I had the opportunity to see Eric Johnson perform some of the numbers from Bloom at the Grove in Anaheim on May 3rd. It seems that the Grammy winner is almost always touring — as a headliner, co-headliner, or — as was the case on this evening — an opening act.
The Grove is an intimate dinner-theater improbably located in the Anaheim Stadium parking lot. On the outside, it looks like a large movie sound stage… with lots of parking. Inside, it is cozy with a good sized lobby and a quasi-exclusive lounge beset with lavish chairs, near-eastern throw rugs, and $15 drinks. Despite the pricey libations, this hall is not to be missed.
After four years of touring and pursuing side projects, guitarist/singer/songwriter Eric Johnson offered up Bloom, his fourth studio release, in late 2005. While one could argue that it lacks the commercial appeal of his previous works — most notably his Grammy-winning 1990 release Ah Via Musicom — Bloom makes up for it with stronger songwriting and a more adventurous spirit. Oh, sure, there are "guitar god" numbers of the type that forged Johnson's reputation as one of the best guitar players of his generation, but there are other tones and textures on this record that would never have passed the "big record company conformity test" of Capitol Records, his previous record label.
