Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

Review by D. J. Williams
Very enjoyable concert in the Dallas American Airlines Center. I believe the set list is the same as the 2/11 Perth show. The concert started 45 minutes later than scheduled as there was some issue with the Fire Department, fire alarm/bomb scare, something we never found out. The door were closed about 6:30 with 10% of the concert-goers inside and everyone else queueing up outside for 45 minutes until the doors reopened.

I must admit that the AA center’s acoustics are just horrible. We were 8 rows from the stage and the sound just bounces all over from a band the size of Mr. Clapton’s. The AA center has to be the worst sounding (but largest) venue in Dallas. Access and location is superb… for a basketball game.

Derek Trucks deserves honorable mention, as does Doyle Bramhall. These two seem to yuck-it-up quite a bit when EC isn’t watching.

EC just smoked on Queen of Spades and the other 12-bar blues numbers. Anyone that says he’s slowing down has really got to see him tear the rootsy blues numbers up. Don’t miss this tour, it’s worth every cent.

Review by C Manning
All I can tell you is that I am a better man having just seen Clapton in concert. He did most of the heavy lifting himself and, at the same time, was fast to showcase the individual talents of his band. He is and always will be the Maestro of the Blues and Rock and Roll. The concert was excellent in every possible way. He filled us with his present, reminded us of our past together and pointed toward the future in the person of Derek Trucks. Thank you Eric.

Review by Susan & Jim
Guitars at their best! Eric, the greatest, and passing it on to Bramhall & Trucks was a thrill for all of the old Clapton fans. Thank you, Eric, for a fantastic evening of top entertainment.

Review by Kevin Gillen
Excellent Show! Flawless! Nostalgic! Why nostalgic? Because Derek Trucks filled in the gaps that have always been missing since Duane Allman died. His slide playing was spectacular and made all the "Dominos" songs sound so much like that original studio versions. E.C. was able to shine at will and as always let his bandmates show their talents with some terrific solos. I feel that the most impressive moments occurred when all three guitarists played slide (Coriciden bottle) guitar on Motherless Children. I dont believe I have ever seen or heard three slide players at once. That was truly a special moment! This concert proves that some people truly get better with age. Eric Clapton is proof positive. His vocals continue to be very strong even with the excellent background singing and his guitar playing has done nothing but become better and more refined. This tour is not to be missed!

Review by Chris Dietsch
WOW, great guitar fest for sure. Great deep cut show from Slowhand & the 2 young gun guitar players were both outstanding. We were amazed by the guitar duals times 3! & how often EC stepped aside & let “slide” Derek & Doyle 2 rip it up. ‘Motherless children’ was my personal favorite song of the evening because of the loudness & over the top guitar work. Doyle sings a nice backup & plays mean left handed guitar but to me Derek Trucks on the slide & main lead of most songs dominated the show! He was / is superb. Great to see him in person finally, lots of smiles all around the band all night.

Robert Cray joined the encore & sang the 1st verse of Crossroads, just what they needed another picker! Great ending to the guitar fest show, I will say too much solo piano focus at times, once is enough not 4 or 5 features. EC still has a great voice & shared the stage like a true leader & musical giant that he is! Glad to witness his greatness once more!

Review by Mark K. – Dallas, Texas
All I can say is WOW! A fabulous performance by Eric Clapton as well as his supporting cast. We sat in the first mezzanine which is a hockey rink’s distance, and I thought the acoustics were very good considering the venue. Derek Truck’s slide guitar was stunning, and Doyle Bramhall II’s accompanying licks and vocals were effortless. Lots of 50-ish aged couples, who’s familiarity with Clapton was more likely honed in the 80’s than the 60’s, seemed somewhat lost when Clapton played the blues, but I was in heaven! With the Dallas venue being the 1st show of their North American tour, the whole band seemed genuinely enthused and genuinely gracious with the applause they received during and after the show.

Review by Robert Potts
Great show. Clapton’s playing was a real eye-opener. He played effortlessly it seemed, like the guitar was an appendage. Early into the show, I kind of flashed-backed to when I saw Van Halen back on the Monsters of Rock tour back in 1988 at the front of the stage. They (Eddie and Eric) both seem to me as totally non-thinking in their playing on-stage. It just flows out of them. Never seen Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck and I suppose they have this "thing" about them too, where the years of playing just pour out of them. Had to wait about 40 minutes outside while the Dallas Fire Dept. toiled about doing something. Trucks and Doyle were great, as well. Robert Cray joined them onstage for the encore of "Crossroads". It was great to hear "Anyday" and "Tell the Truth" from the Layla record. The audience really got pumped for "Motherless Children". The band really seemed locked-in to one-another. Again, about Clapton’s playing…when he plays the fast licks on electric, its hard to describe, it seems to really permeate the arena and stand out, with each note of the runs completely audible. The tone coming out from his Strat was perfect and it comes with no thought to it, his fingers just on auto-pilot. A total master of the guitar. I am glad I went.

