Eric Clapton and his music

Eric Clapton gets the blues big-time at Blossom
by John Soeder / Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic
Sunday June 01, 2008, 8:08 AM

Eric Clapton is not only a three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, but an honorary Buckeye. In recent years, the revered British singer-guitarist has been spending quality time in Columbus, his wife's hometown.

Turns out he's a bit of a wimp, too. "I couldn't believe how severe it was," he writes of his first Ohio winter in his autobiography, "Clapton," out now in paperback. It's a page-turner about addiction, redemption and, er, pheasant hunting.

Clapton, 63, presumably found the circumstances more tolerable Saturday night at Blossom Music Center. The weather was perfect and the venue was packed.

A standing ovation greeted Clapton as he launched into "Motherless Children" -- not to be confused with "Motherless Child," which showed up later in a stripped-down format.

This wasn't a concert for the casual fan, with Clapton eschewing many of his best-known hits. No "I Shot the Sheriff." No "After Midnight." No "Tears in Heaven."

Instead, the headliner indulged his well-documented passion for the blues, dusting off gems popularized by Robert Johnson ("Traveling Riverside Blues"), Charles Brown ("Driftin' Blues") and Muddy Waters ("Hoochie Coochie Man"), among others.

The MVP of Clapton's six-piece band was guitarist Doyle Bramhall, who played yin to Clapton's yang throughout the two-hour performance. Their two-headed solo in the middle of "Double Trouble" was a study in cathartic harmony. They even dressed alike, in white button-down shirts and blue jeans.

Between numbers, Clapton said next to nothing, short of a hearty "Thank you!" now and then.

On the other hand, his Fender Stratocaster spoke volumes. It waxed poetic during "Little Wing," got down with its chicken-scratch funky self for "Don't Knock My Love" and provided eloquent counterpoint to Clapton's vocals during "Little Queen of Spades," as if to say: "Who you calling Slowhand?" Eyes closed and mouth agape, Clapton lost himself in one 12-bar reverie after the next.

The requisite unplugged interlude featured a classy take on Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair," which brought a touch of jazzy elegance.

While pleasing himself seemed to be his top priority, Clapton tossed us a few bones toward the end, including "Wonderful Tonight." During the latter tune, a few concertgoers were seen hoisting those ancient devices known as cigarette lighters.

Bringing it all home on a classic-rock high note were "Layla" (ranked No. 13 on the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" list in Rolling Stone's latest issue) and "Cocaine." Opening act Robert Randolph, a pedal-steel guitarist par excellence, joined Clapton & Co. for the encore, a rollicking "Got My Mojo Working."

A word to the wise, Mr. Clapton: It's never too early to make sure your snow blower is functioning properly, too.

Eric Clapton
Blossom Music Center, Saturday, May 31
By Aaron Mendelsohn


As a teenager I read books about the legend of Eric Clapton and how "Clapton is God" was spray-painted throughout the London Underground. Of course, I enjoyed his catalog and became a disciple to the music of Cream, Derek and the Dominos and Blind Faith, but always felt there was a bit too much praise bestowed upon this man. That is, until Saturday night, when Clapton and his band of merry musicians ripped through two hours of classic material, and a packed Blossom became a witness to what this 63-year-old master can still do with a simple black and white Fender Stratocaster.

Dressed in a white cotton button-down shirt and a pair of jeans, "Slowhand" emerged from behind the stage to overwhelming applause, and then quickly quieted things down with "Motherless Children." Complemented by a duo of female back-up singers and a dynamic four-piece band, Clapton was very much the focus, stepping out from behind his microphone to assault the audience with his potent finger-picking on numerous occasions. The calendar might say that Clapton is in his seventh decade of life, but this three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer plays with the intensity of someone half his age. Clapton's voice too has weathered time impeccably, as he sang "Key to the Highway" and a cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing" with the same comfort as his guitar solos.

