Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Corey Christian – Beverly Hills, FL
To start off, this was the most breathtakingly incredible moment of my entire life. Although at 17 I was one of the youngest people there, it was a phenomenal experience. Everybody got there turn to play solos and everything went fantastic. Bramhall got to lend a helping hand to Clapton with vocals during a few songs during the show. As an aspiring guitar player I know that sometimes its not what your playing, its how your playing it, and all of the guys went out there with there hearts all the way into it. The soul was emanating throughout the arena. The technical highlight of the night was on Motherless Children when Eric, Doyle, and Derek all came out with slides raging, it was the most intense 5 or so minutes I have ever witnessed. When the sit down acoustic set was in full storm and I saw the stage crew bringing out stands with harmonica holders I knew it could only mean one thing, San Francisco Bay Blues, with Clapton on Kazoo and Doyle on harmonica, it seemed like they were having as much of a good time as I was. After Cocaine, the lights dimmed and they walked off stage, but nobody was leaving without hearing one of the greatest guitar songs ever written, Crossroads. The guys came out to clean everything up and started talking instruments off stage and the crowd just yelled louder. Then from the corner of the stage the band came out and played an amazing version of Crossroad with Robert Cray helping out with vocals.Good old Slowhand has still got it in him, and if he comes anywhere near your area, I can’t stress enough how much you should get out and attend. The blues, screaming guitars, and Eric Clapton (aka God as I call him), what more could you want in life.

Review by Bill Duerden – Longwood, FL
I’ve seen many, many shows, but never had the opportunity to see Clapton. I certainly wasn’t dissappointed. This will go as one of my top five all-time (the best was Zeppelin in ’73 at Tampa Stadium, just to give you an idea of how long I’ve been going to concerts). As many of the artists of my generation seem to be losing their rock roots, Eric shows he is still the man! From the opening song, Pretending, it was clear this was a Classic Guitar show. Clapton was magnificent, Derek Trucks lived up to his "phenom" status, and, while I was not familiar with Doyle Bramhall II, his vocals and playing were smokin’. Then, you throw in Robert Cray and you have created nirvana for any guitar loving fan. I am ecstatic I got to see this show and I’m sure I’ll be talking about it for years to come.

Review by Nick Nikiforos
I’ve seen Eric Clapton every tour since 1974 including the Cream reunion. Last night he was on fire all night. It was the best show i’ve ever been to. I Shot The Sheriff, Got To Get Better In A Little While, Old Love, Motherless Children, San Francisco Bay Blues, After Midnight, Little Queen Of Spades, Further On Up The Road, Cocaine, and Crossroads were all incredible.The only disappointment last night, were the Two idiots that sat next to me. They never shut up one single moment during the entire show. I’ve got tickets to the Miami show this Monday and I can’t wait. If anyone is thinking about going, I encourage them to do so. They will walk away very pleased.

Review by Bryan Bukowczyk Hudson FL
Best show of my life!! Never seen Clapton live. Big fan before show,now even bigger fan!!! Clapton is GOD!

Review by Jerry White
Once again the true magic of a artist is only really appreciated via live performance. Eric Clapton and his multi talented band exceeded expectations, the big surprise was the reception given Robert Cray. Saw the show in Toronto about one month ago and the ovations for Cray were good but not the enthusiasm exhibited by Orlando fans.Would love to see Cray in a smaller venue like Hard Rock etc. One could never criticize Claptons music but it would be nice to see a little more audience rapport established by this group. Not as cold as Dylan but not far behind.

Review by George Colombo
In an interview a few months ago following the recent Cream reunion concerts in London, Eric Clapton opined that his guitar playing has gotten better than ever. That’s a remarkable assertion from someone whose playing once inspired the aphorism "Clapton is God," but last Friday evening a capacity crowd at the T.D. Waterhouse didn’t find any evidence to the contrary. From the opening bars of "Pretending" until the final notes of the encore, a raucous rendition of "Crossroads," had faded away, Mr. Clapton played with speed, precision, and touch, giving the audience of mostly baby boomers all it wanted and more.

Selecting material from a career that’s spanned more than forty years presents can’t be easy, but the set list was well-paced and satisfying. While material from Cream was in surprisingly short supply (limited to the aforementioned Willie Dixon classic, "Crossroads"), fans of Mr. Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos period were no doubt delighted to hear his sturdy arrangements of "Got to Get Better in a Little While," "Anyday," "Key to the Highway," "Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out," and, of course, "Layla." While Mr. Clapton has tended towards softer arrangements of some of these songs in recent years, last Friday’s renditions were closer to the gutsier original versions.

One of the striking aspects of Mr. Clapton’s career has always been a keen sense of his place in history, regularly paying homage to classic blues artists like Freddie King and Robert Johnson. Now, at age 61, Mr. Clapton’s historical perspective now seems to encompass not only those who went before him but also those who will carry on the rich tradition of blues guitar when he is gone. Along those lines, Mr. Clapton’s new band features two relatively young guitarists, Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks. Mr. Clapton generously shared solo time with these two talented stylists throughout the course of the evening and the concert benefited enormously from that approach. Mr. Trucks is an accomplished slide guitarist whose regular gig is with The Allman Brothers Band. Mr. Bramhall’s is a talented left-handed blues player who plays with a left-handed guitar that’s strung upside down. (Yes, you read that right. His high E string is on top, not on the bottom, of his guitar!) In fact, one of the evening’s musical high points was when all three guitarists played slide guitar simultaneously on "Motherless Children."

The evening’s opening act was blues guitarist Robert Cray. Mr. Cray’s set was brief and tight. Later on, he joined Mr. Clapton on "Old Love" and reappeared a third time on "Crossroads." Mr. Cray’s playing and singing were flawless but are probably better suited for a more intimate venue than T.D. Waterhouse (a setting that once again proved why its reputation for poor acoustics is well-deserved).

A tepid review of Mr. Clapton’s recent performance in New York appeared in The New York Times last month, intimating that the band played without much enthusiasm or spark. If that’s true, then perhaps Mr. Clapton was saving his best efforts for Orlando. Friday’s performance was crisp, energetic, and a shade better than anything we’ve seen from him in recent years. Considering the quality and quantity of Mr. Clapton’s output during that period, that’s really quite an achievement.

Review by Doug
Two hours and ten minutes of Clapton on top of his game. Concerts don’t get no better than that. The riveting slide guitar onslaught of Motherless Children and the upbeat version of After Midnight were my highlights.

Review by Stuart Sonne / Eustis FL
Rather than write a long missal extolling the virtues of this concert, let me cut to the chase! If there was one concert deserving of being recorded "LIVE", this was it. My wife and I were enthralled by the entire performance.

Review by ML / Ponce Inlet FL
My husband, 21 year old son and me went to the Friday, October 20th concert at the T. D. Waterhouse in Orlando. Words cannot describe how great that concert was. My son, who plays guitar, was just as mesmerized as we were and said it was the best concert he had ever attended. The whole concert ran so smoothly from one song to another. The fans even impressed me by not standing up and blocking views, etc. You saw a lot of people dancing in their seats! I give everybody a lot of credit for a fantastic concert!!

Review by Jim
At age 58 I have been Clapton fan since he hit the scene, but had never seen him live until 10/20/2006. Can only say fantastic night and have never seen 4 such talented lead guitarists on the stage at the same time. Now kicking myself for not seeing Eric previously.