Eric Clapton and his music

Review #3

EC's first concert at Le Cannet ( France) introducing a new band line-up was a great show. EC delivered these beautiful matchless solos we were expecting and even with Derek sometimes pushing hard behind him, he demonstrated that he is still the Boss! Everything has been said about Eric's playing, so let us say that I enjoyed every note he played. I discovered Steve Jordan's drumming and he added something new to a few songs. A special mention for the FOH (front of house) sound engineer behind his Soundtracks Digeco digital console, who gave us a well balanced overall sound and with 12 musicians on the stage it's not so easy in a sport-hall to let the audience perceive every musician. His drum-kit mixing was even better than on many studio recordings. The snare drum sound was not covering the other instruments (think of the "Riding with the King" mixdown where the snare drum is louder than the guitars, a producer's wrong choice for me). The bass was not overwhelming, the tonal balance was accurate, and the only thing that could be improved was the excessive level in the high part of the audio spectrum, which over-enhances the vocals' sibilant peaks, resulting in a noticeable change of Eric's voice tone. I suppose the high frequency damping of the audience was not the one expected. The local organisation was far from being praiseworthy, the audience being as usual in France, treated like cattle, but as it lasts since the seventies, I don't see what we can do to change that state of things, even if most of the people attending blues-rock concerts are complaining about it. Fortunately that does not change the quality of the artist's performance and I thank Eric and his band for the good times they are giving to us.

Review #4

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see music history being made, so I decided to fly to Cannes to see the first concert in the 2006 tour. It was well worth the time and expense. Full disclosure: I'm a long time fan and admirer of Eric Clapton, but it was the chance to see him with Derek Trucks which motivated me to see the show.

First I must say, Eric's voice is better than ever. It is hard to elieve the strength of his voice compared to others at his age, and how much feeling he puts into songs he must have sung hundreds of times. He also looked very healthy and happy. He was dressed very casually in a stripped cotton shirt with pastels, jeans... the basic attire for the Mediterranean. He was full of energy, and seemed eager to be the musical alpha dog with his guitar playing.

I was in the third row just a couple of feet to the right of Eric, so I really could follow the interplay among the musicians. From where I was standing his guitar was at least twice as loud as Doyle Bramhall II or Derek Trucks. Of course, being right in front of the stage isn't a great spot acoustically, so it is possible the folks in back heard a much different show. That being stated, I agree with other reviewers, I could not hear the Kick Horns at all. But I could hear Eric's singing and playing perfectly.

For me his most memorable solo was surprisingly on "I Shot the Sheriff", played with a great deal of finesse and feeling. Eric, his drummer Steve Jordan, and bassist Willie Weeks seemed to be really in the moment and playing with concerted effort and energy throughout the concert. This was, however, very much an Eric Clapton concert. Eric seemed a bit detached from the other musicians, and there wasn't a great deal of musical communication and "playfulness" between him and them. I suspect it was opening night jitters and the pressure of ultimately being responsible for everything. I imagine they will develop a groove and there will be a better group dynamic and tighter sound as the tour continues. Clearly this concert was a dress rehearsal in some respects.

About the venue, it was a relatively small hall, about the size of a basketball arena at a small college. Photography was not permitted. However, all around me people had camera phones recording the show, taking photos, and there were even some digital cameras being used. The security guys threatened to confiscate them, but didn't. So I suspect some good photographs will soon pop up.

I particularly enjoyed the "Chair Session". Eric and Derek sat right in front of me with acoustic guitars, with Willie on a acoustic type bass and Steve doing some percussion. The sound was fantastic, Eric sang beautifully and Derek played equally well. Derek also played electric slide during the "Chair Session" and this was particularly impressive. On one solo in particular he sounded like he was playing a Sarod, it was a very haunting sound and Eric seemed genuinely knocked out by that. "Anyday" was also a bit magical. Eric's vocal on "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" was fantastic. It was a great setlist with something for everybody.

So everyone with tickets, count your lucky stars, you are in for a real treat!

Review #5

It was no great surprise that Eric was starting his tour at Le Cannet as apparently the band had been rehearsing for his upcoming world tour at the same venue for a few weeks. It was going to be a good opportunity to 'test the water' as it were, and try out his new band and set-list. There had been speculation for some time as to what he would play and the bets were on inclusions on a few Dominos songs. Rumours had been flying about and I had heard that at least 'Why Does Love...' would be amongst the clutch of new numbers.