About halfway through the set, Clapton dispatched his band for an acoustic rendition of "Driftin'." Seated on a chair, Clapton remained there for the next handful of songs, appropriately infusing a little blues, while his band eventually reemerged to assist in rounding out the sound. But the best was saved for last. "Tell the Truth" and "Wonderful Tonight" provided contrasting yet lasting highlights into the man's past, and the finale of "Layla" and "Cocaine" brought everyone to their feet. With the brilliant piano solo of "Layla" unwinding, the band segued the song's end into the beginning of the popular drug anthem, granting Clapton one final tutorial to illustrate how a guitar should be played.

Motherless Child


Don't Knock My Love (part one)


Don't Knock My Love (part two)


Outside Woman Blues (part one)


Outside Woman Blues (part two)


Hoochie Coochie Man (part one)


Hoochie Coochie Man (part two)


Little Queen of Spades


Wonderful Tonight


Running On Faith


Got My Mojo Working (part one)


Got My Mojo Working (part two)


Layla


Driftin'


Tell The Truth


Before You Accuse Me (part one)


Before You Accuse Me (two)


Before You Accuse Me (part three)


Cocaine (part one)


Cocaine (part two)

2 June 2008
Eric Clapton & His Band: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville CT

Eric Clapton and His Band visited the 10,000 seat Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Monday, 2 June. Over the course of two hours, the band turned in a killer performance according to early reports from the venue. The 19 songs, focused heavily on Eric's blues roots, rather than his more radio-friendly material.
Tonight Eric dedicated "Before You Accuse Me" to Bo Diddley who died today, 2 June.

Helped by a great sound system in a new-ish arena, it was easy to hear some of the more subtle touches by all of the musicians in this indoor arena. Fans commented that Doyle Bramhall II and Chris Stainton both stood out, adding lovely fills and dynamic solos during several songs. Kudos also to "The BVs" - Michelle John and Sharon White - for their gorgeous backing vocals.

Eric opened the 9th concert of his summer tour with "Tell The Truth". Classic songs like "Motherless Children" (from the album 461 Ocean Boulevard), "Layla", and "Cocaine" were big crowd-pleasers, along with the ever-popular, "Wonderful Tonight." Early reports from the venue indicate that evening's stand-outs, filled with blistering solos by Eric and Doyle, were "Tell The Truth", "Little Queen Of Spades" and "I've Got My Mojo Working" with Robert Randolph. Robert pushed EC to extend solo three times longer than usual.

Entirely deserving of mention is the "sit down set," which takes place at the midpoint of the show. Eric opens this portion of the concert alone on-stage armed only with his acoustic guitar for "Driftin'." The band then rejoined him for Hoagy Carmichael's "Rocking Chair", followed by "Motherless Child," "Travelling Riverside Blues" and "Running on Faith" (from 1989's "Journeyman").

2 June 2008 Set List / Mohegan Sun Arena

01. Tell The Truth
02. Key To The Highway
03. Hoochie Coochie Man
04. Little Wing
05. Outside Woman Blues
06. Double Trouble
07. Don't Knock My Love
08. Drifting
09. Rockin' Chair
10. Motherless Child
11. Travelling Riverside Blues
12. Running On Faith
13. Motherless Children
14. Little Queen of Spades
15. Before You Accuse Me
16. Wonderful Tonight
17. Layla
18. Cocaine

Encore:
19. I've Got My Mojo Working (with Robert Randolph)

Review: Eric Clapton at Mohegan Sun
By Eric R. Danton
on June 3, 2008 1:08 AM


Eric Clapton is a man of few words, but then, he has a guitar to speak for him.

By keeping stage patter to a bare minimum Monday night at Mohegan Sun, Clapton left plenty of room for his trademark black Fender Stratocaster to hold forth. It had a lot to say.

The guitar was an effective soliloquist, and it also started more than one musical conversation during Clapton's two-hour, blues-heavy set. But it was most mesmerizing when Clapton and second guitarist Doyle Bramhall II engaged in a frank exchange of ideas via six-string intermediaries.
Clapton is at heart a collaborator, and with a hotshot guitarist like Bramhall nipping at his heels, the veteran English guitarist had plenty of incentive to stay in peak form as the two swapped leads on a blustery version of "Key to the Highway" or locked in unison slide guitar parts, crying like birds of prey on the wing, on "Motherless Children" (not to be confused with "Motherless Child," which Clapton also performed).

