Johnny Cash continues to be larger than life, even in death, courtesy of the Cash Experience

Debbie Horton can’t help but laugh in giddy fashion while detailing what it was like to jam with Johnny Cash more than 30 years ago.

“I was in Johnny’s fan club and I dropped him a note when he played Baltimore that I would be at his show,” Horton recalled. “He knew I could play guitar well. He asked me to come up onstage and we played (“Big River”).

“After we finished the song, Johnny said that I was the only girl to every play lead guitar with him. I was in my early 20s and I just couldn’t believe it, and I knew Johnny for 20 more years. I look back at that time and I can’t believe that I played with Johnny Cash.”

Even though it’s been more than 20 years since Cash died, Horton still performs with a figure that remains larger in life while in the grave. Horton is featured throughout “Johnny Cash: The Concert Experience,” which stops Tuesday at the First Interstate Center.

Horton plays guitar with her hero via footage from episodes of “The Johnny Cash TV Show.” Horton and the rest of her band sync up with Cash, who belts out favorites such as “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line” and “A Boy Named Sue.”

It’s an alternative to the hologram tours, which are kind of creepy, that have made their way across the country.

“I think this is a better way to go,” Horton said from San Francisco. “Johnny is on a 20-foot screen and it looks like he’s about to jump right off of that screen. It’s all due to the state-of-the-art production. The video is digitally enhanced.

“There’s June Carter Cash welcoming fans (into the show). It’s incredibly cool.”

Horton, who has recorded albums of original material, is locked in as Cash’s guitarist.

“I’m playing lead, while accompanying Johnny,” Horton said. “I have to be precise. There’s no room for error. It’s a nice combination people will experience between Johnny’s songs and the performance.”

When Horton was coming of age during the late 1960s, her peers were into pop, but she and her parents were Cash obsessives.

“My friends were into the Beatles and the Monkees and a lot of boy bands, but when they were into those recording artists I had already saw Johnny Cash for the first time,” Horton said. “Johnny was only in his 30s when I first saw him.”

Horton caught more than 100 Cash concerts.

“I loved going again and again, partly because of his authenticity,” Horton said. “He told the truth and his stories are amazing. He could also be funny with songs like ‘A Boy Named Sue.’

“He also wrote some touching ballads. There was a little bit of everything for a fan. And I can easily say that there was never anyone like Johnny Cash.”

The highlight for Horton is performing “Big River.”

“I get to share my story with the audience about playing with Johnny with ‘Big River,’ ” Horton said. “That song takes me back to that special night. Johnny knew I was there, but I had no idea that he would call me up to perform. I was there with my mom, dad and sister. When he called me up, the whole row gasped.

“It was one of those moments in your life when you’re either gonna nail it or blow it. It was a dream for me to play with Johnny since I was a little girl, and I just did my best that night and I still do my best since Johnny Cash is so inspiring.”