Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

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Review by Ken Ohlemeyer / St. Louis, MO
Roger Daltrey and his band’s set was a fitting tribute to a classic night of maximum rock n’ roll. Relaxed and confident as the opening act, Daltrey handled classic Who, cover, and solo songs with ease. It was a joy to see Daltrey and his band (including Simon Townsend) give everything in their all too brief set. Daltrey’s voice was strong and his playfulness evident as he joked with the crowd. Forty-five minutes was way too short. Highlights included The Real Me, Who are You, Freedom Train, Baba O’Riley and Townsend’s rendition of Going Mobile. EC was in prime form as he entered the FedEx Forum. His playing is fresh and innovative and the tour contains an interesting song selection. The band is tight, in the groove, and as most reviewers mentioned the only downside is the short nature of the set (clocking in at 90 minutes). Clapton’s soloing was some of the best I’ve heard. And, although the crowd wanted more what they got was pure A-1 Clapton. It’s inspiring to think the man is 64 years old. This is my fourth time seeing him and as incredible as it seems he gets better every single year. The solo on Old Love was amazing as was his acoustic set. Why people get up and go out to the lobby during this set is beyond comprehension. Driftin’ Blues was worth the ticket price alone (remember the EC Was Here version?) and to hear Layla and Rock & Roll Heart acoustically added to the show. EC’s blues roots were on display during Key to the Highway, Little Queen of Spades and a great electric version of Before You Accuse Me. The final trio of Wonderful Tonight, Cocaine and Crossroads were a fitting end to a great night. Thanks, Eric for a great show. Looking forward to Crossroads 2010 in Chicago.

Review by Anthony Hicks / Memphis, Tenn.
In an age of cookie-cutter musical pablum, it is transformative to hear an artist who effortlessly an confidently allows his music to speak for itself. That is as it should be. In a cavernous NBA arena, Eric Clapton steps onstage, doesn’t say a word as he launches into the first song of his set with the quiet, certain authority of a master craftsman doing what he does best. The audience knows right away it is in good hands that will keep it rapt for the next 90 or so minutes as Clapton methodically weaves through a collection of 40 odd years of rock music bellwether. Belying the rock royalty that he is and scarcely speaking between songs, when the show is over there is no mistaking something magical has taken place. Yes, Slowhand still weaves a bluesy web of patented, gold-plated rock ‘n blues. It is the audience’s good fortune to be privy to the spell.

Review by Paul Blanchard / Memphis Tennessee
Where do you start ? Well when it comes to Eric Clapton, first get a ticket, get to the venue and get ready for a Super Show! On Friday March 5th At the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis Tennessee Eric Clapton put on a display of talant that only an amazing musician could do!

Opening the show with Going Down Slow was fantastic, Eric’s mood was great and the crowd knew this was special. Super guitar sound and overall band sound was tops and I was hoping Eric would play till the sun rised! He hasen’t missed a beat or a lick , I should say, Eric truly gets better and better. You would think after all he’s done in music how could this be possible, I don’t know, but he does and I’m glad.

Key to the Highway was filled with energy, the rhythm and cool of Tell the Truth plus Eric’s solo gave me a chill from the 70’s. Now, time to amaze the crowd, from the intro of Old Love till the last note of this song E.C. smoked. With a laid back groove nice and slow Eric came at you from all directions. With notes and guitar riffs all over his Fender Strat, Eric blasted and floated like an angel at the same time. Going right into Sheriff the girls opened this with some vocal lines followed by Eric’s lead vocals and as allways, one of my favorites!

Driftin’ Blues, nobody does it better, great acoustic sound, great guitar sound, great vocals, allways one of his best. Rock and Roll Heart is fun to hear again and the crowd liked it to!

Badge, Need I say anything else ? Eric goes into Badge and it’s a whole other world. Everyone is loving it, standing on their feet, looking at Eric, looking at each other, smiling, are we really here !! Beale Street is one street away from the forum and when Eric went into Little Queen of Spades, I know some old blues mojo bags had to rattle. Playing the blues, the way Eric can is allways a center piece. With great tone and feeling in his voice, perfect timing, you just get knocked out. His vocal lines and blues guitar licks are unreal on this song. I hate to end a good vacation and that’s what this show was for me. Cocain had the crowd dancing and singing and all glad we made it to this show. One more to go till the end, the end of the show that I was not looking forward to. Eric ended the Memphis show with Crossroads, his anthem, playing great guitar, looking happy, singing well, with a great band, all I can say is, I wish I could do this every night. Thanks for a great show Eric!

