Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Emmer

São Paulo, Brazil – Pacaembu Stadium
Estimated crowd: 30,000 persons

Pacaembu is a very famous and beautiful soccer stadium. The FIFA world soccer champion, S. C. Corinthians Paulista, used to play much matches there.

It was about 8:20 pm when the Brazilian singer and guitar player called Frejat started his concert. I don’t like his music so much, but it was a good concert. He is a very important artist here in Brazil, with your band called Barão Vermelho (Red Baron). His band made a very good concert at Rock in Rio Festival, but his solo career is so boring… The most incredible happened while I was buying a t-shirt (40 reais, about 15 dollars): a foreigner asked me about Frejat, he would like to buy some CD…

The most of "real" fans were on the bleachers while on the soccer field (more expensive tickets) most of people didn’t know much about the Clapton’s Blues years. Anyway, everybody was there to see the concert that would be the best of their lives.

The tickets were sold out early. Eric Clapton should come to Latin America more times. Rio de Janeiro is the most famous Brazilian city around the world, but people must know São Paulo is the most "musical" Brazilian city. São Paulo is the Brazilian capital of music. Artists like Dick Dale, Malmsteen, Lou Reed and many others have cancelled or made almost-empty concerts in Rio de Janeiro. OK, with Clapton it’s different. All the concerts will be great. I get sad with that, but I think the best Eric Clapton concert in Brazil is gonna be in Rio de Janeiro (damn, I’m not gonna be there). Mr. Clapton shouldn’t do that with Sao Paulo. I’m sure the most of real fans of his music is here. He should play at least two concerts in Sao Paulo. Just one is not sufficient.

9:40 pm, Eric Clapton came up to the stage with his guitar, and started to play… "Reptile"?? Oh my god, I would like to know why the hell he didn’t play "Key To The Highway"!!! But it’s okay, go on…

"Bell Bottom Blues" was great – the best one from the acoustic set. Pretty cool solo during "She’s Gone". When "Tears In Heaven" was played, a lot of flashes and lighters arise from the crowd. Pop ballads like "Change The World", "My Father’s Eyes" (oh my God, oh Clapton, what was that?? I never thought that song could be played that way!!) and "River Of Tears" were really better than the original studio versions. Everybody was smiling and very pleased with that show.

After all those pretty beautiful ballads, it’s time for some blues like "Badge" (with another great solo!) and "Hoochie Coochie Man". Everybody was sitting and being calm during "Stormy Monday"… but suddenly, the opening riffs of "Cocaine" are played. Everybody get up and starts dancing and singing. The crowd was definitely ignited. Moreover, it looks like Eric Clapton was ignited too (just for a few moments…). Many couples get kissing and singing together during "Wonderful Tonight". "Layla" makes the crowd screaming, jumping, smiling… Oh man, that moment could never end and I would be happy for all my life… Thanks God.

The band gets off the stage and the crowd gets relax for a moment. Just a little moment. The encore starts, and "Sunshine Of Your Love" sends the crowd to the heaven. Therefore, everybody can get back to Earth when that beautiful Clapton-version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" starts. The crowd knows this is the last song of the night. They know this is the last Clapton’s world tour. Listening to this beautiful song, the crowd thanks God for this (His?) performance. It was about 11:30 pm when the show is over.

I think Eric Clapton should play a different and longer setlist here in Latin America, where he rarely comes. Before this concert, the last one was in 1991. I’d like a setlist with more blues and less pop songs. It should have more songs from that period before the pop years.

Clapton was looking kind of tired from the beginning to the end of the concert. During many moments of the show, it looks like he was playing annoyed. The concert could be boring for Eric Clapton, but for the crowd it was one of the greatest moments of their lives – a moment they (including me) will never forget. And it’s okay, since what a god have to do is making people happy.

The band was great. Andy and Nathan was discreet, but they played very well (is it possible they playing bad??). Greg and David were great as well and made amazing performances. Steve Gadd was looking like the happier of the band. He smiled a lot and made a wonderful job.

It was a really incredible concert, but I think it could be better. It shows Clapton makes great shows in places like USA or UK, where he has played a lot of times, in a lot of cities, and just regular shows in places like the countries in Latin America, where he rarely comes, but there are a lot of fans who loves him. At least in Sao Paulo, the capital of music in Latin America, he should play more. The Brazilian crowd deserves more. Unfortunately, it looks like he is gonna play more in Rio than in Sao Paulo and in Porto Alegre. I repeat: Rio is the worst Brazilian city for international musicians. Rock in Rio was there because the city is the most famous, so tourists from around the world go to Rio, see the concerts and visit the city. I like Rio de Janeiro so much, but for music (except Brazilian rhythms like Samba, of course), that’s the last city I’d go.

