Electrifying guitarist Eric Johanson embarks on tour in support of his critically lauded new album Live in Mississippi (Ruf Records), appearing locally in Decatur at the Princess Theatre, 112 2nd Ave. NE, on Wednesday, May 28. Show 7:00 p.m.; tickets $35–$45. For more information, call (256) 350‑1745 or visit princesstheatre.org.
The best live albums put you right there on the front row. As the raucous Friday‑night crowd welcomed New Orleans musician Eric Johanson to the stage at the Ground Zero Club in Biloxi, Mississippi, for a set that mines his Billboard‑topping studio catalog, you’ll feel this generational performer in your bones.
“I want Live in Mississippi to make people feel like they’re at our show,” says the Louisiana‑born bandleader of the album recorded last August in the home of the blues. “Whether they’ve just seen the band and want a piece of that experience to take home, or they’ve never seen us perform at all, I want it to convey the energy and emotion of the live show.”
As anyone with a finger on the pulse of modern rock and blues surely knows, Johanson is among a handful of artists dragging these ancient musical forms in vital new directions. Represented by no fewer than five songs on Live in Mississippi, Johanson’s 2023 solo breakthrough, The Deep and the Dirty, was his biggest critical and commercial hit to date, topping the Billboard Blues Chart and igniting his global profile.
“A lot has happened since The Deep and the Dirty,” says Johanson. “It was #1 on Billboard, and we took the music overseas for the first time—performing in ten countries across Europe as well as all across the U.S. It’s been amazing to meet people from so many walks of life who are digging the music. This record captures us after a year of touring behind The Deep and the Dirty and features some of the songs we most enjoyed playing each night.”
From the thundering gallop of “Undertow” to the instinctive slide blues of “Just Like New,” Johanson’s power trio moves with rare musical telepathy. “Galaxy Girl” packs a brittle sting—the band drops out in the verses to give Johanson’s vocal full rein—while the bottleneck licks of “Familiar Sound” feel as old as the hills and utterly of the moment. It all builds to the climax of “Don’t Hold Back,” whose moody strut and brink‑of‑anarchy solo perfectly encapsulate the live experience—and that’s exactly how he likes it.
“I’m really thrilled with how Live in Mississippi turned out,” he adds. “The great thing about making a live record is you just play your heart out, and the recording captures exactly where you are in that moment of your life. You don’t get a chance to overthink or redo anything—or at least you shouldn’t. I just focus on sharing an experience with the people in the room, and I think the listener at home can feel that…”
Eric Johanson – Live in Mississippi
Spring 2025 Tour Itinerary
May 28 (Wed) – Decatur, AL @ Princess Theatre
May 29 (Thu) – Batesville, AR @ Levitt AMP Batesville Series
May 30 (Fri) – Nashville, TN @ The 58 @ Eastside Bowl*
May 31 (Sat) – Evansville, IN @ Mojo’s Boneyard*
June 1 (Sun) – Cincinnati, OH @ Ludlow Garage
June 2 (Mon) – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
June 3 (Tue) – Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
June 4 (Wed) – Evanston, IL @ SPACE
June 5 (Thu) – Madison, WI @ The Bur Oak
June 6 (Fri) – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
June 7 (Sat) – Burlington, IA @ The Washington
June 8 (Sun) – Memphis, TN @ Rooster’s Blues House (tentative)
*Co-headlining with Leilani Kilgore
