News

Clapton Starts U.S. Tour At Xcel Energy Center

17 Sep 06

Eric Clapton kicked off the first leg of his U.S. Tour on 16 September 2006 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is a continuation of the 2006 / 2007 World Tour which began in Europe in May.

The U.S. Tour Band features Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks on Guitar, Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on Keyboards, Willie Weeks on Bass, Steve Jordan on Drums and backing vocals by Michelle John and Sharon White. The Robert Cray Band will be the opening act.

The set list was like that of the European Tour which ended on 31 July. The opening-night audience heard gems from Eric’s back catalog including  "After Midnight" and "Motherless Children" along with songs of more recent vintage. Robert Cray joined EC on stage for "Old Love" and came back for the encore, "Crossroads". The full set list was:

Pretending
I Shot The Sheriff
Got To Get Better In A Little While
Old Love (with Robert Cray)
Everybody Oughta Make A Change
Motherless Children
Back Home
I Am Yours
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
Running On Faith         After Midnight
Little Queen Of Spades
Further On Up The Road
Wonderful Tonight
Layla
Cocaine
Crossroads (Encore with Robert Cray)

The band’s next concert will be 18 September at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri. This portion of the U.S. tour concludes on 23 October in Miami, Florida. Additional U.S. concerts will be announced at a later date.