Eric Johnson - Trademark live 1984

[@juandaru2112]

Oh man, he IS human after all! hehehe, no matter what, this guy's a legend!

[@DechantMusic]

Seeing him struggle with Cliffs of Dover from time to time,saved me from throwing my guitar over those very Cliffs! LMAO.

[@aturogs1954]

When someone is almost perfect, everybody wants to prove that he is not a god or an alien, and we can all heave a big sigh of relief.

[@ivanaranitovic9834]

True, but we need to learn not to feel like that,..

[@humanbeing2420]

I'm glad they decided not to include the backing vocals on this song when he recorded it for Musicom.

[@guitarslave]

I wish this was on the DVD that I bought called "Live in Austin, Texas 84"

[@mattlatorre9084]

It makes sense why this was not included. Eric messed up and the song was still fairly rough around the edges.

[@kitdman5749]

This is the guy I grew up listening too.

[@riccardocribiu9149]

Still he played it much better than me😂.... And 40 years later...

[@Augfordpdoggie]

wow i didnt know this song was this old

[@fa18superhornetpilotcessna75]

Eric is my guitar Hero ..

[@20chevrolets]

I've never seen video of EJ stopping a song like that which is very rare in live performance. So it must have been for a very good reason. You usually just keep going and yell at each other after the show. That said, I thought it was interesting that he didn't say anything at all to the audience but just launched right back into the song.

[@mattlatorre9084]

I once saw him stop this song in person. I think there was an issue with a pedal... he kept gesturing backstage at his technician, who eventually ran over with a roll of duct tape and a few tools. The song was stopped and it took about 5 minutes to restart. But you know what was really strange? I think the song sounded just fine even with the faulty pedal. It was the kind of thing only EJ would notice because he is such a perfectionist.

[@csiel]

He stopped and restarted because this is for the Austin City Limits TV show and he knew they'd cut the false start out.

[@humanbeing2420]

He made a little mistake right here - 1:02 - (not that anybody noticed). I think that's why he stopped. Maybe the tempo was a little faster than he wanted too.

[@emadismusic]

You can tell that there is something bothering him from the start. He is leaving a lot out and the energy is just not quite there. Everyone has off nights. It happens. It is tough when it happens on Austin City Limits or at a high profile gig for everyone to see. But, having seen EJ many times (dozens of the times in clubs when he played in Dallas, TX as well as numerous times afterwards elsewhere), this is indeed a rare moment!

[@p6x2]

I did witness a moment when EJ lost it. I was very surprised that he could have such a temper. It was at the Dallas International Guitar Festival. At the very beginning of his set, there was some feed-back coming through. The first time it happened, he turned towards the side of the stage, kept on playing. Little while after, it happened again, and that time he walked to the side, possibly where the sound engineer was. He kept playing, but you could clearly see he was unhappy. On the third occurrence, he seemed to completely lose it. He stopped playing abruptly and walked back to the side of the stage once again. The public stayed quiet. He waited there, probably a couple of minutes, and then went back to his spot, and resumed playing. The feed-back problem did not happen after. I was a bit taken aback that EJ seemed very harsh, the body language told that, although I could not hear the exchange with whomever he thought was responsible for the squealing noise. I am a big fan of Andy Timmons, and he once told me that EJ was very peculiar when it came to tone, and would not settle for second best. After that episode, I fully understood what he meant.

[@strongstrummin4078]

Pisk Six Feedback can also be painfully loud in a monitor and the high frequencies that usually feedback hurt your ears. Feedback is usually a one time issue. Find the source, cut the level down, find the balance point for not feeding back, problem solved. I can understand him getting pissed off about feedback.

[@pisksix7976]

That figures... somewhat, I always pictured EJ as a very mild and self-contained individual. I did not expect him to get very unhappy in a somewhat very uncontrolled manner. He was actually in a middle of a performance, with a lot of witnesses. But I suppose I did not have the full understanding of what was really happening, and possibly, three times was a bit too much to accept.