Although Clapton still plays with great passion, it's a different sort than he displayed as a young man. Back then, he played with the frenzied fervor of youth, spilling the contents of his aching heart into his solos. These days, his playing comes from a wiser, world-wearier place, though you could make a strong case that his heart aches no less.

Indeed, maybe it's no coincidence that three of his first four songs came from "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs," the ardent 1970 album Clapton recorded as Derek and the Dominoes.

Clapton was still able to hit the pained falsetto notes on the chorus of concert opener "Tell the Truth," and his solos on "Little Wing" comprised long, fluid lines, like deep breaths, broken up with quick, sobbing bursts of notes.

He was sidetracked by a handful of less distinctive blues tunes in the middle of the set before refocusing on the luminous acoustic country-blues tune "Motherless Child" and a Delta-steeped cover of Robert Johnson's bawdy "Traveling Riverside Blues."

The end of the set featured some of the famed guitarist's bigger tunes, including "Wonderful Tonight" and the steady, stomping shuffle "Before You Accuse Me," which he dedicated to Bo Diddley, the influential guitarist who died earlier Monday.

After ending with the one-two punch of "Layla" and "Cocaine," Clapton returned to trade licks with opening act Robert Randolph on a noisy, joyous take on "Got My Mojo Working."

Randolph, a pedal steel guitarist, opened with 45 minutes of songs fusing soul, funk and the "sacred steel" music he learned growing up in his church in New Jersey.

Review by Big Tom / Milford CT

I have just seen Eric Clapton and his Band at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville CT. This is the 20th time I have seen Clapton since 1974.

I must tell you that there is always something that just amazes me about Eric. Last night was no exception. The first six songs just had me memorized and I was just saying WOW song after song. Starting out the show, one of my favorites was Tell The Truth. The band was right on from the beginning and I have to say that less was more last night.

With just one guitar player (Doyle Bramhall) with Clapton and Chris Stainton handling all the keyboard duties, the clarity of the band was noticeable. A more upbeat version of Key to the Highway was also right on. Bramhall's guitar and vocals never sounded better. The next two songs - Hoochie Coochie Man and Little Wing - were the songs of the night for me. Hoochie Coochie Man had me in chills. Little Wing sounded like Clapton had something to prove - which he never does. It was just amazing how this man at 63 can still show that he is the MAN.

The acoustic set shows Clapton's versatility and how the blues is in his blood. From there on in, it was all electric and it just was the best. It was good to see Clapton play slide on Motherless Children - he is so good at it, I wish he would play more of it. He gives Doyle so much room playing that you can see that it is a true band. And I loved Chris' playing both piano and organ. Is there any more versatile and pro bass player than Pino? Unreal - so steady.

Paying tribute to the passing of Bo Didley, EC played before You Accuse Me.

Finishing out the show with Layla right into Cocaine and the encore with RR on Mojo was the icing on a great cake. You know the set list was perfect and for those that just want to hear the EC hits, buy a CD. I could care if Clapton played Layla again. He really shows he is the Master Blues Man and my GUITAR GURU - as always THANKS ERIC for letting me see you for the past 34 years!

Review by Catherine

If you are a die hard Eric Clapton Blues fan, such as myself, tonight was for you. No matter how many times I have attended one of his concerts, watching the intensity of his playing is amazing. Chris Stainton's solos were a major highlight of the two hour show.

However, me and my sister both felt that for the price we paid for our tickets, tonight was lacking in too many areas. The sound system at Mohegan Sun is extremely loud and tinny sounding. There was a definite lack of excitement and energy in the audience. Nathan East, Steve Ferrone, Chuck Leavell, Andy Fairweather-Low and Ray Cooper are sorely missed, adding that energy and audience involvement which is lacking now. Found it interesting that Eric did not introduce the members of the band, something he has done in every concert in the past.

While the encore of "I've Got My Mojo Working was excellent, a one song encore is not the norm when it comes to past Eric Clapton concerts. Actually, the concert came across as being rushed. Speaking to numerous concert goers in the casino, the majority came away with the same feelings.

It is refreshing to hear old songs such as Motherless Children, Little Queen of Spades, etc., some songs should be retired.......Wonderful Tonight, Hoochie Coochie Man, etc. Please add Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Old Love, Bell Bottom Blues, to name a few.

