Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Dan Perkowski
This Grand Rapids stop was one high octane rock and roll show that the fans won’t soon forget. What a crowd! What does it say about a show when the entire floor crowd stands for the whole show minus the acoustic section. Absolutley amazing. It was like like a 70’s event relived….sights and smells included. The band fed off this energy and delivered a superb show.

Robert Cray started off the night with a crisp soulful set. 30 minutes is not enough for such a fine musician. When Eric took the stage, this place erupted.

From the opening chords of Pretending through the final leads of Crossroads 2 hours later, he was on and the band was on. All bandmembers were outstanding in their solos, of which there were many. Extremely impressive…..Derek Trucks on Running on Faith, Little Queen of Spades and Layla. Great slide work. Chris Stainton was outstanding on Old Love, Doyle had many fine moments.  What about the man? Simillar to the Cream reunion, being pushed seems to be was he thrives on. Highlights were Got to Get Better in a Little While, Old Love, Motherless Children, After Midnight, Queen of Spades, Layla , and Crossroads. In each song, he was able to find those notes and progressions that sets him apart from every other guitarist. Whether its wailing on the high notes or playing low on the neck, he makes it look so easy.

He appears to be having so much fun with this tour, it seems to have take his playing to another level. This was a great EC night. I can’t wait for Saturday night. Get ready to rock Detroit…

Review by James Murphy
Simply put,the best concert I have ever seen. No lulls in the action,No political statements….Just kick-ass guitars,keyboards and drums.I heard on the radio the next day that some people seemed to think everything was rushed.I didn’t see it that way.The amount of music that was played in the two hours was awesome.I hope the man never stops touring and hope he continues with his habit of releasing a dvd from somewhere on the tour.I will be the frist one in line for that one!!!!! E.C. may really be God!!!!!

Review by Rob Bennett
The last 3 times I’ve seen EC in concert he was a little to adult contemporary for my taste. Not last night, baby! He blew the roof of the Van Andel Arena! I closed my eyes during the last half of Layla and I swear Duane Allman was up there with him. Derek Trucks is tremendous! Doyle, as always, was wonderful along with Chris and Willie. Not enough credit is given to drummer Steve Jordan. He finished out Crossroads while STANDING UP! The guy can pound the skins. Hope he tours with Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos again someday.

My 2 complaints on the evening were, first, that Robert Cray needs a longer set. 30 minutes doesn’t do him justice. Second, I Am Yours?! I always jumped over that track with my needle. I’d rather hear Anyone For Tennis to be honest. Good to hear Motherless Children though.

Review by Susan Buckley – Battle Creek, MI
Best concert of his I’ve ever seen. Two hours of Clapton at his best. Showed off everything he’s capable of doing, from the hard rock to blues to acoustic ballads. No breaking rhythm by constantly changing guitars, which can be annoying.

It was obvious Clapton was enjoying himself. Maybe it had something to do with the crowd. People in the floor seats, me included, stood most of the concert. And the ovation at the end was his reward.

Those attending the show in Detroit on Saturday night are in for a treat. Thankfully, I’m going to be one of them.

Review by Jan James – Whitehall, MI
What a show!!! I have been a fan pushing 40 years now. I had to keep pinching myself. It was almost a surreal experience. Although, since I have loved Clapton for so long, I wish he had done a little more Cream – "Sunshine Of Your Love", "White Room", some Blind Faith. As I said to my friends, Eric was mainly doing what he loves most, the Blues. Not complaining at all!!!! Clapton is really God!! Thank you Eric for bringing so much joy to my life for so long.

Review by Bruce Kahn
Have you ever wondered if you would see a show that from beginning to end would have you on your feet, shaking your head in disbelief, and walking out thinking you’ve just witnessed possibly the best performance ever from your favorite artist? I along with several thousand other EC fans felt just that way after his show Thursday night at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. From the opening notes of "Pretending", right through to the final riffs of "Crossroads", you could feel the energy from not only EC, but from every member of the band on stage. Each one contributed to what has to be the best that this writer has seen of him in a long time. The enjoyment they had from feeding off one another made this a night to remember. I’m still gathering my thoughts from the night and when I come down from the high of that evening, will have more to share in the upcoming issue of Where’s Eric! Until then, thanks to Eric and everyone in the band for what will be a night I personally won’t forget.

Review by Dan – Grand Haven, Michigan
Great show! As others have stated, Robert Cray’s set was much too short. Highlights of Eric’s set had to be Pretending, Got To Get Better In A Little While and Cocaine, along with his Acoustic Set. Clapton’s playing looked effortless. Crossroads brought down the house after 2 hours of intensity. I would have liked to have seen Eric converse more with the audience. I don’t think he said more than 6 words the entire concert. Part of what makes attending a live show special is the interaction and connection the artist makes with the crowd. I’ve seen others put on a much better show than Clapton, but no one can touch his musicianship.

Review by Larry Peterson – Portage, MI
Words cannot tell the true story of EC’s show in Grand Rapids on the night of 9/21/06. It was the most high energy show I have ever seen. Pure Clapton. Is it possible to get enough of Eric Clapton in one setting? I don’t think so. No lull, no weak spots, just awsome Clapton all the way. From EC’s "Slow Hand" to Derek Trucks lightning slide guitar, smooth leads by Doyle Bramhall and hard hitting keyboards by Cris Stainton and Tim Carmon and bass and percussion by Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan, this was a performance that will go down in history. The Band fed off the energy of the audience and gave more in return. The Encore was a total blow out, with Robert Cray joining Clapton for Crossroads and every musician on stage getting center stage to show off their fantastic talant. I’ve seen nothing like it in the past, and probably will never see anything like it again. Clapton at sixty one still has it. Long live Clapton. All in all, the best show I’ve ever seen, period.

Review by Mark Cook – Holland, Michigan
I went to this concert especially because Clapton had assembled a knockout band and the sets are drenched in his first love — the blues. It was an electric atmosphere last night with the musicians (especially guitarists) front & center and in top form. Clapton played with the superb confidence of the grand master he is, while letting each of the others rip their own soaring riffs. I don’t think Duane Allman ever toured with ‘Derek & the Dominoes’ (only did the studio sessions) so to have Derek Trucks doing those liquid slide solos was heaven on earth. "Little Queen of Spades" "Further on up the Road" and "Crossroads" were the ones that put me over the top but for my money there wasn’t a throw away tune in the entire set. Thanks to a tour that demostrates that a professional show in every way can still bring the house down when the music is unleashed.