Eric Clapton is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, being ranked 2nd on Rolling Stone’s list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 3 times (with the Yardbirds, Cream, and as a solo artist). Its safe to say this performance did not disappoint.
Whilst I may have been the youngest attendant in the crowd, the energy was easy to feel in the Royal Albert Hall.
The Low Riders opened the show, playing some of their top tracks alongside newer releases. They played well, with the band featuring two saxophonists.
After the interval, Eric came on stage. With his first note it was immediately identifiable to be him. The boosted mids in his guitar tone, mixed with an array of reverb and overdrive, instantly sounded incredible throughout the venue.
The performance started with Eric holding one of his new guitars. He has been playing live on a Stratocaster with a Palestinian flag painted on the body. This has been the case since his release of To Save a Child, a record that aimed to assist relief in the area.
One of the early songs was Key to the Highway, which featured iconic soloing from “Slowhand”.
An acoustic section of the performance followed a few of the blues guitarist’s electric tracks. Acoustic songs featured: Nobody Knows You When You Are Down And Out, Tears in Heaven, and To Save A Child (which featured an emotional video which accompanied the track).
Tears in Heaven, being one of Eric’s more popular songs, was met with applause and cheers as the introduction played. The performance carried all the same emotions as the recording of the track at MTV Unplugged in the early 90s. Believed to be written about his son, Conor Clapton, it was very moving. Conor fell from the 53-rd floor of his mother, Lori Del Santo’s, apartment in New York in 1991. The song received a multitude of awards upon its release, and has rightfully earnt it’s place as one of Eric’s best tracks.
The Royal Albert Hall was then greeted again by the electric guitar, as Eric began the intro to Badge (one of Cream’s final songs). The song was written in collaboration with George Harrison. The Beatles’ guitarist was a good friend of Eric’s as the two had many collaborations, most notably Eric’s guitar solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the White Album.
Little Miss Queen of Spades took on an entirely different format within this performance, allowing for Eric’s accompanying band to take solos throughout. The song began with a powerful drum solo, followed by piano, synth and guitar solos alongside the song’s regular verses and choruses.
One of the best tracks from this section of the show was Cocaine, which the crowd seemed to particularly enjoy. Eric’s solo during the song was emphatic and driven, and the rhythm section was completely on-point. The performance also featured a tribute to George Harrison, as a picture of the late Beatle was projected on the screens. His son Dhani Harrison joined Eric on stage to end the show.
To summarise, the performance truly encapsulated Eric Clapton’s music. The tone of his electric guitar was magical, something that any guitar player should experience live if possible. The true scale of the guitar solos were unimaginable, as he somehow makes the instrument sing for him. The end of the show was met with thunderous applause and cheering.
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