Eric Johnson -- Desert Rose -- Crossroads Guitar Festival

[@nickball2010]

Eric's playing is off the scale, he's up there with Jimi and EVH in pure talent.

[@arch3088]

He actually blows them away. His knowledge of theory is miles ahead of them.

[@joaquinonthebass]

@@arch3088 sacrilegious, blasphemous and irrevocably true.

[@yoshikigrg8]

Actually he can play both crystal soothing slow phrases to articulate and blistering fast playing way better than those legends. Just stating the facts. But all of them are guitar legends in their own rights. 😎👍

[@knightfall9394]

@@arch3088 he doesnt possess the songwriting talent that jimi and ed had, no one really gives a shit about guitar solos

[@arch3088]

@@knightfall9394 Wrong

[@JohnWhite-xc3md]

Eric is so precise. All of the different tones for all the different changes he plays behind his vocals, THEN his solos are so effing articulate! Even his use of feedback is surgically placed! Dude is the most in control player I've ever seen!

[@JulesLeyheGuitarPlayer]

Will never forget seeing this video the first time… ❤️

[@RickyLandi]

5:15 You know you're good when you're playin and God is right by your side lookin at you

[@dexterrosales5321]

I remember I was in my room when pops played this DVD. I had to stop what I was doing to check out who this guy was when I heard this crazy solo. 😂😂😂

[@chrismicone9215]

I never knew he sung the songs too! Even more impressed than the last 20 years!

[@jonahpennington6668]

I love John C. Riley on the drums

[@dannyeglen4750]

Rock the shit out those drums Dale!!

[@JohnnyNation]

Gotta love the sound of the drummer's snare !!!###

[@shanebullock5005]

An awesome guitarist...his tone is unbeatable

[@GCKelloch]

I used to think that, but I wish he had something that can handle chords better than a Fuzz Face, and there are much better tube-based pedals than the old low V Chandler Tube Driver, which again falls apart with complex chords. His secondary lead tone now is smoother, but so dark.

[@joeblow4785]

Thank you purple colored Eric for guitar shredding us while emerald colored Tommy Taylor drum pounds us into the Unseen Realm !!!!

[@scotthazlewood9123]

Go forth!!!

[@darthvader9848]

that ghost notes in drums is lit 🔥🔥

[@aztecliang4268]

EJ is the only guitar god who looked like in his 20s when he was actually 50...

[@twanja08]

my favorite live version of this song!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@CharlesAtcherson]

Im late to EJ s game but when saw this solo I was hooked! Tone fo days!

[@tytytyme33]

I always thought he was underrated

[@davidmarrufo6177]

eric is the best of the best!!! love his voice

[@ThePreciousguitar87]

The drummer is awesome!🤘 Eric Johnson is legend!!💎

[@UptempoMusicLessons]

John C Reilly!

[@thomasrobertmalthus7277]

You gotta feel sorry for the band that came on next.

[@brothergilam4031]

I'm pretty sure it was robert randolph and the family band

[@dcdno_one2393]

Such a nice voice. Nails it live and sans autotube. Hard to do with the complexity of his playing at the same time.

[@leolovell6218]

He is so clean in his playing he is super talented he's coming to House of blues where I live next year I'm going

[@kentborges5114]

ERIC is still an amazing artist and an AMAZING performer

[@MrMikel1953guitar]

4:43 into the riff at 4:46 has me absolutely on edge! I cannot figure out for the life of me HOW IS HE GETTING THAT SOUND,I NEED to figure out how he’s doing that it’s got me absolutely blown away that I’m just now noticing this!

[@javierclotides4094]

great song and great guitarr solos

[@samkumar3281]

His voice is still the same ..I'm blown

[@mattszukala7103]

A true gift. Thank you for the tune's

[@GrandWazooR]

I was there. Remember like it was yesterday. ❤️

[@stixnbladezstudios951]

Wow! This one's very beautiful! I really love this one aside from the Cliffs of Dover...

[@stevecole3192]

My favorite EJ tune. Well done sir. Well done.