[@Diax1324]

@@p6x2 Eric Johnson is extremely picky about everything sound, to the point of detriment. We all have our issues, though. Who knows, he may have perfect pitch. My understanding is that people with perfect pitch are driven absolutely fucking bugshit by issues like being out of tune, audio problems, etc.

[@stevem7]

Diax1324 that's a myth. I realized I had perfect pitch when I was about 16, and it's never made me go "bugshit" about anything like that. Of course, nobody likes dealing audio problems if they have perfect pitch or not. I'm 51 now and realize my perfect pitch is slowly growing less "perfect" (I am off a semitone at times), which is annoying when I realize that! But that's about it :)

[@clevelandaeromotive]

A budding genius.

[@impersonalperson6199]

i like this kind of footage. :)

[@leftymadrid]

The composition is not an easy one! Yeah, he was too much of a perfectionist back then for sure... We all have seen him in later years on stage and he just rips it apart every time!! He certainly is a legend!!!

[@RayMond777]

he is human after all

[@thebp9999]

it wasn't the drummer. Eric hit the chord bad.

[@BullToTheShit]

Too much of a perfectionist back then. Today I think he would crack a smile and forge ahead.

[@klivian100]

It was the drummer, him was quiet bit out of time and over the EJ guitar sound, I wouldn’t like if was me at EJ position.

[@denparrish]

@@klivian100- It was not the drummer. I've tried hard to re-find the article where Eric Johnson not only admits he stopped because of a "Clunker" in the beginning (his words) but he also admits he never regained his concentration and continued to make mistakes throughout the rest of the tune. Check out his two other live performances of the same tune and you'll hear how he usually performed it. Here is one of them - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmSXeGCCarmJg5o

[@Krogrosen]

@@denparrish you're correct. Eric struck the wrong chord and got thrown off. The bass and the drums are on point when he makes the mistake. This version is raw from EJ.

[@jazzram_]

lol

[@makai888]

Amazing video quality

[@asmstudiob]

It was upscaled from 4p

[@Classix1969]

crikey I didn't think ej could hit a bum chord, first time I've ever witnessed him being human.

[@eddievhfan1984]

This was also in 1984. He was also rough doing Cliffs of Dover during this performance as well, and it apparently took 6 years to find the groove to both of those tracks for Ah Via Musicom.

[@Scotmend]

He has always struggled with his internal metronome. I think in his youth he was an extreme perfectionist, which is on show here. He probably should have just carried on playing tbh, restarting just draws attention to the mistake.

[@tengkutaufik4132]

EJ ... legend

[@juliocesarvalt]

Oh baby Eric inicio el será siempre grandee

[@ksharpe10]

This being a song he did not release til Ah via musicom, This might have been the 1st time playing it live. Musicom came out in 1989, i believe.

[@ericjohnson829]

Yes, that made me question if this really took place in 1984, the video quality looks it, but surprised it wasn't on record till 1990.

[@ksharpe10]

@@ericjohnson829 This performance was on Austin City Limits year 1984, so the Year is Correct.

[@gchaddock1972]

Same at 2:20 he slows them way down. Listen to the studio version, it has much more of an in the grove feel to it.

[@kricci93]

sono d'accordo!

[@MyFlippinValentine]

It's funny because there's a recording of Victory from this show on here, and that version is probably too fast too. EJ handled that one pretty well though

[@CiaoGibson]

❤

[@dannilaser16]

Love Eric, but he really struggled here. Beautiful song though.

[@monsterzero1965]

Take 2!! Action!

[@We-all-watched-the-video]

Damn, people are really letting Eric have it here

[@piteusx8440]

It happens when you set the bar so high. EJ's technical execution and sound are usually impeccable.

[@gchaddock1972]

He felt it was to fast.You can hear or at lest it sounds like it to me at around 40-1:05 he plays slightly slower than the bass and drums.

