Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by Diederik de Graaf / Groningen, The Netherlands
Last night will always have a place in my memory. I took a day off from school to be there on time to see the master himself from a close distance. I really was amazed how close we where from the stage. The gates opened at 6:30 and after one hour wait Robert Cray came on the podium and enjoyed us for about 40 minutes, I thought he only did 3 songs or so but instead of that it where 5 of 6. A great warm-up!.

When Robert Cray left, the whole podium was stripped and the amp’s of EC’s crew appeared. The whole turn-around took some like 30 minutes quite long, but worth waiting. Then when Eric Clapton came on stage he didn’t seem so relaxed I guess. He was very casual to the crowd and didn’t introduce the band or something but he talked to us thru his guitar that made up everything! His electric blues song Little Queen of Spades was amazing, everybody turned down the volume except Eric and then he gave Doyle and Derek the opportunity to show themselves. Especially Derek was incredible but that came also I guess because I was standing at the right side of the stage and Doyle at the other side so I didn’t hear that much from Doyle guitar – too bad but that ruined not my night at all ’cause I was so close to Eric and his solos where incredible. The acoustic sit-down was very nice, super songs. Only Eric didn’t solo on the guitar but Derek did a nice job.

When Eric started the famous electric guitar songs he came more loose on stage and smiled a lot and had more eye contact with the public. Motherless Children was so good and EC started swinging with his guitar and everybody clapped with their hands on the beat of the drummer that was one of the best I thought ’cause he’s so fanatic you could feel the energy flow though his rhythms. I don’t have to say anything about the ending of the show it was just in one magical!

After he did Cocaine he hang his guitar down and started to walk backstage he looked satisfied in the crowd and I yelled "YEH!", and put my thumb up in the air and Eric confirmed by smiling and nod his head to me, that really was my highlight of the evening. Then everybody screamed and yelled so loud for Clapton. I knew of course he came back for Crossroads from Where’s Eric!. Actually I knew almost the whole set list so it gave me the opportunity to enjoy more of the songs he did. The money was worth it any penny.

Review by Harry Schuitemaker / Edam
I’m at my work by now but the concert Clapton gave yesterday evening still rings around. I have attended the most Dutch concerts of EC from 1974 till now but the setlist of the last one impresses me the most. The songs from the Derek & The Dominos area were the ones I was curious about but the most of them never made it to a setlist. Untill 2004 when "Got To Get Better In A Little While" surfaced on the Robert Johnson-tour. I think the response from the fans must have made EC realise that as a writing artist he was at his prime during the Domino-area. Songs like Anyday, I Am Yours, Why Does Love Got To Be So Bad and all the other well known songs prove that his partnership with Bobby Whitlock created beautiful songs that made history. A history he can’t deny any longer and is willing to pay tribute to.

The band Clapton is touring with in 2006 is by my opinion far to big. Anyway it’s clearly that mixing the sound of the twelve-piece-band is a hell of a job. The boys behind the soundboard must have tried real hard but the final mix was horrible and a top act like Eric Clapton unworthy. On stage it must have sounded great because everybody was walking around with big smiles on their faces. However magic was in the air when everything cooled down in the acoustic set. Finally the instrument sounded spot on and vocals were brilliant. Derek Trucks showed that he’s a big talent on the slide and is able to give you a tingle in the spine when he makes his marks in ‘I Am Yours’.

As far as I’m concerned the setlist of the concert in Rotterdam and the arrangements of the songs were first class. The sound however was a horrible experience.

Review by Christian Smallenbroek / Sappemeer, The Netherlands
Last night I was at the concert in Rotterdam!! What a great performance!!!!! It’s my 4th time that I’ve been to a concert of EC and it’s like he’s getting better everytime!!!! It was really a GREAT show again and I hope to see him in Holland soon again!! ERIC, please go on!!!

Review by Ferry Knijn
For me it was the first time I attended a Clapton concert and I loved it! I’m 21. The sound wasn’t really good, it was sometines hard to hear the vocals, but that was mabey because I was standing 10 feet from the stage…right in front of Eric! So 95% of the sound I heard was directly from the stage, and I love it, EC’s tones was really good!

You could see that they were really having fun because the smiles on their faces and the jokes they made with each other. Robert Cray gave also a really great preformance!

