I saw Eric Clapton when he opened up his 11 day tour of the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday May 16th. I was blown away.
He and his band mates are such masters of their instruments. The length of time they have been playing together clearly showed. These were professional rock & roll showmen. Unlike another legend I saw recently, Eric Clapton played his songs with power and depth but still true to the original.
See Setlist and review from a more famous publication. It was great to hear a mix of old classics and covers. I particularly liked "Somewhere over the Rainbow". Tender and slow, it seemed to substitute for "Tears in Heaven" which did not make an appearance.
When he came to "Cocaine", instead of growling the anthem to show the power of the drug, he barely whispered the word. It almost seemed more of an apology for his early year excesses and an emphasis of the "bad" side of the powder.
"Crossroads" was a great ending to a fine set. I wish I had signed up for more nights. Catch it in the US if you can.
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I’m amazed at the quality of these live performances that seem to never get old. I saw CSN the other night, in the US, and found the experience to be most enjoyable…explosive at times. I would say the same for the recent Dead tour where I was lucky enough to catch a couple shows...of course, nobody will ever replace Jerry but Warren Haynes did a superb job. I haven’t had the opportunity to see Clapton since 79’, 4th row flr at the NHC, but I’m going to take your advice and track down a seat once the tour arrives in the US. Thanks for the review!
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