All said and done, I highly recommend seeing Mr. Clapton perform, his playing and vocals seem to get better as he ages. Will I see him again in concert, should the opportunity arise, YES! My hope is that he his band be comprised of musicians who compliment the greatest guitarist our generation has ever seen and that he listens to his loyal fans and re-thinks his set lists.
Mr. Clapton, I personally thank you for all the joy and happiness your music has brought into my life for so many years.

Review by Joe, Jess and Greg

I have seen Clapton on six or seven occasions. I remember the time Mark Knopfler was the second guitarist in the band and I thought it would stand as the best show ever. In 2006, I was disappointed with the sound and the overall presentation at Mohegan Sun Arena. This year the got it all together:
- The sound system was perfect
- The band was perfect
- Clapton was flawless
- The arena staff was perfect
- The ticketholders were the best group I ever attended a concert with
- The air conditioning was exactly perfect
- And last, the weats we had in section 25 ... perfect.
The people who attended got to see a legend at his finest.

Review by Greg Gallagher

Clapton was awesome. He was in great form and the band sounded great. I am used to Andy Fairweather-Low as his sideman but let me tell you, the southpaw Doyle Bramhall II can fill in anytime.

Chris Stainton on keyboards was in great form too. Unreal show. It was great to hear Motherless Child and Motherless Children and my personal highlight came early when they performed Little Wing! I only wish he did another encore, because Mr. Randolph brought up the energy on stage and it would have been nice to see it go one more song.

I have been to 14 EC shows and this is up there at being one of the best. Clapton was at ease, probably because he did not "have to play" anything from an album, he could perform what he wanted. I am sorry I could not go to Great Woods* to see him!

* Now called Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts

Review by Lenny / Norwalk CT

Don't know where to start. Haven't missed an Eric tour in 20 years. Had to let my wife and 14 year old son go without me to see Eric and Stevie at the Garden because I had severe Bronchitis. Made a career choice. See Eric, or one more day in bed and get back to selling cars.So, it was with incredible glee when I found out E.C. was touring later in the year. I pretended it was just for me, when he found out I was sick for the Garden show.

But, let's get real. I have taken my wife of 31 years to many of these shows, and she is one of those, "I only want to hear the songs I know" people. So, she loved 2006's Mohegan show when he did Let it Rain, After Midnight, Anyday, Crossroads, Layla, and so on. I warned her, after reading the Wheres Eric website, that the set list was not going to be to her liking. She only knew 5 songs. I didn't take her with me to see Cream because I knew she would not like it. Although when you think about it, it was the ultimate Eric concert because he had to play all the guitar.

Back to Mohegan. I purposely missed most of Robert Randolph because I knew my wife was going to be bored with most of the Clapton set, so I was not going to push it with Randolph too. We came in for the last 2 songs and he was excellent.

Now we will get past my wife and get to the show. Eric was great. People mistake his lack of emotion as boredom. Believe me. That's the way he plays. I've seen it for almost 30 years. Never talks to the crowd, which I think I have finally gotten used too, though I told my wife before the show that I bet he says something about Bo Diddley having died that day, which he did. He dedicated Before You Accuse Me to Bo. He said we heard some sad news today, Bo Diddley passed away, and this song is for him. In 30 years I honestly think that is the longest line he has ever said to a crowd.

And he played his usual 2 hours. When you think about it, playing the blues is more guitar, and that's what I'm there for. To see and hear him play guitar. I read one of the above reviews where someone said that Eric should say if the tour is going to be a Blues tour, or a more traditional hits concert. There is some validity to that statement, but if you are a real fan, it should not matter. If you only know Eric from his radio play, then you were probably going to be disappointed. I met people that didn't know the set list, and I did not tell them. Let them find out, and hopefully enjoy.

As far as the playing, again, it was excellent. I have to say that the encore was one of the most incredible songs I have ever seen and heard. I will try to explain.

