This concert was conceived, says Johnson, “from really listening to the feedback that my fans provide. In this day and age of the omnipresent guitar player, it’s even more critical for guitarists to be able to stand out from the rest with their own voice, and Eric Johnson has been doing just that all these many years. EJ’s dexterity is legendary his chops blend rock, jazz, and classical so seamlessly it’s as if he has singlehandedly invented a new genre altogether. Nevertheless, both factions seemed to enjoy what was coming from the stage thoroughly. A quick query of a few audience members to my left and right revealed long-standing fans juxtaposed with a couple who had only seen EJ once before. Most of the faithful worshippers in the house seemed to be long-seasoned veterans of the Eric Johnson experience. Absent is any hint of ‘entitlement’ that so many rock star guitarists seem to translate, intentionally or unintentionally, to the audience. His humility in performance comes through as entirely genuine. It was so refreshing to see him in such concentration with his instrument and his craft, with little to no attention given to being an over-the-top/flashy performer. Although I have seen Eric Johnson in countless videos, experiencing this guitar star live takes on an entirely different vibe. I mean, today’s newest crop of gunslingers – which include guitarists like Guthrie Govan – owe a debt to the wunderkind from Austin. Although I have been an EJ admirer for decades, this was actually my first time seeing him live, and that perspective should temper this review. The band opened with “Stratagem” from the newest album Collage, which could easily stand right along with the other EJ staples in his catalog, especially by early-nineties Musicom standards.Īs a guitarist myself, I was immediately struck by Johnson’s anti-guitar-hero persona. As Johnson and company took to the stage, the resulting reaction from the audience was deafening. The theater’s ubiquitous impresario, Ron Onesti, prepared a video projected on the Arcada’s massive video wall that welcomed the nearly sold-out crowd, which he does each time he cannot personally attend and M/C a show. There is a charm about the Arcada Theatre that seemed to be a good fit for the show I was about to see. Listening to the comments in the audience pre-show, Johnson’s reputation of being a class act was undoubtedly apparent. This tour, very well received since the first leg commenced in 2017, proved that the current iteration is no exception. Anticipation from ticket holders was high, to say the least. Eric Johnson’s Ah Via Musicom tour, featuring his original 1990 bandmates – drummer Tommy Taylor and bassist Kyle Brock, pulled in to The Arcada Theatre on Friday night for a rescheduled show from October 31.
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