The instrument is based on his favorite 1954 Strat that was used on iconic albums like Tones and Ah Via Musicom, but had, sadly, been sold years back. II.įor this tour, Johnson brought out his new signature “Virginia” guitar, from the Fender Stories Collection. Of course, Johnson is aware that many in the audience were there for the shred, and though he opened the second set with an acoustic in hand, he started right off the bat with the jaw-dropping “Lake Travis,” a burning instrumental highlight of EJ Vol. While Johnson burned through many of the electric selections with his trademark lightning-speed pentatonic sequences, he also captivated the audience equally with his sensitive vocals and jazzy piano playing on “Over the Moon,” which also featured rhythm guitarist Dave Scher lightly hybrid-picking volume-swelled, chordal fragments. (It’s the sequel to the 2016 all-acoustic EJ, and adds in electric elements.) The audience at the Boulton Center consisted of a diverse array of folks-hipsters, young kids, rich lawyer types, and musicians who resembled electronics guru Larry Hartke-who, over the course of a three-hour show (with only a very brief intermission), enjoyed hearing Johnson singing and playing electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and piano on everything from classics like “Zap” and “Cliffs of Dover” to vocal-driven songs from his latest release EJ Vol. Over the decades, Johnson’s music has broadened in scope considerably and now has a much wider appeal. That’s the sort of hardcore dedication you see from Phishheads, but might not expect for Johnson, whose fan base was, for a long time, strictly tone-obsessed guitar geeks enamored by Johnson’s virtuosity. They took a grueling 16-hour flight from Tahiti solely to see Johnson (they even had front row seats!)-and rented a car to get around to four of Johnson’s Northeast shows from places as far flung as Fairfield, Connecticut, and Albany, New York. I soon found out that the brother and sister I had just met endured even more torturous travelling conditions than traversing the LIE at any hour of the day. There were no signs of life other than the flurry of notes from Johnson doing a soundcheck, and a pair of siblings waiting by the box office. But the first area appearance of Eric Johnson’s Classics: Present and Past Tour at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore was compelling enough for me to make the painful trek.ĭetermined to avoid traffic, I got a head start and ended up arriving at the venue hours early, when it was eerily empty. Anyone who lives in the New York metro area knows that driving across the Long Island Expressway is a punishment reserved for only the most extreme masochists.