Review by K. Houston – Crandall, TX
I have always wanted to see Eric Clapton live and last night my dream came true.  You could tell everyone was having a great time. Eric looks and sounds great. The back up singers looked beautiful and sounded awesome. Derek Trucks is absolutely amazing. I hope that he and his band make an appearance in the Dallas area soon. I also want to give Robert Cray his props. The man has a beautiful voice and you can tell he loves doing what he does and he does it well. The entire show was wonderful, but the encore of Crossroads gave me goose bumps. If you get the opportunity to see Eric, don’t let it pass you by.  Thank you Eric. Texas loves ya!!! Please come back VERY soon!!!!

Review by Carla Stringer
My sister and I saw Eric last night and it was absolutely wonderful. I loved that he played many of his Derek and the Dominoes period songs. That is still one of the best all time albums. Eric seemed to be having as great a time as the rest of us – jamming with fellow musicians and showcasing the talents of his band. This was my sixth time to see Eric and I have to say he never disappoints me. Every concert is different and he just gets better and better with age. As long as he continues to tour, I will continue to go see him.

Review by Dan Lewbel
E.C. delivered the goods again. Any reader of this site already knowsm that during this tour there has been very little deviation from the set-list that features lots of blues, Dominos and no recent radio friendly ‘wus-rock’ tunes (Tears, Change The World). On the heels of the Cream reunion it makes sense that the next logical step would be a tour that heavily features what could be called Derek Trucks and The Dominos classics. Derek Trucks’ astounding slide work is amazingly comparable to to Duane Allmans (am I allowed to say that without the rock gods smiting me?). My binoculars were focused on his guitar almost as much as Clapton’s.

As usual, E.C. kept the show moving with very little banter. As with most big production shows in impersonal arenas, things at times almost seemed a little too canned and over produced but it is hard to complain about a near two hour show of seamless straightforward expertly played blues/rock. The very mixed aged crowd seemed a bit overwhelmed by the depth into his catalog that Clapton dug and was downright unenthusiastic at times early in the show (maybe they expected a greatest hits show) but by the time Eric sat down alone for a blistering rendition of ‘Driftin’ Blues’ most of the audience finally seemed to be connected.

The crowd rarely rose to their feet but did appreciatively applaud the many stellar solos by E.C., Trucks and both keyboardists. Maybe it was just a bad night for the local boy, but Doyle Bramhall II unfortunately was the weakest link and showcased little of his abilities that Clapton fans heard on the less then classic Reptile disc. The rest of the band put on a great show and seemed pretty tight for a group just coming off a two and half week break since their last gig in Australia.

The setlist has been over analyzed, song by song, countless times on these pages so I am leaving this review in general terms. Clapton years ago mastered the art of playing ‘for’ the crowd not ‘to’ the crowd, giving his shows a jam feel vs. a straight performance. When he steps out of the neatly timed and orchestrated routine of the tight setlist and stretches a solo or exchanges a knowing smile while trading lines and licks, are the rare special moments that truly make the night worth every penny. Blues was created with a loose feel to it and if I were to change one thing about the show it would be to allow for more spontaneity and less slickness.

Am I being a little picky, sure I am. The show was not one of those rare amazing and life changing events (like Clapton’s Crossroads festival here in Dallas a few years ago) but it was a damn good performance that again showed why E.C. picked up the nickname ‘god’ almost 40 years ago. The man still delivers the goods. Would I see the same show again tomorrow, you bet.

Review by Don Closson
The last time I enjoyed Eric Clapton live was in the 60’s (both Cream and Blind Faith in Chicago), so I wasn’t sure how I would respond to the current version. The experience certainly was different. Clapton is much more animated now; you could hardly tell that he was breathing in his early days. His music doesn’t have the edge or rawness that attracted me to Cream as a teenager. So although I eagerly anticipated hearing Crossroads live again, it just didn’t seem the same. Of course it couldn’t, the Wheels of Fire version has been etched into my brain for over 37 years. The slower, bluesier version started off by Robert Cray was great; it just didn’t match my teenage ideal. With all that said, Eric and his band more than made up for any possible disappointments with his maturity as a showman and his musical virtuosity. In the end, I realized (again) that you can’t go home, or back to your teenage experiences. But you can experience something wonderful through new eyes and come to appreciate it all over again.