[@tonyfant3542]

it is too fast

[@jazzram_]

1:05

[@CorbinSmith-yf3wd]

Guys why is everyone flaming eric? He is one of the best improvisers and players. One instance doesn't define your entire career. No one gives Jimmy Page this much shit for every time he showed up high to play a show and played sloppy.

[@ericjohnson829]

Interesting that the studio version of Trademark didn't come out till Ah Via Musicom in1990. Was he already playing it live in1984 ? It sure looks like 1984.

[@knightfall9394]

He was playing a lot of stuff live before he recorded it

[@MrRichy4Fingers]

Funny story, my friend owned a sound company in boise around the time of this video, I was with him when he did sound for Eric and it was unreal how anal Eric was about the sound and threw temper tantrums at soundcheck and during the performance… I then seen Eric decades later at the Egyptian in boise and the sound guy there said he was very demanding so I’m not sure if age has made him any more mellow but the guy is and always will be one of the best even though stopping a song because of a small mistake is incredibly unprofessional…. My opinion of course….

[@knightfall9394]

ever play live or tour? its stressful and its even more stressful when something isnt working or going well for ya. Eric is real particular about his tone which is common knowledge, touring with vintage gear can be a pain and venues and rooms all have different acoustics and sound qualities. As far as stopping a song live because of a small mistake there playing for a tv audience in a studio so they did a couple takes of this, if something is off it can throw people off and turn into a train wreck pretty quick sound guys arent really known for being the greatest people to work with for touring musicians which is why artists will have their own or some guitarists will do their own stuff

[@MrRichy4Fingers]

@@knightfall9394 I’ve toured plenty, both as a musician and as a sound guy and I do understand how frustrating it can be to dial in a signature sound in different venues with totally different acoustic qualities. I don’t know what the situation was with this particular gig, I just know there’s not many bands/musicians I’ve ever seen stop a song like that. Allison Krause I recall has been the only other one I’ve seen do that and it was to bitch about and threaten to walk off stage if people kept filming her show with cell phones… none the less as I said in my first comment Eric is a titan and he can do whatever he likes I suppose…

[@johncmichelson2890]

This Song Was Fairly Fresh And Still Being Created,, Especially Live Version.This Song Later Appears On His Grammy CD Tones. First Time I Ever Seen E J Stop To Correct The Drummer ...Rare : ) Plz chk my music here Y T 4444jcm

[@Paul-Mac]

This song is on Musicom, dude! Still interesting to watch this diamond in the rough!

[@ericjohnson829]

It was on Ah Via Musicom, his second studio album.

[@Jonw8222]

This is awful, not just the mistake but the whole vibe of the song, the chords.. everything. In fairness, his songs are very challenging to play. But yeah, looks like it took him some years to master them because he's been flawless for many years now. It's a shock to see him like a regular human in this video. This song is trickier than it seems as well, I challenge you to find others online who play covers of it. There's not many....... and Rick Graham only released a DVD recently (the only lesson for it available). My favourite version of this song is 2006 live version. It inspired me to want to own a strat.

[@kisstagals]

Shawn lane smoke the fuck out this song...

[@SRVFreak123]

Whered you get this at?

[@tonyrobertsguitar]

After Yngwie, but a few years before Satriani !

[@SoberMarco]

The last chord was wrong xD (1:02)

[@otakurocklee]

Why didn't he release Cliffs of Dover or Trademark on the Tones album?

[@armanchoobineh7482]

I believe he said they recorded Cliffs during the Tones sessions but he wasn’t happy with the sound.

[@aliciaperez-kd9nl]

Eric said that he wanted to release Cliffs of Dover on Tones but he was told by the producer that it sounded too much like a game show theme so it was cut from the album at the time.

[@fooel7630]

1:04

[@xthatghomiex2939]

Poor guy, mustv'e been really nervous, he doesn't seem to be as at ease here as the '88 performance.