As it transpired, that was not the case even though they had reheared it, but other gems were offered up for our pleasure and delight and did not disappoint. This tour Eric has bought back some gems, added a few newies and revamped some classics. Combined with a revised band with no Nathan East, Steve Gadd and Andy F-L, this tour has all the ingredients of a classic.

From the energetic opening of 'Pretending' (remember those memorable early RAH 90's shows?) he launched into an admirable 'So Tired'. And it was good. Shock, horror! This segued into the classic 'Got to get better...' and was as energetic as it's last airing. A big surprise for me was 'Lost and Found' which, although Eric introduced as being written by Doyle, he took all the glory on. His new guitarists are fine counterpoints to his somewhat louder guitar (I'm not complaining) and when Eric did dish out solos, it was usually in the order of Doyle, Derek and then himself. And make no mistake, far from sitting back and letting the kids take the glory, his solos were biting and incisive. He never let anyone on stage forget that he was the leader.The new rhythm section of Jordan and Weeks were excellent replacements and I'm looking forward to seeing this band gel together over the coming tour.

There were evident first night nerves and a few missed cues but that did not detract from the overall energy. The rather large band all had a part to play with standout performances by Chris and the KickHorns. I thought Tim on 2nd keyboards was superfluous to requirement but that's only a small quibble. And if push came to shove, so was Doyle but, hey-ho, let's just enjoy the ride. After a fine 'Sheriff' ( a great fave of mine as it's chord structure allows for some amazing solos ). 'Anyday' was then aired (they had rehearsed it on the last tour) and was very tastefully performed - EC's slide was almost matched by Derek's. Next up was the acoustic bit which had been in the past a little sedate but 'Back Home', 'I am yours' (beautifully played), 'Nobody loves you....' and 'Milkcow' pleased an appreciative audience.

A big surprise was 'Running on Faith', although played sitting down (with electric guitars) built to a fine crescendo. A rattling version of 'After Midnight' (not dissimilar to the Delaney & Bonnie mix) got everyone stomping but he followed with a very tasty slow blues of 'Little Queen of Spades' which will more than adequately take over from his 'HYELAW' segment. We were then treated to a slide guitar extravaganza with 'Everybody Oughta Make A Change' and 'Motherless Children' with solos flying left, right and centre. The final run-in of 'Wonderful Tonight' (short and to the point), 'Cocaine' (again, more dueling) and 'Layla' (with Derek taking the honours on the Coda)pleased just about everybody. With only 1 encore of an upgraded raunchy 'Crossroads' ( I expect even more when Robert Cray joins the tour on Monday) Eric left the stage looking pleased with himself. And so he should have.

This date was played in a relatively small venue (5200 people) with a stand in sound-system and lighting rig (the real ones were on their way to Glasgow). He had changed the set around from 2004 with drastic reworkings, he had a new band and, importantly, had not lost the energy to play blinding solos. I was in 2 minds as to go to many other shows. It all depended on his approach and if he was going to be a little lazy. Well, all I can say is that I'll be seeing this tour as often as my bank balance allows and am looking forward to each and every one!

On Friday, Derek Trucks performed his first show with Eric Clapton at the La Palestre in Le Cannet, France. Expanding his traditional backing band, Clapton recruited a number of notable musicians for his world tour, including Trucks (guitar), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (keyboards), Willie Weeks (bass), Steve Jordan (drums), Michelle John (backing vocals), Sharon White (backing vocals) and The Kick Horns. After opening with “Pretending,” from 1989’s Journeyman, Clapton led his ensemble through a breadth of material, ranging from his Cream days to his recent blues collection, Me and Mr. Johnson. A treat for many, Clapton and Trucks also performed J.J. Grey’s “After Midnight,” which Slowhand took out of rotation a number of years ago. As previously reported, Clapton first performed with Trucks last year, when the guitarists recorded an album of original material with Cale. Clapton also offered a special mid-show acoustic set, including “Back Home,” “I Am Yours” and “Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out,” which included some acoustic slide work from Trucks. Evoking memories of the original Derek & the Dominos sessions, Clapton also ran through “Layla,” with Trucks performing the late-Duane Allman’s slide parts.
Currently, Clapton and Trucks are scheduled to tour together through their August 3 performance Moscow’s Red Square. While in Europe for his Clapton dates, Trucks will also perform a pair of shows with his own band, including a May 24 performance at London’s The Mean Fiddler and a May 27 show at France’s La Scene. Clapton is expected to announce a round of Fall North American dates latter this summer.

