Eric Johnson

[ArnieZ]

Saw him last Saturday for the first, and only time. Had a great trio. I really enjoyed his acoustic numbers, who knew? He ia a virtuoso player but frankly too meedly meedly to enjoy for more than a few numbers. Really glad I  saw him and appreciate his talent but once was enough for me. My wife, who had no idea who he is, commented that she loved the talent level of all 3 musicans as well but....anyhow. Quick review played a taylor acoustic I think. Spent some time on an SG, Tele, and Strat of course. No 335 in sight. If you havent seen him do do and  check it off your list.

arniez

[Saul Goodman]

43 minutes ago, ArnieZ said:

Saw him last Saturday for the first, and only time. Had a great trio. I really enjoyed his acoustic numbers, who knew? He ia a virtuoso player but frankly too meedly meedly to enjoy for more than a few numbers. Really glad I  saw him and appreciate his talent but once was enough for me. My wife, who had no idea who he is, commented that she loved the talent level of all 3 musicans as well but....anyhow. Quick review played a taylor acoustic I think. Spent some time on an SG, Tele, and Strat of course. No 335 in sight. If you havent seen him do do and  check it off your list.

arniez

I feel ya. There are several talents out there that I can enjoy for a few minutes and then suddenly I'm like, "Turn that shit off," and move on to something cool like SlipKnot! 

[hamerhead]

First off - shut up, Arnie! 

EJ has been my favorite guitarist since Ah Via Musicom and I've never seen him live/in person. I've seen enough concert video to know he can get bogged down with technique sometimes where fluid simplicity would work better, but he just can't help himself. He always seems to be reaching for something, instead of just having fun and letting it rip. Still love him - his recorded soundscapes are the best. I wish I could have seen him 30 years ago. 

I can't remember when/if he played around here, but probably should go see him before one of us dies.

[ArnieZ]

22 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

First off - shut up, Arnie! 

EJ has been my favorite guitarist since Ah Via Musicom and I've never seen him live/in person. I've seen enough concert video to know he can get bogged down with technique sometimes where fluid simplicity would work better, but he just can't help himself. He always seems to be reaching for something, instead of just having fun and letting it rip. Still love him - his recorded soundscapes are the best. I wish I could have seen him 30 years ago. 

I can't remember when/if he played around here, but probably should go see him before one of us dies.

wanted to see him for same reasons.. heard Cliffs of Dover in a dressing room at the Gap and was blown away but 

 

[Jimbilly]

I had Ah VIa Musicom on heavy rotation for a while there, and saw him on the original G3 tour, I remember that being really fun. I also recall that he was wearing over ears during the jam at the end with the other guys (Satch and Vai) and seemed a little bit uncomfortable with that part

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                                   Saw him back in his early Austin days with Mariani the Electromagnets. have been a fan ever since.

[kizanski]

I first saw EJ at the Beacon Theater in NYC in 1991 (Ah VIa Musicom tour).
My wife and I had been married about a year, so we were at the stage where we were still playing along with our partners' interests - lol.
They performed Hendrix's "Love Or Confusion" - one of my favorite Jimi songs and one that you never hear covered.
It was transplendent.

I saw him again in '05 in Shreveport, LA with @Jeff R, @Hamerica and @thecajunboy.

 

[diablo175]

Was lucky enough to see EJ at a G3 with Satch and Vai in '97, and meet him at the G4 Experience in '06. Truly a humble and down to earth guy! He did a few mini performances during the event and I was wowed to be sure. Never really got into him other than Cliffs of Dover... until that G4 Exp. Still don't know a lot of his work.

 

Edited October 9, 2025 by diablo175

[Bobo_Fagucci]

hanging over my shoulder as I type this....from hen I saw him live...signed. Great show. Get the comments., masterful nonetheless. 

 

[Willie G. Moseley]

My perception at that '05 Shreveport show was that his performance was self-restrained, maybe because it was an all-star salute to James Burton, and there may have been time factors for each set.

That said, he came back on the finale  to perform "Working Man Blues" with Burton, Brad Paisley, and Steve Wariner. Unforgettable; burned into my brain like a brand.

A couple of Johnson guest tunes that are impressive in my opinion but some unknown are "Red Clay" on Doyle Dykes' Bridging the Gap and "Lone Star" on Stu Hamm's The Urge.

And somewhere around here I think I've still got an '99 ACL audio dub  from a stereo VHS that opens with "Cliffs of Dover" and includes "Love or Confusion". Also impressive

[beezerboy]

my hero