Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Bruce Kahn

Why is it that we hardcore E.C. fanatics travel to different cities around the country/world to see him? Its quite simple – we never know what we’re going to get from one show to the next. The Detroit and Toronto shows were average at best. Going into the two Chicago shows, I expected it to be a few notches better. And guess what? This boy was not disappointed at all. Chicago is one of the cities that I would recommend to anyone planning on seeing Eric, since it has always seemed to bring out his true guitar soul. And having Buddy Guy around doesn’t hurt either.

The set was the same as previous shows, with the exception of one surprise encore on July 25, and the insertion of "I Want A Little Girl" replacing "Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". Eric has always seemed to get off on the Chicago crowds over the years and for good reason. They’re some of the best fans around. This Detroiter would take the Chicago shows and audiences over my own, so what does that tell you? Nowhere else did I hear near capacity crowds singing along to Eric’s set. And I swear every fan in the United Center was singing along with him on "Bell Bottom Blues" both nights. That gave me a high for sure.

Eric’s soloing was on and then some. I can’t remember when I walked away from a show these past few years thinking that the best solo of the night could have been on "My Father’s Eyes". What does that say? Of course we have to put "She’s Gone" and "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" right there as well. And with Buddy Guy helping out on "Hoochie Coochie Man" and his own "Stone Crazy" on the first night, the solo trade offs there will ring in my mind for several years to come.

One nice surprise I got from these shows was seeing the return of Billy Preston. He adds a dimension to both the sound and visual that was missing from the shows I saw previously. And the band had to enjoy his return as well, since the first encore on night two was given to him. Who ever expected to hear "Will It Go ‘Round In Circles" in place of "Sunshine"? A welcomed surprise to all in attendance for sure.

If this is in fact the last go around for Eric (and I don’t believe it to be), he left the audiences from both these nights with memories of a musician who gave his best to fans who most definitely deserved the best. Your "spiritual home" is right there in Chicago, Eric. Please come back for another visit – and thanks again for some wonderful memories.

Review by SAE

I was privileged to be able to attend both Clapton Chicago concerts on July 24 and July 25. This first account concerns the July 24 concert.

When I arrived at the United Center on Tuesday evening, I noticed that the crowd of about 12,000 was a mix of young and old Clapton fans. The mood was restless and many of the fans’ voices were loud. It had been a hot and humid day (in the 90’s). Eric strolled on stage alone without his band in a white short sleeved shirt (untucked) and denim jeans. He wore white running shoes with a red design. It seemed he had put on a little weight since I last saw him three years ago. He took a seat and an acoustic guitar and greeted the audience with a hello and said it was nice to be back. The audience roared. Chicago clearly loves Eric Clapton.

He started with "Key to the Highway" and then his band joined him to play "Reptile". He then introduced his band. The audience still wasn’t able to settle down yet. Eric and his band went on to play songs from "Pilgrim," "Reptile", some blues and Eric classics such as "Cocaine", "Wonderful Tonight" and "Layla". At one point for "Hoochie Coochie Man", Buddy Guy took the stage. The audience roared. Chicago also loves this Bluesman. Buddy played another song and the audience was absolutely riveted. The encore was "Sunshine of Your Love" and Eric finished the evening alone with an acoustic version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Altogether there were 19 songs.

After the band took their bows to the audience, I noticed that guitarist, Andy Fairweather Low patted Eric on the right shoulder and must have said something about a fine performance. Eric shook his head "no." He was clearly disappointed in the evening and quickly left the stage. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the concert, as Eric and his band gave a solid performance, I felt something was missing, but nothing would keep me from going back to see him perform the next evening.