http://www.relix.com/cgi-bin/content_list.cgi?type=news

2Серёжа:
>Anyday чья песня?
в титрах чёрным по русскому написано Eric Clapton - Bobby Whitlock

2SergeK огромный респект за информацию...

2zhukoff:
Пожалуйста! :)
Просмотрите тему, тут много всего.

2SergeK:

>Пожалуйста! :)
>Просмотрите тему, тут много всего.

Да уж... слов нет... фото, конечно, впечатляют... Спасибо огромное!
Давненько меня здесь не было - господа модераторы все никак не могли мне пароль восстановить :-((( А вы злой, батенька - как вы там пескаря по сусалам-то, знатно! Уважаю - сам такой :-)

2zhukoff:
>А вы злой, батенька
Неа. Я первым не бью, только отвечаю :)

>Давненько меня здесь не было
Будет что почитать :)

Сообщаю!

Прослушал один трек с первого концерта тура - Anyday.
Дерек со слайдом не понравился - размазывает, а вот ритм-секция отличная и поет Эрик здорово!

Concert...

В Англии 5 июня, в Штатах 13 июня.

Eric Clapton, SECC, Glasgow

Anyone who thought this was going to be vintage Clapton was running on faith – and blind faith at that. Granted, it was good, particularly for the opening night on a world tour when all the wrinkles and the creases have yet to be ironed out. But it wasn't outstanding. It wasn't amazing. It was just, well, good.

But is "good" good enough when it comes to a rock superstar, especially when said rock superstar is charging £50-a-pop for the privilege of seeing him perform.

There were touches of brilliance. The opening shot, Pretending, was simple, blistering and inspired, while Little Queen smouldered its way towards an explosive conclusion. He avoided the obvious (no Badge, no Sunshine of Your Love) but delivered songs he rarely performs live (such as Got to Get Better in a Little While from his Derek days).

Yet, to be honest, there was an element of Clapton going through the motions. Never the most engaging of personalities on stage, there were few signs of contact with the audience and little more than a cursory rapport with his new band (excellent, but did we need another two guitarists at a Clapton gig?).
This was the second concert in his world tour and, as such, you could forgive him the occasional hesitation or fluffed intro. Almost a year to the day since he played that over-inflated Cream reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall, EC was here. There is something to be said for that at least.

Eric Clapton and his band performed on 8 May at SECC, Glasgow, Scotland. The gig was the official start to the World Tour. For the second concert of the 2006 / 2007 World Tour, there were some changes from the first night's set list. "I Shot The Sheriff" and "Anyday " were dropped. New songs in the set included "Revolution," "Let It Rain" and "Run Home To Me". The Robert Cray Band opened.

The full set list was:
Pretending
So Tired
Got To Get Better In A Little While
Run Home To Me
Revolution
Let It Rain
Back Home (acoustic)
I Am Yours (acoustic)
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out (acoustic)
Milkcow Blues
Running On Faith
After Midnight
Little Queen Of Spades
Everybody Oughta Make A Change
Motherless Children
Wonderful Tonight
Cocaine
Layla
Crossroads (Encore with Robert Cray)

Eric Clapton & His Band: SECC, Glasgow, Scotland

Review #1

I have just returned home from one of the best nights of my life!!! Eric Clapton has just played in my home town of Glasgow in the fully booked SECC (Scottish Exhibition And Conference Centre). The show started off with a
fantastic rendition of Pretending, from the "Journeyman" album. Clapton shows he's still got it as he worked his way through the fretboard, and through the hits! Allowing Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks play some incredible solos throughout the songs too. It was an unusual setlist, mostly the hits, with some unknown or numbers that haven't been played in years.