Two tours ago, when Eric closed his shows with Over The Rainbow, I thought that was probably the best ending to an Eric concert since 1970 something when Santana and Mahavishnu John joined Eric for Stormy Monday at Nassau Coliseum. Eric and John M. went at it so hard that Carlos put down his guitar to watch. Now let's fast forward to Monday night. Randolph and Eric went at it on Mojo Working. Randolph would play, and then Eric would play. And then Randolph would play and motion to Eric to play harder. This went on for at least 3 times. Cmon man, you are the greatest guitar player in the world show me. AND HE DID. And he did something I have never seen in all the Eric concerts I have ever been to. Eric laughed. You might think this is no big deal. But this is from a man that shows no emotion on stage. He smiled and laughed, and my wife stood and rocked out with the both of them on a song she never heard before. That's how great that encore was.

And then Eric did something else I don't think I ever saw him do after a show. We were sitting near the stage exit, and he took a towel and wiped his head and face. That's how hard he worked. Normally it's all business and routine and the show is over. Randolph made him work harder than he had intended to, and he loved it, we loved it, and you loved it if you were lucky enough to be there Monday night.

Eric Clapton CT Mohegan Sun June 2, 2008 Bo Diddley Tribute


Eric Clapton Motherless Children live 6.2.08 Mohegan Sun


Eric Clapton Layla...Live Mohegan Sun 6.2.08


A very "Little Wing" Eric Clapton 6/2/08 Mohegan Sun


Eric Clapton Traveling Riverside Blues live 6.2.08

4 June 2008
Eric Clapton & His Band: Comcast Center, Mansfield MA

Set list:

01. Motherless Children
02. Key To The Highway
03. Hoochie Coochie Man
04. Little Wing
05. Outside Woman Blues
06. Double Trouble
07. Don't Knock My Love
08. Drifting
09. Rockin' Chair
10. Motherless Child
11. Travelling Riverside Blues
12. Running On Faith
13. Tell The Truth
14. Little Queen of Spades
15. Before You Accuse Me
16. Wonderful Tonight
17. Layla
18. Cocaine

Encore:
19. I've Got My Mojo Working (with Robert Randolph)

Review from projo.com :

Starting off with the galloping “Motherless Children” and heading into a stomping “Key to the Highway” and a pounding “Hoochie-Coochie Man,” Clapton established that it would be a blues night and didn’t let go until near the end, when he slipped in the pop-oriented “Running on Faith.” And where his voice may not have had the right kind of menace for something like “Hoochie-Coochie Man,” his combination of string-bending and corrosive disharmonies on “Little Wing” and “Tell the Truth” and the Albert Collins-like bursts and stabs during the slow blues “Little Queen of Spades” made up for it.

As is Clapton’s tradition, he gave his second guitarist plenty of free rein, and Doyle Bramhall II responded with a wonderfully nasty tone that beautifully set up, and was set up by, Clapton’s cleaner tone. Bramhall’s primitively distorted solo on “Hoochie-Coochie Man” was a particular delight, as was his honking slide on “Tell the Truth.” He showed the ability to play prettily as well, with birdlike chirping on the minor-key ballad “You Can Make It If You Try.”

A semi-acoustic mini-set in the middle of the show, starting with Clapton seated solo and eventually bringing in the band, broke up the full-electric, keyboard solo-Bramhall solo-Clapton solo routine that had started to set in. Country-esque blues (“Driftin’ Blues”) mixed with old-time acoustic jazz, and Clapton’s easy-going voice was better suited. The sequence reached a high point in an electric, subdued version of Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues” before ending with “Running on Faith.”

Clapton finished off with a run through some of his rock and blues-rock hits by nodding to his ballad side with “Wonderful Tonight,” pushing through a “Layla” that was a bit slow (the incandescent original recording probably can never be matched) and dropped suddenly into a sauntering “Cocaine.”

Robert Randolph and the Family Band opened the show, with pedal-steel whiz Randolph tearing through a series of mostly one-chord stomps that felt like a mix of gospel, demented country blues and a hornless Sly Stone, particularly the joyous “I Need More Love” and “Deliver Me.” Randolph also lent a wonderful chaos to Clapton’s raucous encore “Got My Mojo Workin’.”