[@TonyTX]

elegant and colorful. Undoubtedly Henrix's style and i think he would be proud.

[@PROJECT4IT]

Amazing.

[@Mtns14000]

I love all the critiques of EJ and Tommy Taylor. Sure go ahead and show us your videos of your amazing musicianship. LOL

[@imranchaudrey9707]

😂

[@brizzx32]

Fricken bad ass!!!

[@michaelorleans5396]

Fantastique

[@anthem7777]

love the end solo still makes the hairs stand up

[@manimusicka2]

Love it!

[@ranchowilli]

sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come, because everyone likes to listen to music and love peace and animals.. Mother's Friendship 5 X 5 Mother's Friendship 5 5 5 5 5 Fran Records Costa Rica, USA and Germany

[@davidallison7592]

Great

[@MyFlippinValentine]

Eric seems to age at half the pace of regular people

[@DetestProtest]

Rocking out with Ercic Johnson, for your health... : )

[@yaelletjuh10]

Yes

[@guipranav]

Oh! Long back, I had the Crossroads DVD. The woman actually hands him a red rose. 🌹😅

[@jeffreyfletcher1780]

Haha, love that he ends with the horns

[@anitavassar1]

You killed Baby. ❤️

[@ghfan37]

i hope he plays in the next crossroads festival

[@TwoBitSodapop]

@axeputz yeah his singing lacked a little here. But i think it's amazing in his recordings and younger concerts. His vocals work for the music he makes.

[@Str8upLaw]

5:31 She was ready to give herself to ej XD

[@sergiomichelmusic]

I like how the bassist looks like Jake from Two and a Half Men all grown up. Kid can play.

[@stefanhoefer]

Has anybody got an idea what he is doing at 3:00 ? I got the melody but not the voicings he is playing above it. Thanks!

[@twanja08]

Yep!! 🤣🤣 EJ stuff man!!!!

[@tombranighan4569]

epic

[@maypapa560]

Which year was it? 2004?

[@abrahamvelasquez5831]

😊

[@timfender0740]

Dale doback on drums

[@keithholbrook2471]

He certainly plays like Taylor.

[@021mr5]

The catalina wine mixer! Haha

[@enxri]

Does someone knows where his shirt is from ??

[@thiagoalvesdacosta1593]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@Brian-vz7xe]

WHERE CAN I FIND THE WHOLE CONCERT?? DOES ANYBODY KNOW?

[@gabrielcastrorucoba5977]

Heeey man! Is not a concert, is a music festival called "Crossroads" by Eric Clapton and Johnson was one of his guests... blessings!

[@sylvainswift3234]

Pogacar is good at guitar too!

[@dkvon]

Lucky crowd

[@Douglasfaparanhos]

This song's name is "desert rose", not "dessert rose"

[@yaelletjuh10]

Thank you, I will change it!

[@coal1987]

what this in 2004?

[@michaelbiggs7129]

The Drummers no Slouch..

[@Gianmario95]

Bill Murray at the drums?

[@thomasrobertmalthus7277]

Nope. John C. Reilly. Lol

[@orangpasir]

who's the drummer? he really rips it out.

[@seanparsons4977]

Tommy Taylor

[@orangpasir]

@@seanparsons4977 thanks

[@JCantamessa]

John C Reilly

[@JerryNordstrom]

Seen Eric live up close a couple times. Truly amazing. Not popular opinion I'm sure, but I think the singing could be better and the drummer is not very imaginative.. feels hurried and busy for busy's sake, not working with the songs.

[@joshualessore7652]

Legit had no idea he sung

[@JedTaneo]

I didn't know FLEA (Red Hot Chili Peppers) was the drummer. :D

[@markyncole]

No,it's John C. Reilly

[@robertburns7670]

flea is not a drummer- get a life!!

