Review: Johnny Marr and James at The Eastern

Johnny Marr is best known as the legendary guitarist and co-songwriter for The Smiths which he co-founded with Morrissey in the 1980’s.  His guitar playing is characterized by jangly riffs most often associated with Fender Strats and Telecasters, and now his signature Johnny Marr Jaguar Electric Guitar.  Sounds and tones don’t make a career, but his innovative chord structures and intricate riffs did. 

The Smiths ended in 1987, and Marr moved headfirst into solo work, working with other musicians and film soundtracks, often with Hans Zimmer.

So what’s he doing on tour?  Well, he doesn’t need the money, having recently turned down (another) financially offer to reunite with Morrissey as The Smiths.  Given the regular work, let’s assume he’s doing it because there’s joy in performing.

Marr started with five of his own songs, smartly demonstrating that there’s a lot of enjoyment to be found in his work and in a way emphasizing that the crowd has come to see “Johnny Fucking Mars” (T-shirt sold separately), a phrase endearingly given to him by fans but with origin unknown.  Then, The Smiths’ “This Charming Man” rocked the house, as it should.  

Introducing “Somewhere,” an acoustic song, Marr said, “We’re going to go from an old one to a new one,” adding humorously, “don’t fret.  It doesn’t suck.” 

For a guitarist renowned for his technique, there was some humor watching him play “Walk Into the Sea” where he picked an open chord with his right hand for quite some time, leaving his free to express the song.  It’s all notes and chords, but you have to know what to do with them. Even when playing solos, Marr makes it seem similarly uncomplicated.  He doesn’t compete for speed but rather just getting everything right for the song.

Of the rocking moments, “Bigmouth Strikes Again” may have been the best, prompting Marr to finish with “That’s a good one!”   They were all good actually, and part of the enjoyment of his songs is they aren’t rushed to begin with, but live, he gives most of them extended time. 

Perhaps related to his work on soundtracks, the music often has time to carry out a scene before the next group of lyrics, and it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a guitar solo between each section.  Sometimes it feels like a soundtrack, such as “Please… Let Me Get What I Want,” where Marr offers a lengthy solo acoustic intro with minimal keyboards towards the end. 

Visually, Marr gets the whole rock guitar scene.  Don’t worry if you’re at stage left or right, it won’t matter.  Marr wanders around and plays at both ends as much as he plays at the center, and there’s plenty of throw-away rock guitar poses included. 

Fans of The Smiths won’t be disappointed as six of the 17 songs were from the group that launched his career, and though he doesn’t have Morrissey’s voice, they sounded very much his own.  The crowd sang-along with each, strangely more softly than often heard though in great number.

Probably the best thing about the concert was that Marr seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.  And why not?  You’re playing to sold-out audiences, with very few leaving early to fight Atlanta traffic.  In context of his return to Atlanta and its noted southern hospitality, he closed the evening with “Thanks for being so friendly!”