Joined by Nashville’s Daniel Kimbro on bass and ex-Joe Bonamassa and Chaka Khan, Tal Bergman on drums, Eric Johnson was playing the last date of a five week tour, taking in Europe and the UK.

The great thing about catching the last date of a lengthy tour is that the artist is so in the zone, so practiced, so perfect. And that was where these guys were last night. Knowingly good.

It was an interesting demographic looking around the sold out hall. There were teenage boys and girls with their dads. Young alternative looking couples, couples of all ages, not looking alternative, and groups of men from twenties to seventies or even eighties. There were plenty of Gibson and Fender t shirts. I glanced at the guys phone in front of me at the interval and he had a guitar website up and was discussing collectors guitars with his mate. I even saw a couple of older geezers wiggling the digits of their right hand around, obviously discussing Johnsons right hand technique, which is bloody fast and jumps around the fretboard like a jack rabbit. He is obviously a guitarist for guitar aficionados, who like people like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, who Johnson has played with on a tour in 2024 called the G3 Reunion Tour, which suggests he has played with them before.

The trio did both halves of the gig, starting with Righteous and finishing the first half with Jimi Hendrix Axis:Bold As Love, and included a rendition of Duke Ellington’s Caravan. Wow! I must take a listen to the original and try to work out how he got from A to B, as I just could not imagine an orchestra playing what I heard.

The second half started out acoustically which I was quite surprised about, and it was a little light relief in all honesty. All those full on electric solos can make a boy’s head spin. He did a tribute to Chet Atkins in this section called Chester, which I particularly liked. During this section Gordon Giltrap popped into my mind. Whether he was an influence on a young Eric I don’t know, but it reminded me of him. Then followed a bass solo, yes a bass solo, and young Daniel liked soloing so much that I counted three bass solos in the night’s proceedings, but he is an amazing player, he must have finger tips like nail heads. There was also a drum solo, the second I have seen in as many weeks after not seeing one since the mid-seventies.

All three musicians were impeccable in their abilities and every song was very precise, finishing on a dead stop apart from the last song, Cliffs Of Dover, which had a resounding thrash around the kit, with the audience blinders coming on. Quite a few also seemed to start with a nod of the head, rather than a count in, which was very impressive. The sound was excellent , everything extremely well balanced and clear. All round, everything was well polished and spotless.

But unfortunately I came away unsatisfied. I was behind two guys talking on the way out, and one was saying, surely you could just do one amazing solo in the middle to show your ability – where were the riffs. And I think that was the problem for me, every guitar solo sounded the same, I couldn’t differentiate one from the other. When I think back now I can’t remember one tune, all I hear is soloing. But you know, seventeen albums into a career stretching from the mid 80’s, and playing to packed houses, he is obviously doing something right for a loyal following. I think he could be the Mariah Carey, or the Marmite of guitarists, you either love him or you don’t. I am in the latter camp, sorry Eric’s fans. Technically dazzling and outstanding, but lacking in feel and soul, although he did come across a very humble guy when talking to the audience.

I must add another note here, when I was researching him, I went on to his website, and he has posted a few guitar lesson videos, and he says rather than charge people for the lesson he would rather they made a donation to their local food bank. What a stand up fellow, I doff my five star cap to him for this alone.

Review by Andy Sharrocks

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 3 August 2026

DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION – Wonderland (Cherry Red)
KING FALCON Hourglass (indie)
SHAKRA Wasteland Warriors (Frontiers)
JAMES KENNEDY & THE UNDERDOGS – Revolution (Konic Records)
BLACKLIST UNION Madame Butterfly (BLU Records)
DIAMOND RAIN I Need Love (Pride & Joy Music)

Featured Albums w/c 3 August 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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