Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Tenley Newton
Someone on the floor of the IPay arena was holding up a sign that said "Clapton is God". I don’t believe in God, but Thursday night, it felt like the guy with the sign was right. The only other time I saw EC was in London at the Royal Albert Hall for "Music for Montserrat", until Thursday, the hands-down best concert I’d ever seen. It included McCartney, Knopfler, Sting, Elton John, Phil Collins, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffett, Midge Ure, a full gospel choir and full orchestra, with Sir George Martin hosting and conducting on Hey Jude, on which everyone played. An awesome night, now outdone by a single night with Clapton and his amazing group.

This Clapton concert was truly the closest I have ever come to a religious experience. I was clearly in the presence of greatness of a magnitude equal to any musical genius in history. Clapton cannot be surpassed in his guitar work, and remains humble and giving nonetheless, featuring two incredible guitar players and giving them the lion’s share of solos. These guys are definitely worth watching. Even so, as soon as EC got lost (in the best sense) in one of his solos, it was clear that he is a master not to be surpassed.

A rare treat was the appearance of JJ Cale for a 5 song acoustic sit-down set. Cale brought down the house with his only appearance on this tour, and we San Diegans were the ones fortunate enough to be there for it.

I confess that I cried several times during this show. It was transcendent and moving. The emphasis on the Dominoes era was a pleasant surprise, with Robert Cray (who opened with a blistering blues set), joining the band for the single encore song, Crossroads. Favorites "Wonderful Tonight" and "Layla" did not disappoint, either. The audience barely had time to recover from the soulful beauty of "Wonderful Tonight" when the band ripped full force into "Layla". This was a show of relentless perfection, an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Review by Rob in San Diego
Just a few words about EC in San Diego last night, March 15. This was a dream come true for Derek and the Dominoes fans and blues guitar fans in general. The riffs I heard were almost unspeakably great. Derek Trucks is totally phenomenal. Eric was faster than I remember him in a long time and the entire set was over the top! Add J.J. Cale’s appearance and Guitar heaven was right in front of me. I have seen slowhand several times since, yes, the 70s, including him and Carlos together, but this show here in San Diego was at a unprecedented level of musicianship. I wish all of you could have shared seeing EC, Trucks and JJ Cale performing "Cocaine" and "After Midnight"–Eric and JJ trading licks, backup singers kicking in–the whole 9 yards! Maybe on video some day?? I had read that Cale will not travel by air so we were hoping he’d be on hand tonight as he lives a few miles up the road near Escondido. What an unbelievable fantastic show.

Review by Stephen McCauley
I was at the San Diego show March 15th, 2007. The crowd was an older and much mellower crowd than I’m used to seeing at concerts, but the mood worked on this night.

The Robert Cray band hit the stage right on time and played an amazing set. If you’ve followed Robert’s career, you really enjoyed his musical offerings. His stage presence and delivery of his music was simply fantastic. This was truly a great way to start the evening. The people that were still wandering into the facility long after The Robert Cray band left the stage, obviously showing up to see Eric Clapton alone, missed an impressive blues set and wonderful guitarist.

At 8:30 p.m. exactly, the lights went out. Eric Clapton was the last on stage, carrying his strat and already into the opening riffs of what would turn out to be a powerful night of classic Clapton tunes. All night long Eric shared the limelight with the other two guitarists on stage, both of whom tried to keep up with Eric’s prowess (genius) but in the end, Eric showed them how it was done.

The band was tight and moved through the material with a precision of a well oiled machine. Playing practically the same set as he played the night before in L.A., Eric reclaimed his throne as Guitar God as he continually belted out the tasty licks with what seemed like ease, all the while going in and out of the famous Clapton look; closed eyes, head slightly back, ‘I’m just into the grove’ look on his face.

Review by terry – carlsbad, ca
well folks, another fantastic night with slow hand and company. eric was feeling good and having a good time playing some songs i have not heard in years [from delanie and bonnie years] and then some derek and the dominoes and couple newer songs. then out comes mr. coon dog, j.j. cale and the band sat around on chairs playing some new songs from the "road to escondido" and of course "cocaine" and it was very entertaining. san diego got a REAL treat last nite, as probably no one else gonna see that on the tour. everybody in the band right on the money. the last song they brought out robert cray [warm-up band] and did "crossroads" and of course that was awesome too. eric has a young man touring with him named derek (how appropriate) trucks and i thought it was duane allman up there. this guy is simply a guitar genius at a very young age. a real delight and playing with eric was the cherry on the whipping cream. the whole group was very professional and together and made my birthday month very memorable. thanks eric and band, j.j cale and robert cray. love and peace.

Review by Sam in San Diego
I saw Eric Clapton on Thursday, March 15, 2007, at the IPAYONE Center in San Diego. What a show! Eric showed why he is considered one of the best ever. So much passion and soul in his playing and singing. Same goes for Robert Cray, who opened the show and jammed with them on "Crossroads".

The other guitar players playing in Eric’s band for this tour were also amazing:
Doyle Bramhall II: His dad was a close friend of Stevie Ray Vaughan and a co-writer with Stevie. Doyle Bramhall II is also the guitarist/vocalist with the Arc Angels, the band featuring Charlie Sexton and Double Trouble (Stevie’s band). Very tasty, SRV kinda licks and tone.
Derek Trucks: Incredible slide guitar player, who also plays with his fingers like Jeff Beck. Also, solo guitar player with his own band, and guitar player for the Allman Brothers. Very pure guitar tone.

The band also featured: Willie Weeks (bass), Steve Jordan (drums), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (keyboards), Michelle John (backing vocals), and Sharon White (backing vocals). I really enjoyed the way each musician contributed and shared the stage.
Highlights for me were: "Little Wing", "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" (both with J.J. Cale joining the band), "Wonderful Tonight", "Layla", and "Crossroads".

I saw alot of video cameras, so they may be releasing this footage in some way in the future. Great show.