Review by Kevin Ewalt
Just coming down after a fantastic concert last night by Eric Clapton and opening act Robert Cray. I took my son, who is 12, with me because he plays guitar and what can you say about last night’s performance — four of the best guitar players you will hear anywhere (Clapton, Doyle, Derek, and Cray). I have been a musician all my life and remember my father dragging me to jazz concerts to see drummers like Tony Williams and Philly Joe Jones when I was young. I now realize many years later as a parent that one of the best things we can do for kids who play music is to open their eyes up to talent (influence).

We got to the American Airlines Arena early yesterday and the concert was delayed for about 45 minutes (some type of fire department issue). I felt bad for Robert Cray because he started playing and people were still trying to get to their seats. I am a big Robert Cray fan and I was excited to hear that he was playing as the opening act for Clapton. His performance was superb and the musically tight four piece band (including Cray) was spot on. The sound was good and I thought his smaller group in this large concert room had a better mix overall than Clapton (I could hear the vocals easily).

Clapton has definitely kicked it up a few notches from previous concert tours with a hefty mix of older blues and rock. I was rather surprised he did not play more of his recent material (i.e. Back Home) and main stream hits like Pretending, No Alibis, and Tears in Heaven. I say surprised because most people come to concerts expecting to hear the usual "hit tunes" — I was happily surprised and delighted with the song selection! Drummer Steve Jordan was laying down his usual funky killer groves with that poppy snare sound and tight bass drum rhythms. I always enjoy a drummer who actually knows how to play cymbals (instead of the usual straight eighths on the high hat all
night). Willie Weeks is just a great bass player and Steve and him kept the undercurrent going for some amazing guitar work.

Special mention has to go to Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II. These two young guitar players are some of the best new young guitar players out there today. It is amazing when someone with rock star status like Eric Clapton gives them the spotlight. In the music industry it is "not" typical to share the limelight with anyone else that might take the focus off the star attraction! This just goes to tell you what type of musician and person Eric Clapton is — great show!

Review by Keith Kirkman / Dallas, TX
I must have been at a completely different concert than everyone else last night in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. I was highly disappointed in both the performances of Robert Cray and Eric Clapton. I work hard for my money and I expect the entertainers I choose to give a $100 per ticket to to do the same. I understand about the so called fire drill delaying the concert start time by some 45 minutes. But Robert Cray only played about three songs at best. They even had his drummer hidden back behind Clapton’s amplifiers almost out of sight. Although short I will give Cray credit for a somewhat decent performance.

Why does Clapton need two additional guitarists. Albeit one of the additional guitarist is playing slide. I mean come on. Why must we hear three guitar solo’s plus a keyboard solo on almost every song. I paid to see and hear Eric Clapton not Doyle Bramhal (sic) or Derek Trucks. No offense to either one for their ability as a guitar player. But I want to hear Eric. Nobody and I mean nobody can play the type riffs he plays. In his last engagement in Dallas (not the guitar fest) he played to the point of exhaustion. I mean he literally fell back and sat down on the drum throne. Where was that guy last night. I dunno maybe he exhausted from doing the Cream reunion gigs. Would I pay $100 a ticket to see Eric Clapton again? No. Not unless he comes up with some new material and decides to show up and play at his own gig.

Review by Elaine McLemore
Incredible marriage between 3 great guitar players with Eric, Doyle and Derek. I liked it all, but my favorite number was Layla. It had all the live excitement spiced with the great electric sound of the original recording. The pregnant pause as the song changed movements was suspenseful. Would they play the entire song? They did. Boy, did they!

I snatched a bunch of 10 second video snippets, and some pictures with my camera phone. I’ll send some later.
The stage lights were cool with that 60s look, kind of like Paul McCartney’s show in Nov. of 2006. I liked the different set list. Haven’t heard Clapton’s "Motherless Children" live in a long time. Clapton played nearly everything you expected, except for "I Shot the Sheriff."
It was easy to guess Cocaine would be the encore number, and he performed it brilliantly, with a white guitar with gold pick guard. (He had used "Blackie" most of the show).

Robert Cray was a great add on the final encore number with "Crossroads." No "Badge," though. Great show. Never disappointed with Clapton. He was clean-shaven and in great form. Eric’s still got it! I d love to re-live that night again.

Review by Lori Walling
Though always incredible to see my man (this was my 5th time), I was disappointed in this one! I paid to see Eric, not all of his band members. Trucks and Bramhall are great – don’t get me wrong, but I found myself getting very frustrated when song after song seemd to be their’s, not Eric’s. I love when Eric showcases his band’s talent on one or two songs. For example, on some past versions of Going Down Slow where he has the piano solo, drum solo, etc. But when it comes to guitar, Clapton is the God, and when I pay over $100 and travel 6 hours for a show, I want Clapton! I will say I was very, very pleased with the setlist though. I’m 30, so I never got to see him live during the Derek and the Dominoes period, so to hear all of these songs live was great! I just wish it had been a Clapton show, not a Clapton’s band show!