Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

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Review by Charles Kennedy / Mississippi
We drove down to the show in New Orleans with diminished expectations after listening to the show in Pittsburgh, PA the previous week. First of all let me say that Roger Daltrey was hands down the best opening act I have ever seen. One world class act opening for another, it was somewhat of a double header.

There have been reviews of the Clapton Beck shows and the solo shows that followed that gave Clapton somewhat dismal reviews based on his age and diminishing dexterity, and I will admit that I lowered my expectations for the show that I was to attend so as not be disappointed and just take in the experience for what it was. The show started off slow enough with Going Down slow and that was the time that I had planned to make my way around the arena to take pictures before the show really took off. As Key to the Highway started the first solo showed me that he had been merely warming up during the previous week to be a solo act again after tours with Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall, Steve Winwood and Jeff Beck, all of which I have followed with great interest. Through Key to the Highway and Tell the Truth, it became apparent that the fire and the intensity were still there. I had expectations that were met and exceeded. Old Love and I Shot the Sheriff were real crowd pleasers with ample screaming guitar that is what we all expect from a Clapton show.

The sit down set was no less of a disappointment, and I was no less than glad to hear an acoustic Layla and I’ve Got a Rock and Roll Heart.

Badge was a welcome addition to the restart of the plugged in set, with more soloing than I had expected. The one loop that he threw us was moving Little Queen of Spades up two positions in the list, I was thinking that he may skip it. Not to diminish the shows prior namly the Pittsburgh show that I was lucky enough to come across a copy of, but the guitar work was much more thorough such as instead of letting Chris Stainton handle the intro and just heading straight into the vocal, there was the same passionate intro before the vocal. I have very much respect for Chris Stainton and always look forward to his parts especially the solos during Little Queen of Spades over the last few years. Walt Richmond on backup keyboards was no disappointment either. Chris’s solo during Cocaine was no disappointment either nor was the performances of the Man himself either. Im not sure what promped Little Queen of Spades to be moved forward in the set, but when it was time for it to start and he blasted into Before you Accuse me I wasn’t sure what to think. But nonetheless I was not disappointed.

Now…Crossroads. Not one, not two but three solos and a riveting perfornamce that left everyone begging for more, but we all know that when Crossroads is done, Eric has done his job and done it well and thats just all there is to say except to stand there for a few minutes and collect yourself for the journey home.

In short I went into this show privledged enough to be seeing Eric Clapton, even though I had lowered expectations and got absolutely blown away, and thats just all there is to it.

Review by Dale Marston / Montrose AL
Roger Daltrey’s set was quite good. Give Me A Stone had a boogie-woogie beat not far off from what Lowell George describes in “Rock ‘N Roll Doctor” with Simon Townsend on the mandolin. Going Mobile, with Simon on vocals, was the most improvisational song for the band and was the highlight of the set.

Since seeing Eric for the first time in 1990 with the Journeyman Tour at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum (Biloxi), I have been trying to get back up to the first few rows for one of his shows. After 9 previous tries, I was able to be on row 5 last night at The New Orleans Arena. There were all ages in attendance – everything from kids 10 years old to grandparents pushing their mid 80’s. EC didn’t disappoint anyone in the Arena. Thank you Eric for, once again, allowing us to view the incredible talent and skill you have mastered. I become even more impressed each time I’m able to watch, and with you being the only six string on stage last night it was hard to focus on anything else.

Steve Gadd and Willie Weeks were solid; these two, along with EC, provided the fundamentals for some tight blues that New Orleans hasn’t witnessed since EC’s last trip pre-Katrina in May of 2005. Added on top were keys from Stainton and Richmond, as well as great backing vocals from Michelle and Sharon. Old Love and I Shot the Sheriff stood out in the first electric set with solos from EC cut to perfection. Nobody Knows You and Running On Faith were the highlights of the acoustic set, concluding with a jubilant Rock ‘N Roll Heart. Queen of Spades was by far the best song of the 2nd electric set as EC tore-up the strings with an outright blues explosion.

Review by Sherry Vaccaro / Houston TX
I was rather disappointed that EC would not be coming to Houston this time–but I didn’t want to miss him, so I drove the 365 miles from Houston to the New Orleans arena. I had read some rather negative reviews of previous shows on this tour–like he only played for 90 minutes, he was just sort of going through the motions, etc. No Way! Every aspect of the show was awesome. It was nice to see the span of generations that were in attendance. There were little kids, pre-teens, young adults, and lots of "boomers." Before the doors opened I stood behind two people in wheelchairs–comparing their knee replacements. Whether he was doing the acoustic set or rocking out on his "screaming guitar," there was no doubt left in my mind about the condition of his "Rock and Roll Heart." It’s as strong as ever!

Review by Paul D. Jacob / New Orleans LA
First of all, let me say that this was my fourth time seeing Eric Clapton, and he has shown me some things in the past that are still at the top of my favorite things that I’ve ever seen live. I believe that there is nothing greater than seeing five blues musicians playing together. At the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004, I was fortunate to be able to witness Eric playing with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Vaughn, and John Mayer all on the same stage performing some remarkable blues jams. This was a major highlight of my entire concert going life (which is quite and extensive life).

However, I did not need to see Eric Clapton for a fourth time, but with Roger Daltrey opening, I knew that I would not miss this show. Throughout the entire span of time from when I bought the tickets until the show, I was more excited to see Roger than Eric. And Roger did not disappoint at all. I thought the highlights were seeing his renditions of Water, Behind Blue Eyes, The Real Me, and Baba O’Reilly. These were some of The Who songs that I was hoping to see performed. His energy was outstanding and his voice, although aging and therefore deeper, was still right on key and full of heart and vitality. After fifty minutes, the set ended, leaving me happy, fulfilled, and satisfied with my decision to go to the show.

Then it was Eric’s time on stage. Let me first say that his guitar playing was great. He played the notes of the solos with accuracy, and he played very well. However, I am getting irritated with people saying that he was outstanding. I found that, beyond the solos, he seemed as if he was merely going through the motions of being on stage. He did not seem to put much energy into his performance. Every concert that I go to, I am looking for a connection between myself and the performer. To me, that’s what makes a good musical stage performance. Eric did not provide that. He merely went on stage, played his standard setlist, and left. It seemed as if the show was scripted, i.e. he played a song, played a solo in the song, and moved on to the next song. I definitely felt as if there was a barrier between him and me. I felt like Eric did not care where he was or to whom he was playing. It was almost as if the excitement and enthusiasm of being on the stage had left him. I was completely underwhelmed by the stage presence that Eric was showing to me and the Arena. However, as I stated earlier, I went merely to see Roger Daltrey and not Eric Clapton, so I did not leave completely unsatisfied.

Review by Ivana C. / New Orleans LA
This was my third time seeing Eric play within the last seven years. It was also the first time me seeing him play without a backup guitarist. I will have to tell you that Eric has not lost nothing. He exceeded my expectations on the show as he always does. He had intense solo’s that blew my mind away. His setlist was full with classic songs and hearing "Layla" in acoustic was a real treat. These negative reviews that folks write about Eric dissapoint me. I’m very thankful that this legend is still touring and sharing his talent with us. Thank you Eric!!!!