[@dannilaser16]

Those are some of the most badass bass guitar notes I’ve ever heard. Hate to say it, but E J. really struggled through this song.

[@knightfall9394]

Bunch of shit talking from people who have probably never played in front of a studio tv audience, ya know this was the first time he was on acl and he worked really hard to get there so of course he was nervous and there were some mistakes

[@IsidoreNabi]

Perfectionism is a bitch.

[@basementrocker2764]

Wow. The drumming is way to fast till EJ stops.

[@kricci93]

I don't know xD

[@ryleitdept]

the guitar itself is out of tune actually that is why when it hits the chords on the lower register, its out of tune and need to stop and done the string that is out of tune.

[@cosmic687]

listen to the new 'heatwave live 1990' album. its insane!!

[@knightfall9394]

Is that unofficial bootleg still available? I asked him about it on his Facebook page and he was not happy about it

[@guitaromontalban6841]

I saw this back then! WTF happened??? O yeah EJ screwed up his own song and btw this was NOT the final version broadcast back then as it is pretty awful...

[@t.p.s.musicacademy9301]

He’s a much better player now days, he’s not uptight on stage now. He’s learned to let go and be in the now and let his training speak for his work - and there are tons of mistakes in this performance, obvious he was having an off night

[@RUARI-mi1yt]

he was best in the late 90s.

[@ericjohnson829]

I'm not so sure, I just watched a recent 2023 live video of this song and while it's still good, he plays it somewhat differently, the tone has changed somewhat. The 90's performances are the best for me.

[@HardRocker961]

This is a little mistake who everyone make one time! xDD This god is human!

[@roberthurless4615]

I don't think he is using the TC SCF here. I does not sound like one. I have owned one and used it in stereo. The SCF definitely has a smoother sound to it.

[@Diax1324]

Earlier in his career he used the MXR stereo chorus. Really good, similar sound, just not as phasey and flangey as the SCF.

[@ryleitdept]

EJ cannot feel the dynamics with the drummers slow and flat beat. (like a programmed hip hop beat) same goes for the Manhattan version, way too fast and upbeat like a disco.

[@8triagrammer]

I wonder if the drummer was fired after this show..

[@xthatghomiex2939]

8triagrammer Well, Tommy Taylor is who I see in later performances.

[@johnca45]

Cut the drummer some slack-he's human, too.

[@bryanfrombuffalo7685]

I don't think this is 84

[@humanbeing2420]

The whole band is off here - not just EJ.

[@MyFlippinValentine]

Ugh, feel gutted for the guy watching this. It's a kind of a plodding song and really relies on the guitarist being playful and loose, and boy he was not playful and loose here

[@kisstagals]

Am not a drummer or greatest musician but I feel it's not drummer error in this performance ...first guitar need to tune properly and he was nit getting the punch as it was in record ...maybe he fuck up his own song ... He can hardly play here....

[@humanbeing2420]

I don't think his guitar is out of tune. He made a mistake, then stopped the song and started over, and he'd lost his concentration by then. It's such a deceptively difficult song to play - it's loaded with unusual voicings of chords that are themselves unusual. It has to be played with a delicate but precise touch - it's not like a 3-chord rock song where you can get by even if you are nervous.

[@fallingsky9242]

This guy is a diva or what?

[@wolfgangfahr5419]

he is not with himself. Out of order. Personal problems, i guess.

[@OUTWOZ]

He's not very good at improvising, it throws his timing off and besides these instrumentals are perfect note for note.

[@petesorensenguitar]

This. I'm not even an eighth of the musician he is, but his approach to improvisation is far too esoteric and he almost always bites off more than he can chew. It's really strange because obviously he has a very powerful grasp of music theory, but I guess he's just a little too enthusiastic at times! Still in my top 3 players with Steve Lukather and Greg Howe.

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

You’re both on crack

[@mckleinazoinmaculado6467]

♥️