Review by F. Sheron / Olive Branch MS
I attended the Clapton/Daltrey show at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis on March 5, 2010. Daltrey was absolutely great! Great set and Pete’s brother was also very good. The band was very tight and could have listened to them another 52 minutes. Clapton on the other hand did not seem to be too involved in the show. The whole set was kind of robotic. Eric did mix in a few thank you’s to the near sell out crowd, but he just went about business as if he were playing in a graveyard. I am a huge Clapton fan and have been so since I first saw him in Pheonix on the Blind Faith tour in 69. His mix of about 5 acoustic songs in the middle of the show was good but as I said he just wasn’t into it. The thing that bothers me is that it seems to all about the money. It’s like o.k., we have to play for these people who paid for the tickets so lets go do an hour an a half with no interaction and then go do it again tomorrow night in another town. All the time, making millions. Daltry on the other hand was great. He could have done the show by himself. Concert was good for what it was. I guess Eric is getting old like the rest of us.

Review by Terry Fletcher
My wife and I attended Eric’s Memphis concert. I have seen him in concert several times but I must say that this show was the best! I enjoyed the range of music. The set list was an interesting mix of tunes from his days in Cream, Derek and the Dominoes, etc. There were some interesting surprises as well. I especially enjoyed his acoustic set. His band was excellent as well. I especially loved the rhythm section of Steve Gadd and Willie Weeks. My wife had never seen Eric in concert before. She really enjoyed this concert! Eric Clapton gets better with age!

Review by Ed W.
EC flawless as ever but he played like he had a cab to catch and the meter was running. A previous comment suggested there was banter between Eric and the audience. I must have been sleeping. All I heard was thank you after each song and a lead in to one song “this is for Kerry”. I’ve read his biography so I know there’s stories to tell, come on. 50 years of rock and roll and he comes back for a one song encore, give me a break! Roger Daltry was in finer voice than I expected and the play list was great. You have two icons of rock and roll you would think you could get them together for at least one song!

Review by Deb W.
This was my first Clapton concert and it was well worth the wait. A "reviewer" from the local paper stated he "seemed lethargic" and only interacted with the crowd with an occasional "thank you." Even though it is true there was very little interaction, I did not attend to listen to him tell stories – I have read the book! To pick a favorite of that night would be hard but I have to admit that "Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out" and "Badge" were both excellent. As for Roger Daltrey, it was also an excellent concert. Very energetic. Mr. Daltrey’s voice was strong and loud – just like old times!

Review by Richard Sutton
It was my pleasure to have recently seen EC in concert at the Memphis show. In a word….”awesome”! The sound was great, the band was tight, the play list was perfect and Eric’s playing and singing were exceptional and inspired. I have seen Eric in concert well over 20 times now and this show ranks close to the top. The fact that there wasn’t a second guitarist allowed Eric’s playing to really shine through. He seemed confident and in great form.  EC is just so cool. He is a great guitarist, plays great music and surrounds himself with awesome musicians.  Can’t wait for the Crossroads show.

Review by Dan Hack / Chicago IL
Memphis was a great town for an EC tour stop, it has a rich musical heritage and plenty of music halls on Beale Street (we liked BB Kings the best) to enjoy after the show.

The set list opener was a rather mellow choice, but the second number, Before You Accuse Me, kinda lit a spark among the crowd surrounding my son and I. Old Love was again back to a more mellow pace, but, wow, when he kicked into Tell The Trust we really got rockin’. All the rows around us were up dancing and that tune broke the show open in my opinion. Chris Stainton did a fantastic job on the keys while EC really showed us how darn good he is in the last 2 minutes of that song where he solo’s the crowd into numerous crescendos. That then lead to Sheriff, which brought the tone back to a more mellow one, with the exception of the solo embedded within that song, which EC lit up oh so well. Once the acoustic set began we settled down back in our seats and enjoyed what I think is the real man; he just plays and sings and picks that guitar like the old pro he is. The acoustic Layla was, for us, worth the 500 mile drive from Chicago to Memphis. Ramblin’ & Driftin are two excellent numbers in that part of the show, tunes in which EC again asserted his Blues roots through the six strings. As an old school Clapton fan, Badge is in a place all its own, the signature song that we all know the words to and he did it justice with some awesome fretwork. LQOS was good, and in our collective opinion, we don’t need to have Cocaine in the set list at all. Maybe one of the other numerous hits could be substituted for that one, why glorify the white powder Eric? Crossroads is certainly a tune that brings the house down and he really was into it, in my opinion. Overall a really good show by the best in the business. We’ll be listening to a lot of live recorded music on the drive back to Chicago, all the while thinking of June and the 3rd crossroads festival for me. Glad that one will be in my backyard, it was a long road trip to see EC in Memphis, bet well worth it.