The company that organized this concert is not so good. There wasn’t much organization, mainly on the soccer field. Just as well, Clapton saved the night.

Someday, I will see Clapton playing as I would like to. God has to gimme one chance to do it, so I will be ready to die. So I will die satisfied.

I’m happy because Mr. Eric Clapton was "wonderful tonight". In addition, I’m sad because I’m really sure: this show could be better.

Review by ANDRE SALLES

At exactly 21: 40 hs Eric Clapton and the band entered the stage and without saying anything went into…….REPTILE. It was nice, as I said not only Clapton acoustic but with the entire band, there wasn`t a "solo" introduction this time. After that Clapton said "obrigado" ("thank you" in Portuguese), said that the previous song is the title track of the new  album Reptile and that the next one, also from the new album is called "GOT YOU ON MY MIND" – at the end that was all Clapton have said the entire night. Got you on my mind was already better, more enthusiasm by the band.

TEARS IN HEAVEN made its job, a pop song to make crowd happy. After that a great moment : BELL BOTTOM BLUES ! What a blues tune, it never lost its magic, really emotional !

CHANGE THE WORLD was just like Tears in Heaven, but performed more intensely, more thrilling, Clapton was really involved by that time.

Then we went into the well-known Pilgrim set. MY FATHER`S EYES was introduced a bit different than usual, something like a "reggae" style; at its end, a great guitar solo as expected. RIVER OF TEARS was performed as intensely as it could get, just like the recent live versions, like for example the "Antigua" Benefit Concert". GOING DOWN SLOW was the no-working point of the night, it simply doesn`t work live in my point of view. Still, at its end Clapton continued soloing and made a nice link to SHE`S GONE, very good ! This one really outstanding, pure rock`n roll ! WANT A LITTLE GIRL was also diferent compared to the studio recording, more  "bluesy" live, Clapton indeed introduced "Greg Philinganes" and then there was a truly blues piano solo, very good. After that, the Blues Night !

HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN worked nice as always and, after that, for the ones like me that thought that the night would have only one blues song, the surprise : STORMY MONDAY !!! What a thrill ! The blues lovers like me got extremely pleased and, curiously, the crowd also showed lots of enthusiasm, outstanding guitar and piano solos, the highlight of the night !

And then people definitely stood up : COCAINE and WONDERFUL TONIGHT, this last one, although played very often, still works, nice keyboard solo. After that I asked my friend : "are you ready ?" and then he replied : "for what ?"…The LAYLA introduction riff answered my question ! People were definitely pleased then, just as good as it could get.

Then Clapton said "goodbye" and we just had to wait for the encores. SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE was enthusiastic, and SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW started with the band introduction and went on as emotionally as possible, outside the venue there were people walking and singing all alone "Somewhere…." What a concert !

Review by Eduardo Altomare Ariente – São Paulo – Brazil

Disagreeing with the opinions of my friends who wrote to this website.

Eric, discreet as always, entered the stage with no celebrations, no lasers, just sit and straight cought a guitar to play a good version of Reptile between Andy and Nathan (very nice one, smiling all the concert). The same happened with the other acoustic versions.
In my point of view, those version were much better than in the studio. Tears in heaven, in particular, was more accurate and bluesy. Change the world was similar to the EC and Friends for Crossroads benefit (very good).

Hoochie Coochie Man was amazing, as Stormy Monday, Badge (best of the night) Cocaine, Layla (these 2 made all the Stadium stand, fans of all ages) and Wonderful Tonight that made almost all couples kiss.

Sunshine was also perfect and , for my surprise, when everybody waited another famous hit, Eric finished the night playing Somewere Over the Rainbow, that I had never heard like that and pleased all with another extract from his talent.

The band was also terrific, no mistake, always in the same step.

All in all, I had already seen BB King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, no of them made me so happy as Eric did!

I spent all my savings to get a good place and I wasn’t disappointed.

Finishing, I will never listen the blues as I did before. Either any kind of music. For his simplicity, his competence, I just like to thank God for this opportunity to see this show, for me the best guitarrist of all times, followed only by Jimi and Stevie.

Thank You Eric!