Concert Details
17 July 2001 – Eric Clapton & His Band
Location:
Venue: Xcel Energy Center
City: St. Paul
State/Province: MN
Country: United States
Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals
Andy Fairweather Low – guitar / vocals
Billy Preston – hammond organ
David Sancious – keyboards / guitar / vocals
Nathan East – bass / vocals
Steve Gadd – drums
Support:
Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack
Show Notes:
After a few weeks break, EC kicks off the second leg of US Reptile Tour in St. Paul.
Special Guest(s):
Set List:
01. Key To The Highway
02. Reptile
03. Got You On My Mind
04. Tears In Heaven
05. Bell Bottom Blues
06. Change The World
07. My Father’s Eyes
08. River Of Tears
09. Going Down Slow
10. She’s Gone
11. I Want A Little Girl
12. Travelin’ Light
13. Hoochie Coochie Man
14. Have You Ever Loved A Woman
15. Cocaine
16. Wonderful Tonight
17. Layla
18. Sunshine Of Your Love (encore)
19. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (encore)
Fan Reviews:
Review by Phil d’Amore
Just got home from the show at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Awesome. Absolutely awesome is the only way to describe the show. With a band that included no less than Billy Preston and Andy Fairweather Low, Eric took us through an all too brief tour of his career.
With selections ranging from the heartfelt "Change the World" and the tragedy inspired "Tears in Heaven" to rock anthems (Layla) to the soulful "Bell Bottom Blues" it was indeed a musical tour de force. Eric, looking very comfortable and relaxed gave an overall excellent performance.
For the encore, we were all surprised by his choice of "Sunshine of your love" To cap it all off, Eric chose the simple melody of "Somewhere over the Rainbow", which he also used to introduce the members of his band.
This was the third time I had seen Eric, and without a doubt it was his best ever. The man simply gets better with age. If, as rumored his is to retire, he leaves some very large shoes to fill. He has played with the best (and outlived most of them). Eric is truly one of a kind.
Review by Neil Trembley
My head is still buzzing from the Eric Clapton concert I went to on July 17. It was wonderful. He played mostly tunes from the 90s (which are ok on the CDS), but played them so well and with such great riffs that they really soared. He started with a brief acoustic set in which he did "Key to the Highway," and "Bell-bottom Blues" one of my all-time…. His timing was impeccable, and believe me, I’ve seen him when his timing was peccable. The mix of rock, blues, and folksy music got the crowd going. When he pealed into "Cocaine" it really tested my sobriety.
His set ended with a full-blast rendition of "Layla" that was fantastic (although he does not soared anymore during the coda; it came across as plaintive and forlorn). For an encore he did a Cream number, "Sunshine of your Love" that really got the crowd going. He calmed everyone down with Dorothy’s "Somewhere, over the Rainbow" which was bizarre, but did the trick and got him off stage. All in all, a superb performance.