I’ve readed some reviews about Doyle not playing great solos but I loved his solos, they were really good! Derek also played great, and the rest of the band also for as much I could hear them. Does anybody know why Steve had to change snares all the time? The D&D Songs where really great, the Layla album is one of my favorites. So EC, even people under 40 know and like you’re old stuff!

The guitars used:
EC: 3 Fender Signature models and 2 Martins
DB: His Strat, a Les Paul and a Telecaster
DT: SG

I hope thay bring out a DVD of this tour and I could keep on talking about how great they were. But, I’m going to end with that I Really Really liked the show! And Eric, Please KEEP PLAYING!

Review by Maarten Kerkvliet
Last night we were in the Ahoy Hall in Rotterdam where we saw EC and his band. Sitting there and listening it was like we live on another planet that two hours of the concert. The guitar playing of Eric was wonderful. A great talent for now and the future is Derek Trucks on the slide. Again it was a very good gig, the best we saw in the last 5 years.

Review by Sava Beninski
Yesterday I was one of the EC fans who had the luck to see EC on stage in Ahoy, Rotterdam. It was really wonderful and unforgettable experience. The only thing that left me a little bit confused was the fact that nobody from the artists or from the organisers of the concert introduced the musicians that played together with Eric Clapton. I find it a bit strange because all the musicians performed brilliantly and deserved credits and big applause for their efforts.

Review by Arjan Vermeer
I am sitting in Ahoy, Rotterdam for my first Clapton gig ever. And then, after having enjoyed the unmistakable skills of Robert Cray, they come on stage. They start playing immediately. The first three songs are the solid openers for each show: Pretending, So Tired and Got To Get Better. Already during the first few bars I feel shivers down my spine when I think I hear Duane Allman and Dicky Betts play in the Fillmore East. But no…..it’s Eric and Derek in Ahoy, Rotterdam. This is great.

From my viewpoint I can see Steve Jordan work on his drums. And work he does. He doesn’t just play from the wrists, no, his whole body moves at every strike he makes.Together with the groovy bass of Willy Weeks, Steve Jordan sets the pace of the whole concert. One can build ahouse on their rhythm.
They slow their pace a bit when playing Bell Bottom Blues. I notice that they seem to play together and have fun and we, the audience, are merely "in the room" listening in. Especially Doyle seems to be more comfortable facing his bandmates when playing a solo instead of facing the audience. Don’t matter…it sounds great. And then "After" Midnight they play Little Queen of Spades…The Blues. Nice and slow with Eric, Derek and Doyle playing solo in turns only being interrupted by Chris Stainton’s fabulous piano play for variation. After Let It Rain the crew creates the setting for the acoustic set.

Great crew by the way, especially for the Drum tech who works his butt off to switch drums for Steve or do other things to the drumset that Steve is rebuilding during each song.

The acoustic set starts with only Eric, Derek, Steve and Willie when playing Back Home. During the other songs Doyle and Chris join. A pity that Derek turns over to his electric slide after two songs instead of playing Dobro (maybe an idea, Derek?). Would have made a little bit more authentic. However I enjoyed this part of the concert deeply. Acoustic sets always work for me, especially at my age 🙂

Then again three songs where Steve Jordan is the dieselengine for the band: Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad, Everybody Oughta Make A Change and Motherless Child. The end of the gig is near now. I realise that internet is not always a blessing as one knows the setlist almost by heart before going to a concert these days. So…time for the Classics starting with Wonderful Tonight. And yes, Eric, you do sound wonderful tonight. Thanks for that and for all these years of great music.

My favourite part of Layla is the second part where the piano starts playing and the guitars take over in the end. Come on switch the snaredrum a bit faster, Eric wants to flow from Layla to Cocaine . The band ends just before the song ends to let the audience sing Cocaine all by itself. And we did a good job if you don’t mind me saying.

They leave the stage accepting a standing ovation. It’s a pity that there are still people who find it more important to go find there car and drive home before the masses than to listen to one of the great blues songs ever: Crossroads. Eric paying tribute to Robert Cray while letting him play on this song (would have loved to see and hear them play Old Love together) and Ahoy thanking a great band. Eric, Doyle, Derek, Chris, Wille, Steve, Tim, Michelle, Sharon, Simon, Roddy and Tim, it was an honor to listen to you playing music in an inspiring and professional way. Have fun this tour.