Review by Kristin / Boston MA

I consider myself a major Eric Clapton fan of many years and this was my sixth time seeing him and his band perform. I feel so fortunate to be able to see Eric play and it is already the highlight of my summer.

As I have seen him perform a number of times, I was not disappointed with this blues driven show, as I have seen the "hits" and also several album tours, "Pilgrim," "Reptile" etc. It was a rocking night, never sat down once (well, okay, during "Wonderful Tonight" which I wish he would retire along with "Cocaine"). I bought my tickets from EC Access and they were fantastic - dead center 20 rows back!

The band really seemed to gel and what a pleasure, a true pleasure to see Chris Stainton perform on keyboards - just phenomenal. Eric always being the gentleman did give alot of "airtime" to Doyle Brahmhall II. I support Doyle and think he is very good but I thought he was a little off last night and it took away from the show a bit. For instance, during "Layla" I wanted Eric to step up and play his beautiful ringing tone for the solo and he let Doyle have at it with slide guitar and it made for a slower, not as intense version. I remember I got the same feeling during the Fall 06' tour, where I almost felt like Eric was passing the torch to his apprentice(s). I respect that but missed having Eric really shine and also it didn't seem like he and Doyle were really clicking or playing off each other as well as they could have or in the past.

On the other hand, when Eric played the encore "Got My Mojo Working" with Robert Randolph you could see how the inspired each other to rock out even harder - the latter being one of the highlights of the show.

Other reviewers may disagree with the dynamic that I highlighted above but it was just the feeling that I got during the show. It was tremendous overall and I am now looking at dates where I can hit up another show. Clapton IS God.

Cheers and thanks as always to the "Where's Eric" team for keeping us up-to-date and informed.

Review by Wendy Hendryx / New Hampshire

I traveled three hours in Boston rush hour traffic to get to this concert, and I was tremendously glad that I had made the decision to purchase a third row ticket just the week before. I think it was the reviews in Where's Eric? and the set list that made it so that I just couldn't resist. I have seen Eric many times before, and I was certainly not disappointed. He looked great…much younger and fit looking than in some recent photos and the Chicago Crossroads Benefit DVD. ..I like the longer hair, even with the gray.

Eric seemed real tired when he first came onto stage, but he pulled it together fast. What had tipped the scale in favor of me going to this concert was that I had never heard him play Little Wing live before, and the feeling of seeing/hearing him play this song is above description…it represented rock and roll history…it mesmerized me...it was nirvana. It made every dollar and mile worth it. And yet there was so much great music to come. My other favorites of the evening were Double Trouble, Drifting, Tell the Truth, and Little Queen of Spades.

I disagree with some of the previous reviews, and feel that a Clapton concert without Layla and Wonderful Tonight would disappoint a lot of fans. I, personally, wish that Eric would stop playing Cocaine, as I think that many young fans take the song as aggrandizing the drug. Aside from loving this superb performance of Tell the Truth and Little Wing, I really love it when Eric growls the down and dirty blues. I hope for many more years of Eric Clapton concerts, and my requests would be Black Rose, Terraplane Blues, and Ain't Nobody's Buisness.

As for the band, I was a bit disappointed. Chris Stainton was great. But I miss people like Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, and the percussion duo of Steve Ferrone and Ray Cooper or Richie Hayward at Albert Hall in years past. And when Layla ended without Katie Kissoon's solo, it seemed to just drop off, unfinished. Those concerts were tight and near perfect.

Unlike the comments of the Ohio folks, I did not feel that Eric was enjoying himself much this night. There were a few precious smiles shared with Dolye, but very little interaction with other band members or the audience. I know Eric isn't a big talker between songs, but this night it was at a minimum.

Nonetheless, I do not want to sound like too harsh of a critic. When I came home to reality, I felt sorry for the people who have never experienced a live Eric Clapton performance. He is one of the few performers who performs live better than in studio. The front man was awesome…he delivered his unsurpassed vocals and bent those strings like the master he is. Love you, Eric!

Review by JC Frasier

Saw Eric at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA, Wed, June 4. As always he was great. Interesting set list. Some I could have done without and some I wished he had included, but that is always going to be the case.

