guitar players at the elite level, or any level really. Is it a lovely tone, incredible speed, the way that someone can seemingly free up the fretboard so that there appear to be a myriad of possibilities, or some other unique aspect of their playing? The thing that came to my mind after watching Eric Johnson play live for the first time was, apart from his total mastery of the instrument, the sheer musicality of his playing as well as the impressive variety of styles that he effortlessly switched between.
Playing as part of a three-piece, his set kicked off with the rocking bounce of ‘Righteous’, one of many tracks taken from his breakthrough, Grammy award winning Ah Via Musicom album, and was immediately followed by ‘Forty Mile Town’ from the same album, which – something that sets him apart from his fellow G3 gunslingers Satriani and Vai – featured him on vocals. Having demonstrated his more than decent voice he didn’t come back to the microphone until later in the set when he sang ‘Desert Rose’, another audience favourite from the same album. In between these two he demonstrated the superb fluidity of his playing; his fingers danced around the fretboard of his Fender Strat’ and, later, Les Paul as he soloed with lightning-fast speed, whilst never losing sight of the structure of the song.
The melodic, musicality of Johnson’s playing was beautiful – you could hear the underlying chord progressions even when they weren’t being directly referenced in a run. Too many guitarists drift off in their solos into a murky no-man’s land where the song has been left behind to be replaced by an egotistical bombast that quickly becomes boring. Eric never fell into this trap. It was a hot, sticky evening in London but at no point did his long set of primarily instrumentals fail to hold the audience’s attention. It helped that he has such versatility.
Photo credit: Simon Green
Not many virtuosos on the electric guitar are equally proficient on acoustic. Eric displayed his acoustic chops during an extended acoustic interlude early in the set, the highlight of which for me was his song ‘Chester’ a tribute to the late great Chet Atkins, which displayed his mastery of Chet’s lovely country picking style. During this section he also played another one of his memorable instrumentals, ‘Song For George’ and the jazz standard ‘Stella By Starlight’. He played another much-covered jazz song, ‘On Green Dolphin Street’ later in the set and his clean, sharp playing of the more exotic chords of these numbers as well as his superbly timed licks and solos was further evidence of the depth of his capabilities. His range was also displayed with some classic blues playing on several numbers.
It has to be said that his two companions on stage were quite exceptional in their own right. Daniel Kimbro on bass provided interesting lines to support the lead guitarist without trying to compete or overpower him and also played one of the finest and most enjoyable bass solos I can recall; technically masterful but at all times musical. Tal Bergman on drums also shone during his solo spot as well as playing with a solid tastefulness throughout. The end of the normal set climaxed with Eric’s most iconic and well-known number, the jaunty ‘Cliffs Of Dover’, which is one of those songs that never pales with repeated listens. His live version was stunning. The band returned twice for encores, the final one of which was a short version of Jimi’s ‘Bold As Love’, which, as you might imagine, featured more explosive playing. Eric Johnson is an absolute magician on the guitar. I sincerely hope he doesn’t wait another sixteen years before coming back.
Watch “Desert Rose”
Eric Johnson website