Review by Boyet Valeriano / Delft, The Netherlands
What a fantastic night. I’ve been following the reviews on "Where’s Eric" and was more or less expecting the same setlist. But tonight Eric deviated a little, and the result was just amazing.

I’ve always considered Eric’s Derek and the Dominos period to be his strongest phase musically. That period was strongly represented during the concert and that made it really unforgettable for me.

I will not mention all the songs in the setlist, but highlights were a rock solid renditon of "Bell Bottom Blues", a very personal "I’m Yours", an emotional "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad"and "Layla" played as it’s supposed to be played (including the 2nd part with piano and slide).

I think the presence of Derek Trucks gave Eric more confidence to play the Dominos numbers again. The guy (Derek) plays a mean slide and in a unique way (without a guitar pick) and makes it look so effortless. On a side note, check out the dvd "Allman Brothers Live at the Beacon" and you can see really how good Derek is, not yet Duane Allman good, but getting there.

Clapton was exuding confidence and seemed relaxed the whole time. Doyle was OK. Derek was fantastic. The rhythm section was tight (Jordan and Weeks). All in all it was a very good band, and it seemed they were also having fun out there.

The crowd was fantastic, but it erupted when Clapton played his concession to the MOR crowd – Wonderful Tonight. It was a memorable night, and I hope the other cities where the tour stops also get the same experience as we did in Rotterdam.

Review by Raymond / Rotterdam, The Netherlands
What a marvelous gig he gave to the Rotterdam audience!!! It started all at 1930 hrs with the kick off with the Robert Cray band as support act. At 20.40 hrs Eric came on to the stage for the best show I’ve ever did seen of the master.

What a great couple of musicians he surrounded himselves with. Brilliant slide play of Derek Tucks and also the brilliant guitar sound of Doyle Bramhall II and off course we won’t forget EC (God) and the rest off the marvelous musicians!!!

You could see that he really was relaxed on the stage and that he had so much fun to play for the outstanding 10,000 people in the Ahoy Rotterdam. I’ve seen him a couple of times before but the older het gets the better he’ll play. Also a compliment to the guys of the sound because it is not easy to get the sound that briliant in Ahoy than it was yesterday evening. Eric, when you’ll come back to see Rotterdam again we’ll be there to enjoy your beautiful sound! Thanks for the outstanding evening.

Review by Paulus Zwaga
Two years ago I was terribly dissapointed with the boredom that reflected from the all star band. This time I returned inspired from a concert of musicians enjoying themselves. The best Clapton band ever! This rhythm team is very much alive, it brings out the best of the old Dominoes songs and the speed and accuracy during Crossroads … Wow! Doyle and Derek (best Duane Allman replacement so far) absolutely shine at certain moments, to the extent that EC responds physically with enjoyment, but why do these guys have to solo every song? Because then it is that their limitations become visible as well and they stop EC from really turning loose. Especially on Why Does Love Have To Be Sad, they were only in each other way. I have seen Stainton with EC many times and with Cocker and Wyman. But now he is finally coming out. Excellent! I don’t care much for Carmon’s synth solos, but EC seems to find it enjoyable. So, an excellent concert and very much a Derek & Dominoes revival, which brings me to the ultimate moment of the evening. I have always felt that Thorntree In The Garden and I’m Yours were the best songs on the Layla album. And then there it is, with all the counter rhythms and slides: I Am Yours. After 37 years, still as beautiful as ever. EC can get anybody in his band, but the only artist that will be remembered is the one that is the voice and the guitar and the creator of it all: Eric Clapton.

Review by Peter Hassing
A Derek and the Domino’s revival at the Ahoy in Rotterdam on 1 June 2006. I hadn’t planned a visit at this gig, till I heard Derek Trucks joined Eric’s band. And if you have heard playing him with the Allman Brothers Band, you’ll know what that means. Since 1977 I’ve seen Eric with his band during several tours. But I think this was the best concert I’ve ever seen. On Thursday at the Ahoy it seemed as if the Dominos were playing in front of you. One of the best tracks: Why does love got to be so sad. I was hoping for Anyday and Key to the highway, but he’ll play those tracks in the near future, hopefully.