Eric Clapton and his music

Eric Clapton performs in Phoenix on Sunday, March 11, 2007

Серж, а ты помнишь как мы с тобой начали общаться? :)

Вот так.

2SergeK:

>Вот так.

ага! мы с тобой тогда спорили на счет чего-то..оч долго и упорно.. я тогда еще хотела диск в окно выкинуть! :)

Eric and B.B. perform "Rock Me Baby" on the Grammys on February 25, 1999.

Letting It All Hang Out w/ JJ Cale
J.J. Cale joined Eric Clapton and his band for a number of songs at Clapton’s concert in San Diego last night. Cale, who wrote such Clapton hits as Cocaine and After Midnight, joined the band for those songs and Anyway the Wind Blows, Don’t Cry Sister Cry, It’s Easy, and Who Am I Telling You. Derek, JJ, and Eric? It doesn’t get more badass than those three trading licks.

Cale has always been a hero to Clapton, and the two recently collaborated to release The Road To Escondido. For those of us that missed this epic sit-in last night don’t fret: The show was recorded for an upcoming DVD release.

Clapton’s tour rolls on, but Derek Trucks will be sitting out a few gigs in order to play with the Allman Brothers Band at the upcoming Beacon Theater run.

March 17, 2007

Eric Clapton, just one of the guys in the band?

You wouldn't expect one of the biggest, most influential rock 'n' roll legends of the past 40 years to shun the spotlight. But at his superb Thursday night concert here at ipayOne Center, which included an unadvertised guest spot by Valley Center troubadour J.J. Cale, the iconic English guitarist, singer and songwriter seemed as happy to step back and let his fellow band members soar at length as he did commanding center stage.


Clapton did so not because of a sudden bout of stage fright or diminished capabilities, a point underscored by the fact that his exquisitely crafted solos were consistent high points of the nearly two-hour-long performance. But he has surrounded himself with gifted musicians whose skills are matched by their versatility and sensitivity. And he wisely recognizes that letting them shine, too, creates a win-win situation for all involved.

The audience of 11,300 at Thursday's sold-out show loudly cheered the compelling instrumental displays by pianist Chris Stainton, bassist Willie Weeks and, in particular, guitarists Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II. In turn, Clapton fed off the energy and varying stylistic approaches of his fellow musicians to push himself to new artistic heights. He appeared especially inspired by young bottleneck guitar master Trucks, 27, and by ace singer-songwriter Cale, 68.

The result was a thoroughly satisfying night of first-rate music that found this 61-year-old rock and blues icon revisiting his past, with a notable emphasis on “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” (the classic 1970 album he recorded as a member of the sadly short-lived Derek & The Dominos). He did so in a manner that was fresh and invigorating, never stale or predictable.

Thursday's 16-song concert was also a master class in pacing, dynamics and the art of constructing a performance to unfold and build like a great book or film.

The finely calibrated set list featured such staples as “Wonderful Tonight” and the majestic title track from “Layla,” along with three choice cuts from “The Road to Escondido,” last year's delightful duo album by kindred spirits Clapton and Cale.



AdvertisementSpeaking of which, Clapton's ongoing tour has taken him from London to Shanghai and from Budapest to Bangkok. But Thursday's show was the sole date to feature a cameo by Cale, who has long been one of Clapton's idols.
Sitting side-by-side with Trucks and Bramhall, Clapton and Cale amiably sang and played together on such Cale-penned gems as “After Midnight,” “Cocaine” and the more recent “Don't Cry Sister” and “Who Am I Telling You?” Clearly delighted, Clapton beamed and grinned throughout Cale's five-song guest spot.

The show also included such classics as Jimi Hendrix's high-flying “Little Wing,” Bobby “Blue” Bland's rollicking “Further on up the Road” and Delta blues pioneer Robert Johnson's fiery “Queen of Spades” and “Crossroads,” on which Clapton traded exuberant vocal and guitar lines with the show-opening Robert Cray.

Together with the other selections, these songs vividly demonstrated how a concert's repertoire can be designed to encourage both spontaneous musical combustion and the most delicate filigrees and grace notes.

That's why it didn't matter that Clapton only spoke to the audience a few times between songs, or that he rarely said more than “thank you” or the name of a band member who had just been featured. His music said everything he wanted to, with an eloquence no words could match.

The show, which was filmed for future DVD release, drew a predominantly older audience. But the four teenagers I passed while leaving looked just as happily stunned by what they'd heard as concertgoers two or three times older. No matter their age, the delight of each fan was easy to understand.

Только что посмотрел фильм об Эрике на "Домашнем". Чтобы быть великим художником, нужно страдать.
Или выдумать страдание.

Смотрел. Переврали они там много, но не катастрофически.
А страдания, они выдуманные, если только ты эгоист.

Concert review: Clapton is all business at Arco

It's the face of God: eyes shut tight, chin back and lips pursed into an "O." No, not the look of The Man Upstairs. It's the grimace of ecstacy from Eric Clapton, whose nickname is no less than "God" in guitar and classic rock circles.

So they flocked to Arco Arena on Tuesday night, some 13,000 fans who nearly packed the place to its capacity. They saluted with $7 beers held high. Clapton and company cranked through "Crossroads," "Layla," Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and enough blues-rock jams to make it feel like the ultimate Baby Boomer bar band.

Guitar gods are still mere mortals, and Clapton's just shy of his 62nd birthday. The buzz is that Clapton's getting sluggish, deferring too many leads and solo spots to his back-up guitarists. Clapton's tour band was until recently a three-guitar affair. Sacramento was the first show of the current tour without Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers, though guitar whiz Doyle Bramhall remains.


