Gig Alert: Eric Johnson Tonight at House of Blues

By Darryl Smyers Thu., Aug. 27 2009 at 1:32 PM

Eric Johnson, not Eric Johnson.

Not to be confused with the Eric Johnson of The Fruit Bats [Editor's Note: Or the NFL tight end from my hometown], the Eric Johnson appearing at House of Blues tonight is the legendary guitar slinger from Austin.

Drawing praise from the likes of Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, The 55-year-old Johnson has been steadily plying his expert guitar craft for over three decades now. And, over that time, Johnson has appeared on recordings by a widely diverse collection of artists, including Cat Stevens, Carole King and Christopher Cross.

Also: His 1990 release, Ah Via Musicom, contains the track "Cliffs of Dover," a cut that won Johnson a Grammy in 1991, and the album has since gone platinum.

Let's hope the House of Blues sound crew is up to snuff, seeing that Johnson is a noted perfectionist prone to mercurial fits if his sound isn't crystal clear. Of course, this is the same guy who once toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai in what must have been a wanker fest of the highest order.

Anyhow, those guitar geeks should find all the bliss they need for the week at Eric Johnson's performance this evening.