As great as the show was, someone needs to tell him that people are not shelling out $150.00 per ticket to hear Doyle Bramhall sing and do guitar solos nor Chris Stainton do boring piano solos. It is Clapton that we are all there to see and hear. Many songs had Bramhall and Stainton each doing 24 bar solos only to have Eric take twenty four before returning to the song. He really needs to stop doing that. I would much preferred him to do five or six more songs with only himself soloing instead of wasting my valuable time by forcing me to listen to people in whom I have no interest. I'd have no complaint if Doyle and Chris had one solo each, but there were way too many and he could have put in more songs to fill in that time. The band was excellent, but I really missed Steve Gadd and Billy Preston's absence was huge.

Whoever is doing his sound needs to be fired. The vocals were way to low in the mixe and the drums were too prevalent. I don't understand how sound techs who are sitting within twenty feet of me are not hearing the same thing I'm hearing. Everyone around me was complaining about it. Also, I will not be going to another concert at this venue. The parking is horrendous and the outside areas are way to small to accomodate the crowds. Additionally, all seats under the roof were the same price. All night all I could think about was that some guy in the fourth row center paid the same as I to sit in the 44th row. I don't know if Eric has anything to do with this but it is an absolute outrage.

Robert Randolph was very disappointing. I had seen him twice before and was totally blown away by him and really looking forward to seeinghim again. He has gotten into a thing where he feels that it's necessary to play a funk groove for what seems like forever before getting into a song. Then when the audience is totally bored out of their collective skull, the song begins. Then, the songs he chose, other than a Bo Diddley tribute and a Hendrix song were awfull. Everything was very repetitive. He also left the pedal steel for most of the performance and played a Telecaster. The guy might be the best pedal steel player in history. Why does he feel the need to do something that he's mediocre at.

Review by Marcia Tangerini / Sherborn MA

I like the Mansfield venue because front row is so front row that you never forget it. I was in the front row, dead center, with my husband, two of our kids, and their two friends for Wednesday night's show, so the age range was 24 to 60, and we were all flat out amazed. We had all seen Eric before, and we were simply blown away by how blown away we were.

We were all delighted that he played blues all night! That's what we had been hoping for. When he strolled onto the stage and tore into "Motherless Children," it was heaven!

For me, "Tell the Truth" and "Little Wing" were the top of the night. Let's face it, he's just a good sport to play "Wonderful Tonight" at all. But anything he wants to play is just fine with me. No one does the blues like Clapton, and his band was note-perfect. Each one of them is just so damned good individually! Talent, work and skill. Wow!

Lastly, you have to love Sharon White and Michelle John. I just love them. They sure can rock it! I missed the Texas hat, but that's about the extent of what I can find to complain about. Great show!

In classic fashion, Clapton lets his guitar do the talking
By Sarah Rodman
Globe Staff / June 5, 2008

MANSFIELD - The venue formerly known as the Tweeter Center received its formal christening as the Comcast Center last night. It was a baptism by fire performed, appropriately enough, by guitar god Eric Clapton.

The Powers That Be couldn't have asked for a better blessing as Clapton and his band filled the house with a brisk and bristling set of classic blues and rock.

A percentage of those in the packed-but-not-quite-sold-out house who came expecting a greatest hits set likely left disappointed. Outside of the trio of tunes that closed the regular set - "Wonderful Tonight," "Layla," and "Cocaine" - the 19-song, two-hour performance was weighted heavily toward blues covers. Clapton has clearly reached an age where, if he's going to tour at all, he’s going to do what he wants. And apparently he doesn't want to revisit his seminal, pre-solo career '60s hits or latter-day pop excursions.

Instead, the guitarist offered a trip though favorites by a roster of musicians that read like the entire early influences slate for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But those with open ears and minds may have departed with a deeper appreciation for the soul-nourishing music Clapton fell in love with as a boy and still clearly relishes playing with a band of like-minded mates. And the feet of guitar freaks probably didn't touch the ground on the way out, so kinetic were the fret board trade-offs of Clapton and Doyle Bramhall II.

