Eric
Johnson In Concert At Infinity Hall
With Arielle
Norfolk, Connecticut
Ah
Via Musicom Tour 2018
March
10, 2018
My first visit to the Infinity Hall in Norfolk CT was a
prolific one. I say that because I was about to catch six-string slinger Eric
Johnson for the second time. Last night was different, however. This night he
would perform his entire Ah Via Musicom
album. This was the album that introduced me to his music some 28 years ago, it
also happens to be my favorite recording in his substantial catalog.
Infinity Hall is a beautiful venue complete with a bistro,
bar, minibar and a wonderful theater upstairs that upon first blush, looks like
a church/barn, but very beautiful. All 300 seats are there on one floor
(including an upper level with tables for folks with food from the Bistro), and
there is not a bad seat in the house. Plus, there is standing room only in the
back for overflow. It was a sold-out show, which came as no surprise.
To
start the night off Arielle was going to warm up the crowd. She is an up and
coming artist from Texas that recently released a 5 track EP called Mind Lion. Before she came out onstage a
group of four ladies sat next to me. As fate would have it they were all of
Arielle's aunts! And quite the cheering section as well. Although, the crowd
did take to the young lady quickly, so the cheering section was getting plenty
of help from an appreciative audience. One of the lovely ladies sitting next to
me informed me that Brian May of Queen had taken her under his wing for a while
and now EJ was doing the same thing. So, needless to say, the development of
this artist has been in good hands.
Arielle is a natural talent. It takes a lot of guts to come
out on stage all by yourself and she passed with flying colors. Her voice is
magnificent and she really knows how to bend those guitar strings. Her
30-minute set covered everything from ballads, blues, and shredding. The
shredding example is provided with the song "Take II" (check out the
video) with her favorite two-tone guitar that she made. Interesting enough,
Brian May made his guitar as well prior to forming Queen.
I can't say enough about Arielle, she is one of the most
dynamic and talented young ladies I have seen onstage in quite some time. Her
future looks very bright.
After she was done Eric Johnson and his original band
segued on to the stage, so there was no break in the music, not yet. Tommy
Taylor (drums) and Kyle Brock (bass), who provide a rock-solid foundation for
Johnson to lay his licks on, stepped out with EJ. What a night we were in for!
Johnson's first set was very diverse. I think that word
properly tells the story of what he brings to the table. His mix includes rock,
blues, jazz, and pop. It is always interesting and extremely entertaining.
There was so much going on for a trio I find it difficult to put it all into
the right context. So, what we witnessed was a walk down memory lane on the
first set, which included a pumped up and rockin' version of The Beatles song
"The Night Before." The mark of a great artist is the ability to take
an iconic tune and make it your own. Not an easy task regardless of what level
your talent is on. Eric does it all with ease and grace. He makes everything he
does look so easy. His battery mates also are right in sync as well. Taylor is
a great drummer (and a good vocalist) and Brock is top notch and his bass
playing looks quite effortless as well.
After an incredible first set full of amazing musicianship
and improvisation we got a 15-minute break to get something to wet the whistle
and go visit Arielle and grab her new CD. She was very gracious while signing
everyone's swag.
Now the moment everyone was there for was to see EJ play Ah Via Musicom, which by no coincide for
many, was the album people there had discovered him through. I found out by
chatting with a few people in attendance that this was the case. There was also
one lady sitting next to me after Arielle's Aunts had left, that was not a big
EJ fan (her fiancé was) but after a few songs in she was a convert! I love to
watch people's reactions to the music and this night was exceptional.
As Mr. Johnson made his way through his trademark release
the crowd was all pumped up, however very respectable of the performers and the
rest of the people next to them. It was as close to a perfect evening as it
could get, actually.
Some of my favorites of the evening where
"Stratagem," off his most recent release Collage, "Black Mountain Side," a Led Zeppelin cover,
"Cliffs of Dover," my all-time favorite track, and the encore with
Arielle on a very old track titled "Zap."
Eric Johnson is a phenomenal guitar player and a very good
vocalist. He definitely ranks in my top 10 guitarists of all time. He has flown
under the wire a bit in his career and deserves a lot more recognition than he
has received. Last night proved to me that there are people out there that
understand what a great talent he is. If you have the opportunity and want to
see some guitar wizardry then make sure you catch him on tour this year!
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
March 11, 2018
Founder of:
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
Set 1:
Intro
(Arielle introduced the band &… more )
Stratagem
S.R.V.
The
Night Before (The Beatles cover)
Trail
of Tears
Underground
(Eric solo on piano)
Black
Mountain Side (Led Zeppelin cover) (Eric solo)
Wanderlust
(Arielle cover with Arielle)
C.W. (Kyle
Brock & Tommy Taylor; without Eric)
Camel's
Night Out
Manhattan
Pipeline
(The Chantays cover)
Set 2 (Ah Via Musicom):
Ah Via
Musicom
Cliffs
of Dover
Desert
Rose
High
Landrons
Steve's
Boogie
Trademark
Nothing
Can Keep Me From You
Song
for George (Eric solo)
Righteous
Forty
Mile Town
East
Wes
Western
Flyer
Encore:
ZAP (With Arielle)
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