Eric
Johnson rocks the Vault in L.B.
By Austin Lewis
Online Forty-Niner
Managing Editor
Eric Johnson, a Grammy-winning guitarist from Austin, Texas, came to Long Beach
Wednesday for a gig at the Vault 350. Johnson, best known for the instrumental
guitar work on his 1990 album “Ah Via Musicom,” is touring in support
of his new album, “Bloom,” released in June.
Johnson’s touring band includes drummer Tommy Taylor and bass guitarist
Chris Maresh. Both worked with Johnson on “Bloom” and other past
projects.
The show began with an energetic cover of Bob Dylan’s “My Back Pages,” Johnson’s
vocals were strong from the start, even though they were low in the mix at first.
The instrumental “Trademark” followed. Johnson’s performance
here showed the crowd his strengths as a guitarist. He improvised throughout
the song, effortlessly playing artificial harmonics between the song’s
melody lines.
Johnson and band played through two more songs with vocals, “Forty Mile
Town” and “High Landrons,” before moving into a set of instrumental
songs from “Bloom.”
“
Columbia,” written as a tribute to the astronauts who died on the shuttle
in 2003 stood out during this set. Taylor and Maresh played a driving rhythm,
serving as the backing for Johnson’s fast-paced guitar lines.
The band played several improvisational jams throughout the night. Two of the
best were introductory chords to “Your
Sweet Eyes” and “Cliffs
of Dover.” The layers of music Johnson created here showed his accompaniment
were just as strong as his lead work.
Johnson played four encores at the end of his 90-minute set, including a fun
cover of the Beatles’ “Drive My Car.” His show ended with “12
x 12 Vibe,” a song Johnson has played live for years but was never released
on a studio album until this year.
Up The Dose opened the show. The band played a poorly paced set and struggled
to keep the crowd’s full attention.
Up The Dose’s last two songs were the strongest part of their set. Played
at a faster tempo and with more energy than the rest of their performance, both
songs ended with the band’s two lead guitarists trading solos. But for
the most part, the band just did not
seem to be able to connect with Johnson’s fans.
|