Minus the Trucks factor, Clapton had much more elbow room in the spotlight. His guitar stung in tunes like "Little Queen of Spades," a slow and strutting 12-bar blues. "Key to the Highway" was prime air-guitar material, a blur of speed-picking and whopper of a high note.

Clapton's playing was certainly clean, almost too much so. One segment of the two-hour set was devoted to acoustic blues, with Clapton chilling in a chair and lamenting, "nobody knows when you're down and out."

Clapton's guitar picking was just about perfect, whether he strummed chords or flew through blues scales, but the feeling could've been looser or less studied for such downhome material.

Clapton comes off as fairly uptight and humorless, rarely smiling or talking to the crowd. A little wisecrack from Clapton would go far, like, "Why do you all insist on sitting the whole time? What, you think this is some PBS pledge drive?"

Maybe Clapton hoards every ounce of emotion for his guitar workouts. It's all picking and no grinning, but his Stratocaster sizzles anyway.

Second guitarist Bramhall also got to show off. Bramhall looked like the world's first metrosexual bluesman in his tight cashmere sweater, but had no problem fitting in with Clapton. Bramhall's role was fairy sacred as guitar gigs go, playing Clapton's famous lead in "Layla" as the man himself opted for the rhythm part. And he lives the dream of would-be guitar heroes everywhere, trading licks with Clapton on some call-and-response soloing. Bramhall's solo on "Little Wing" was phrased on the choppy side, but his overall guitar work was full of heat, whether he played a Dobro or beat-up Stratocaster.

Clapton could still trim a bit of fat from his seven-piece backing band. Two keyboardists seemed like overkill, though they were both stellar players. Too bad the ending section of "Layla" (as heard in a fairly grisly scene from "Goodfellas") felt deflated, even with all that piano.

But the concert ended with a triple-guitar attack on "Crossroads," featuring a cameo from opening act Robert Cray. They all traded their best string bends and guitar hero faces, and Clapton and Cray shared the mic on the lead vocal. On this night, there was room on stage for more than one guitar god.

OVER 20 OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST GUITARISTS PLAY SIDEMEN TO EACH OTHER ON ONE STAGE, FOR ONE DAY, TO SUPPORT ONE CAUSE

ERIC CLAPTON ANNOUNCES
CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL
JULY 28, 2007 CHICAGO

Day-Long Festival To Feature Legendary Music And Collaborations Including:
Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, BB King, Willie Nelson, Jeff Beck, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy and John Mayer



Credited throughout his career with creating super sounds in super groups, the ultimate Clapton collaboration will take place July 28, 2007 when he gathers the past, present and future of guitar music onto one stage for an incredible full day musical event. Announced today, the second Crossroads Guitar Festival, scheduled for July 28, 2007 at Toyota Park in Chicago, will be a cornerstone of this year's summer music festival season. Profits from the Festival will benefit The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons.

Since its inception, Clapton's vision for the Crossroads Guitar Festival has been to create an event where his friends and contemporaries can have fun and jam together for the benefit of a good cause. This year's Festival will feature a full day of musical performances with once-in-a-lifetime guitar collaborations. Known as pioneers in their field, the roster of artists spans old and new, from BB King to John Mayer (anticipated guest list below). The audience can expect unrivaled entertainment, brilliant guitar work, surprise guests and impromptu jams that are the hallmarks of these performers.

The first Crossroads Guitar Festival, in June 2004 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, was an unprecedented collection of guitar icons from blues, rock and contemporary music. The sold-out show was chronicled in a 2-disc DVD that has since gone on to become one of the world's top-selling music DVD's, recently achieving the 8x platinum mark in the United States alone.

"The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me, to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform on one stage," said Clapton. "The Crossroads performers are all musicians I admire and respect."

Additional Festival artists and elements to be announced shortly.




Tickets Sale Information

Tickets for the Crossroads Guitar Festival will go on sale to the public on Saturday, March 31 at 10am Central Time (11am EST) via www.ticketmaster.com or Ticketmaster phone charge at 312-559-1950 or Ticketmaster retail outlets. Both reserved and general admission tickets will be available for this event. All tickets will be priced at $90 plus applicable ticketing/service charges. The ticket price includes parking for the day and the concert begins at NOON.





About Toyota Park

Conveniently located just 15 minutes southwest of Downtown Chicago (at 71st and Harlem in Bridgeview), Toyota Park (www.toyotapark.com) is Chicagoland's newest and most exciting outdoor concert facility.




CURRENT ARTIST LISTING CONFIRMED

Jeff Beck
Doyle Bramhall II
Eric Clapton
Robert Cray
Sheryl Crow
Vince Gill
Buddy Guy
BB King
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Sonny Landreth
Albert Lee
Los Lobos
John Mayer
John McLaughlin
Willie Nelson
Robert Randolph
Hubert Sumlin
Derek Trucks
Jimmie Vaughan
Steve Winwood

Eric Clapton - Got To Get Better In A Little While
09:15
Eric Clapton live in Hong Kong 2007
Date: 17-Jan-2007

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Eric Clapton said he plans to re-connect with Steve Winwood at the upcoming Crossroads Guitar Festival as "We've got unfinished business." Clapton and Winwood - along with Rick Grech and Ginger Baker - formed the short-lived band in 1969. Blind Faith lasted for just one album and a U.S. Tour before breaking up.

Although not a Blind Faith reunion, a musical collaboration at the festival by Clapton and Winwood on Blind Faith material is still an extremely exciting musical event. In the years since the band's demise, both have occasionally featured Blind Faith songs in their live repetoire. Well-known songs from the album include, "Presence of the Lord," "Well All Right," "Can't Find My Way Home" and "Sea of Joy".

The Crossroads Guitar Festival takes place 28 July at Chicago's Toyota Park. Other guests at the one day event include Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, John Mayer and many more.