[@adorationdrummer]

It’s a joke dude. Or are you joking too? I can’t tell lol Definitely looks like John C Riley Great drummer either way

[@DaveDexterMusic]

we can admit it, right? that he's all over the place? to be honest I'd call it a compliment, that you're usually so incredibly precise that mistakes really stick out

[@alanscott7798]

He looks really unhappy up there, the guitar sound isn't happening for him - not is usual sound, bad day that's all.

[@billyz5088]

He was relegated to the 2nd stage - which was a crime - I can't imagine that he pissed anyone off to get demoted like that - his band should have been on the main stage - and still its not a bad performance - I saw him open for Steve Miller in 1991 - amazing show.

[@stevenshinnguitar8426]

Very much so agreed but towards the end he was warmed up

[@germansolares]

Love Eric Johnson guys, BUT! I think this one is not the best performance of Desert Rose. I suppose I prefer EJ to play his songs and solos trying to look like the original studio one. You know, those pieces are the ones you sings from first to last! And I kinda get lost if he plays so different, so annoying for me... Anyways, dod I mention I really love EJohnson?!

[@fishsurfer1]

He's notorious for perfecting takes in the studio, they are nearly impossible to do perfectly live. But he's good enough to improvise and slide into another vibe as a superb live musician which I have to appreciate

[@johnlemon874]

Maybe he was just nervous

[@Gregorypeckory]

Thank goodness he doesn't take advice from fans.

[@sagarbiswas4594]

Where is the delay and the reverb on the mix....its sounding horrible..

[@thriftdig]

EJ and Bonamassa both do that double time descending shred stuff on their solos that makes me feel like they don't know what else to do. Like it's a fallback or something. Seems so "rehearsed" and practiced. I wanna hear something reckless from these guys but it's not gonna happen. That's the feeling I get watching them. i'm not bagging but maybe to some I might be. Anyone else feel this way?

[@gustavscheel-bech9359]

+thriftdig I think playing guitar is (as many other aspects of life) a difficult skill that requires som sort of automatic artistic view. When improvising the same piece of music 1000 of times, the "rehearsed" is a gateway of individual originality to something new.

[@Kirkhill]

Nope, you have to hear the whole body of EJs work, then you'd know he is ANYTHING but stale. A song like Desert Rose however, has so much soul and technique baked into the song, he would want to play it close to the original. Listen to his numerous covers of Hendrix if you want to see fresh takes. EJ's the best. So you are wrong! ;-)

[@jasonring5231]

Spot on Kirk. I have listened to so much EJ and the original statement (AND lumping him in with Bonamamssa?) is just flat out wrong. EJ has his sound, but he can and does do whatever he wants on the fretboard......ANY TIME HE WANTS.

[@jumbleothia]

axeputz wrote: "not all about the 100 mph journey up and down the fretboard." What? The journey is the best part! Bonamassa does't have half of Johnson's talent! Johnson is a pioneer player with a lot of wannabes in his backseat. Bonamassa is good but not great, hence his mediocre improvisation skills.

[@TomMilleyMusic]

music isn't a contest.

[@OuttakedPerformancesTM]

+Fawn Lebowitz Bitch, please, EJ rules since 1969, when he was 15 years old on Mariani band (check out my profile photo haha)!

[@artysanmobile]

I’ve never seen him struggle so much as in this performance. The recorded sound is pretty awful. Those two things make me wonder if monitor sound was a distraction. I’ve seen uncharacteristic misses at Crossroads, making me suspect sound technical issues.

[@axeputz]

If ever the idea that "lyrics are just wasted time between guitar solos", it would apply to Eric Johnson. Eric is a virtuoso guitar player, one of my faves, but unfortunately his voice is not on the same level. At least Joe Bonamassa has a little (not a lot) grit to his voice so his tunes are not all about the 100 mph journey up and down the fretboard. Derek Trucks has the good sense to leave the vocals to those that can sing while remaining the focus of his band.

[@codjh9]

I disagree - I've always liked his vocals too.

[@robertburns7670]

it's a complete package voice and guitar - call it Eric Johnson!

[@seanparsons4977]

I love his singing and his mellifluous voice. Open your ears!