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| Chris Maresh (bass), Eric Johnson (guitar), Mike Stern (guitar), Anton Fig (drums) (Credit: Kevin Keating) |
After the abrupt closure of Yoshi's SF (otherwise known as The Addition) earlier this month, Eric Johnson and Mike Stern were forced to scramble to find a new venue for their scheduled San Francisco appearance last night. Luckily, Slim's had an opening, and the famed guitarists were able to perform to a nearly sold out San Francisco crowd in support of their recent release
Eclectic (iTunes).
The duo were joined by Chris Maresh on bass guitar, and the legendary Anton Fig on drums. Anton's probably most recognizable as part of David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra.
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| Eric Johnson (Credit: Kevin Keating) |
With no show opener, the quartet took the stage and kicked off with an extended version of Stern's "Out of the Blue"
(iTunes) at just about 8:15pm.
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| Eric Johnson (Credit: Kevin Keating) |
Next up was a classic Eric Johnson solo track, "Manhattan"
(iTunes) followed by four from the new album,
Ecelctic.
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| Eric Johnson, Mike Stern (Credit: Kevin Keating) |
Throughout the night, the duo traded licks and let each other go on wildly meandering guitar solos that kept the audience amazed at the pure skill and showmanship on display.
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| Eric Johnson (Credit: Kevin Keating) |
The night culminated with an encore that began with the jazz-infused "Tidal"
(iTunes) which bled into an 11-minute rendition of Johnson's anthem, "Cliffs of Dover"
(iTunes) -- you can see the full track below -- and finally, a cover of the Jimi Hendix Experience's "Red House"
(iTunes).
Be sure to check out this show if they come to your city!
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