There was the lacerating, deep blue of "Double Trouble" by Otis Rush; Muddy Waters' sassy "I Got My Mojo Working," featuring opener Robert Randolph on stinging steel guitar; and, of course, idol Robert Johnson, who got two tips of the cap with the greasy backbone slide of "Traveling Riverside Blues" and the smoky "Little Queen of Spades," one of many tunes to benefit from keyboardist Chris Stainton's inventive, jazz-tinged phrasing.

And on it went with Willie Dixon, Bill Broonzy, and Jimi Hendrix, who was represented by an elegantly aching version of "Little Wing."

Truthfully, two-thirds of the way through the show a few pop nuggets like "Tears in Heaven" or "She's Waiting" would have been a welcome break from the night’s template. But the playing was so exquisite, their absence was forgivable. (Oddly, journeyman bassist Pino Palladino never got a share of the spotlight or much of a boost in the sound mix).

A man of few words, Clapton offered his heartfelt thanks a few times verbally but mostly showed his gratitude with his guitar.

The cheerful Randolph and his family band rolled through 45 minutes of their spirited blues rock.

Slowhand showing no signs of slowing down

By Christopher John Treacy
Thursday, June 5, 2008

Eric Clapton seems to get better with age. You can tell by looking at him. With his little round specs and graying hair, he’s begun projecting a look of jowly wisdom, and the look doesn’t lie any more than “Cocaine” does in his 1977 radio classic - one of very few hits he performed at the newly dubbed Comcast Center (previously Mansfield’s Tweeter Center) last night.

Clapton put that hard-earned wisdom to good use by choosing a set that reflected his personal taste for blues rather than a string of radio-ravaged favorites. Folks who came looking for a hit parade stroll down memory lane likely were annoyed, but the hard-core Clapton fans in attendance - not quite a full house - seemed plenty pleased with his eclectic display.

Slowhand’s got a new band, and together they launched into the traditional “Motherless Children,” spurred by a contagious galloping rhythm and plenty of slide riffs straight away. “Key to the Highway” followed, the first of four tunes from “Layla and other Assorted Love Songs,” Clapton’s legendary 1970 album with Derek and the Dominos. The other three were the title track, no less charged nearly forty years on, “Tell the Truth” and a gorgeous version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” during which both Clapton and his left-handed guitar man Doyle Bramhall II (playing his trademark backwards-strung 6-string) took ample opportunity to put their own fluid spins on the mournful melody.

Willie Dixon’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” marked the first time the whole band really got to stretch out. Keyboardist Chris Stainton went wild tickling the ivories, and Clapton followed with an expansive solo. Basic 12-bar tunes, such as Blind Joe Williams’ “Outside Woman Blues,” recorded by Cream on 1967’s “Disraeli Gears,” were tastefully decorated with little runs, but it was as if every note was carefully chosen - no wasted space, no egomaniacal stunts. Instead, Clapton let his impeccable sense of timing call the shots and his instincts never seemed to fail.

Now 63, Clapton’s voice has begun to show its age. But despite his bark having weathered, it’s also picked up a guttural gurgling sound that adds punch to tunes such as “Double Trouble” that require an angsty, pained wail. When he pared down to just an acoustic guitar for “Drifting,” the quiet arrangement made it easier to hear him. Elsewhere, backup gals Michelle John and Sharon White helped with consistently soulful feminine touches.

During the driving encore “I’ve Got My Mojo Working,” opener Robert Randolph came out to lend a hand. Earlier, with his Family Band, the New Jersey-bred musician threw down a short but ferocious selection of boogie blues and righteous, throbbing soul tunes. A raunchy pedal steel guitarist who cut his teeth playing at his local place of worship, the House of God Church, Randolph & Co. channeled everything from Stevie Wonder to Stevie Ray Vaughn by way of Sly and the Family Stone.


bostonherald.com

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Eric Clapton visits L'Attitude Gallery

We were surprised and delighted yesterday when guitar legend, Eric Clapton, came to the gallery -- and purchased several scuptural objects for his boat. Clapton is in Boston for a concert tomorrow night at the Tweeter Center. We were pleased that he stopped by and that we were able to find several stone scuptures (including four pieces by entertainment reporter turned stone sculptor Dixie Whatley), glass pieces and a ceramic vessel that suited his taste.

lattitudegalleryartnews.blogspot.com