Clapton's voice was in good shape, sometimes a little distant, but he was too caught up in the music to care! He didn't play "I Shot The Sherrif", or indeed, any of the Cream crowd-pleaseres ("Badge", Sunshine Of Your Love"
etc) but he did make up for it, with a fantastic, guitar solo laiden "After Midnight" which then flowed into "Little Queen Of Spades", the latter having some of the best guitar work of the night! The accoustic section was well done, and i have grown a liking to "Back Home" a song from the new album, that i have yet to hear. Following it was "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" that was greeted with applause as soon as the first chords rung out. A lovely version of "Running On Faith" followed, with some more great fretwork from Slowhand. And then came one of the evening's nicer, slower moments, when Clapton played a beautiful rendition of
"Wonderful Tonight". I saw some couples dancing ad swaying to this, which Clapton must be used to by now!
After a short puase, while the band discussed what to do, calls went out for "Cocaine". The calls were heard and the band played a fast version, filled with some lovely solos, and some of the people in the front few rows took up position near the front of the stage and started dancing and singing along. Clapton's voice was sadly not so easily heard due to the noise on stage! After "Cocaine", the lights dulled on stage, and the band seemed to discuss what they were about to do again, when finally a "One, two, three" was shouted, and the opeing riff to "Layla" was heard, greeted by more cheers! The band continued to jam around this, Clapton doing not to badly on vocals, and he allowed Doyle Bramhall II and Truck to do some amazing slide and fretwork.

The band left the stage, and the foot stomping, clapping and cheering began...The roar was deafening as the band returned to the stage and Clapton began playing the classic "Crossroads". Again the other two guitarists played and jammed, and the band, although only two gigs into their tour, seem to know each other pretty well and have a pulse to them already! All in all, a fantastic night had by all! And if Mr Clapton happens to be in Glasgow again, he knows he's got a great and un-dying audience here!!

Review #2

After "Got to get better..." Eric said that "this is the official opening of the tour" and "please forgive us if we do some mistakes." A new trend seems to be that the band launches straight into a new song before the other one is finshed. For example they started playing "Got to get better" at the end of "So tired" and this happened three or four times during the concert. A great show with some great performances from Eric and Derek Trucks in particular! When this band gets a few gigs together, they will sound magnificent! Came all the way from Norway for this and it was worth it! No doubt!

Review #3

Eric made a passing comment that this was the first real date of a year long European tour and to 'stick' with them as the where getting their sound together. I have to say in my opinion the sound was great! every song was memorable.

I have been a fan and been to many of Eric Clapton's concerts over the years since Cream but last night was the first time I have ever wanted the concert to end quickly. The noise was unbearable, the guitars screaching, the drums seemed over loud at times, the backing vocals we drowned in a noise of what seemed like a huge bass gone wrong.

I am not sure if it is just that there are too many band members this time, but you really could not make out a clear sound of the band, it was just a huge wall of sound more like a very amateur band starting out wanting to turn the volume up as loud as possible.


I really do not want to sound as though I am not a fan as I have just about every LP, CD and DVD Eric Clapton has done. However it would be wrong to not suggest that the sound could not be better managed so that the band members abilities could shine through. They are all so good, but together it just does not work at the SECC for whatever reason. Now it might be the sound there, however I have been to a Eric's concerts there before and they havealways sounded wonderful. I am going to the Albert Hall next week to see the band again and I hope that the sound is better managed than last night. If I could say a couple of things, Derek Trucks is just amazing, he is simply the best support in that band or any band I have seen with Eric Clapton, stunning. Chris Stainton is just magic as usual.

Just decide for yourself, watch the Cream DVD of them playing Crossroads and then listen to this band playing it, it seemed loud and not joined up. Yes Iknow it is a three piece against 12 but with todays technology you should be able to get cohearance out of the song, last night there was nothing in that Crossroads that would have come close to the Cream version or any other versions I have heard live from Eric Clapton.

I do hope things get better for the Royal Albert Hall as I dont want to hear the people saying outside later that it was a waste of money and he should give up, that was what I heard and it made me really sad. He is such a wonderful person and deserves a better presentation of his and the other band members abilities.

2SergeK
Предвкушаешь Прагу?

2SergeK
Удивляюсь, почему никто не пишет об Opening Act?

2Alex Red:
Там видно будет...
Из услышаного ничего не удивило. Жалко, что Брэмхл с Траксом присутствуют - "кач" сливают, а ритм-секция - супер!:)