Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Nicola Crisafi
I attended the concert in Verona last night and Eric appeared to be in very good shape as all the band’s member. Robert Cray opened the show with an half an hour appearance and then the stage was set for Eric’s band.

The show started with a very strong version of Pretending, then So Tired from the new album. Got to get better in a Little While sounded fresh and powerful even after all these years with an astonishing solo by Eric (the whole song lasted nearly 20 min.!). The sweet Old Love (another masterpiece) opened the path for Everybody Oughta Make a Change (from the album Money and Cigarettes) and an incredible rendition of Motherless Children.

During this first part of the set Eric played in a magnificent way and the crowd was really captured by the voice of his guitar. Then the so called sit down set with Back Home, I Am Yours and Nobody Knows You…welcomed with an incredible reaction by the audience which probably stimulated Chris Stainton to produce an intriguing solo. Running On Faith sounded sweet and tender as always. After Midnight with his fast tempo brought the mood up again, then Little Queen of Spades (which Eric plays very similarly to Have You Ever Loved a Woman). A very welcomed novelty was Let It Rain from the seventies and then Wondeful Tonight which impressed a lot the crowd as the super-classics Layla and Cocaine (thanks JJ Cale for writing this song and After Midnight). The encore was a powerful version of Crossroads with Robert Cray which joined the band (as he already did in Old Love and Little Queen of Spades).

The show lasted only 2 hours but I have to say that the band was really great. A special mention for Derek Trucks, Willie Weeks and especially Steve Jordan who played with an incredible energy. Chris Stainton was also great and the horns section was very well integrated into the sound. Personally I didn’t like Doyle, but that’s the way he’s playing… I would have preferred to see Eric playing only with Derek and Robert on some songs.

Anyhow it was a great night and I believe that also for the musicians was an incredible experience to play in such a great location as the Arena in Verona.

Review by Alberto Giacomelli / Padova, Italy
What a night… in the intimate atmosphere of this beautiful Arena, Eric & his band went on stage after a quick Robert Cray’s performance.
It was about 9.30 pm when his guitar began with "Pretending"; it was the first time I saw Eric playing with such a big band ! There were 12 people on stage, and even if I was pretty surprised not to see Andy on Eric’s side, Derek Trucks’ guitar was wonderful ! I guess "Old Love", with Robert Cray, was the best track of the first electric session, but the dream began when I saw the band sitting on chairs and getting ready for the unplugged set; I could not wonder they would have played "Running on Faith"… I loved it, and my mind went back to 2002 Florence concert. I can’t hide I was waiting for "Tears in Heaven"… but "Back home" was magic. "After midnight" & "Layla" were performed really well, I liked very much Steve’s drums, sometime really impressive !!!! Once again, Eric was simply the best. Thanks Eric, thanks to your great musicians, and thanks to the moon which shined on us all the night long. Yeah… We felt wonderful last night.

Review by Matteo Porchera, Lodi, Italy
I arrived at the Venue at 7:45 pm, took place and went near the stage to watch the set-ups. While watching around I saw Steve Jordan on the stage taking some photographs of the wonderful Arena and Tim Carmon talking with the sound engineer on the left on the stage. At 8:30 Robert Cray went on stage and opened the night with some beautiful songs, like Poor Johnny and Twenty; the Arena wasn’t full yet but Robert woke up all the audience with a slow blues. He and his band played half an hour or a little more. At 9:30 the main event started. Eric arrived on the stage with the guitar in his hands; he dressed white trousers and a blue shirt. The concert started with a powerful and strong version of Pretending, followed by So tired and Got to get better in a little while, in an astonishing version, very beautiful.

The setlist continued as usual in this tour with Old Love (touching and beautiful), with Robert on the stage. Eric’s solos and the sound of his guitar were very good and rich. Eric didn’t talk so much, he just told "Grazie" (Thank you) e "Buonasera" (Good evening) a couple of times, and presented Doyle, Derek, Chris and Tim after some solos. After Everybody oughta make a change and a good version of Motherless Children the sit-down set begun. My favourite of this set was Running on faith, but Nobody knows you was beautiful too. Steve Jordan and Willie weeks were groovy but very soft at the same time.

A few minutes to move chairs and acoustics and Eric got the Stratoicaster in his hands, starting After midnight followed by the fantastic slow blues Little Queen of spades, that sounds just like HYELAW; a good rendition of Let it rain was also played last night after the long Robert johnson blues. A special note regarding Derek Trucks: simply wonderful! All the band was excellent, but a special mention in my opinion goes to Derek and Chris Stainton.

The concert ended as usual with Wonderful tonight, Layla, Cocaine and Crossroads as encore; Robert Cray played guitar on Crossroads and sung the first verse alone and the second one with Eric, at the same microphone, then all the band leave thier instruments, said goodnight to the audience and went backstage, leaving all the people happy and satisfied for the show. Well, every concert is a piece of emotion, but Eric’s one, expecially in a fantastic Venue like the Arena of Verona is much more than just a piece, it’s simply a real emotion!

Review by Sara Trevisan, Padova (Italy)
I had not seen Eric play since 1998. When his guitar began to "weep" last night in the Arena, I could not help saying to myself that, if it can ever be possible, Eric’s playing has improved, his feeling has deepened.

His Strat swtiched from the funky-rock-blues style of the initial part of the set, to the melancholy of Old Love, to the acoustic sweetness and smoothness of Back Home, I Am Yours, Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, and Running on Faith, to his best crunchy blues sound of the legendary J.J. Cale classics (After Midnight was a great surprise!), Let It Rain, Wonderful Tonight, and the divine original fast-paced Layla… and Crossroads, oh my….

I was in a daze during those 2 hours. The band was awesome, everyone of them. Chris Stainton’s style and sound make me speechless, the vocalists added great energy to the concert, the rhythm section was powerful, Derek Trucks on guitar was a fantstic ornament with his great slide playing, Robert Cray’s opening set and cammeo appearances were a superb tribute to blues music, Doyle’s rhythm guitar was really cool, though, I guess, his solos were often too agressive and sometimes too high in volume as compared to the other instruments… But he’s a great musician, too.

Last night was like a beautiful dream. Did it really happen?!… Thank you, Eric, for always remembering Italy in your tours!

Review by Francesco Bacco
5th eric clapton concert in my life….wonderful and exciting…robert cray band opened the gig with a soulful and groovy blues attitude..nice guitar playing when he used a delay effect and always a striking voice. Eric appeared in perfect time and started his gig with three rocking hits….the half new band played very well and i have to say that the best musician (Eric apart)was Derek Trucks with his slide talented working…i didn’t appreciate doyle as well. The set list was quite the same as the other concerts and i really really appreciate hearing motherless children from 461Ocean blvd.and let it rain-after midnight from his first solo album.I don’t want to say something about every song but I want to say that in Verona last night I saw a perfect concert and a hero of my own…but the feeling in the crowd wasn’t of a rock even