Concert Details

Fan Reviews:

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Review by SG Stewart
Eric definitely brought the heat last night! His guitar playing was absolutely explosive and his vocals were spot on all night. The band is ridiculously tight and they have some extremely nice interplay going on between the piano and the B3. The Gadd/Weeks rhythm section is on the money (as one would expect from the two of them) and the backing vocalists are great as well. I’ve seen Clapton several times before, and at the other shows he’s always had another guitarist, and I really enjoyed seeing this one-guitar version of the band. It really gave Eric the chance to shine, and shine he did! His solos on “Old Love,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and “Little Queen of Spades” were the highlights of the evening in my book. The setlist was outstanding, if a little short, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire show.

Eric’s tone is simply outstanding these days, too. I could tell he’s using a couple of tweed amps, I’m assuming they were those ’57 Twins, but I couldn’t make out his rig very well from my seats. Anyone know what else he’s using? Any pedals or anything? He had a pretty bright, clean tone for most of the show with some really sweet overdrive from time to time, particularly on “Old Love.”

Unfortunately, I can not comment too much about Roger Daltrey’s set, mostly because of the absolutely hellish traffic outside the venue that prevented me from seeing all but the last song of his set. What I saw was great, but it was extremely disappointing to miss so much of it. It took us well over an hour to drive the last quarter mile or so to the venue and with lots of merging, bottlenecks, and a total lack of traffic direction from anyone outside the venue, it was slow ridiculously slow-moving. This was my first visit to the RBC Center, and I can’t say I’m excited about ever returning.

The sound inside was fantastic, maybe even the best large venue sound I’ve ever seen, I will say that much, but the traffic combined with exorbitant prices for parking and concessions and an unreasonable security officer who confiscated my Leatherman keychain at the metal detectors made for a pretty unpleasant evening until the band started. They referred to my keychain as “a weapon” because it has a tiny pair of scissors on it. I probably should have thought about that beforehand but it’s a tiny keychain that I always have with me, and it didn’t even enter my mind that it might be a potential problem, especially after the traffic ordeal. I was just ready to get into the show since I knew I was already missing Daltrey’s set and didn’t want to miss a second of Clapton’s. The venue has no signs at the door or on the tickets warning that they will confiscate your property and they have no policy in place for you to retrieve your possessions after the show. Color me unimpressed with the whole RBC Center experience.

So my hat is off to Eric and his amazing band for more than making up for the otherwise annoying evening. If you’re a Clapton fan, and especially like his bluesier material, you’ll love this tour. By all means go see it. I just hope that Eric plays a different venue next time he comes around.

Review by Joy Perreira / Wilmington NC
It was another stellar Clapton performance in Raleigh at the RBC Center. The audience was primed for this, what would have been an ordinary Monday night. Roger Daltrey and his band were fantastic. It was a mini Who concert without Pete Townsend, so how can you beat that?

Eric and company came on for the 90-minute set. The song list was the same as the others. I was in a prime seat so watching Eric play so close is always the best experience. I get mesmorized by the expertise of his fingers on the guitar strings. His technique is like no other and in my humble opinion no one can duplicate. The stand-outs were "Old Love" blistering solo to an extended "Cocaine". Eric gave us acoustic "Layla" which I’m not sure he has done every show. Walt Richmond and Chris Stanton were exceptionally amazing. Chris seemed to have amazing energy. All in all it was one of my favorite shows.

Review by Marc McQuillen / Rock Hill SC
I had the pleasure of attending the March 8 show in Raleigh, NC. This was my 21st EC show dating back to 1974. I approached this show with a certain amount of trepidation for the last show that I attended was the amazing Crossroads concert in Chicago in 2007. Roger Daltrey provided an excellent opening set highlighted by many more Who numbers than expected and backed by a more than capable band. Young Man Blues and Baba O’Riley were the best!

I had read prior entries from other cities on the EC tour so I knew what to expect with regards to the set list, etc.

Eric was in great playing form and was so amazingly focused throughout the show. The solo in Old Love was just perfect and drew everyone out of their seats! The acoustic set was excellent especially Running on Faith and Rock and Roll Heart. The acoustic Layla, while never one of my favorite arrangements, was fine as well. Little Queen of Spades provided another show stopper solo.

I knew that the show was limited to 90 minutes and I can understand why with EC doing all of the guitar work. The band was spot on with Steve Gadd and Willie Weeks nodding and smiling as they played off of one another. The only disappointment was that Eric and the band did not take their customary bows at the end of the show or after the encore. As soon as Crossroads ended, Eric motioned toward the steps and everyone was off of the stage with only a quick wave from Eric while the crowd roared for more.

Review by Rich Saltz
I truly wanted last night’s show to be magical. I’ve seen Clapton close to 50 times. He was my first rock and roll god. My inspiration for learning the guitar. I even named my son after him. I felt his last performance in Raleigh felt cluttered with the presence of Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall and Robert Cray. My hope was that since he was the only guitar player in his current band, he would indeed be the feature player that I was going to see. Some of the best shows I’ve seen were when he was the only guitar player (i.e. Cream 2005, a late 80’s show with Collins, Phillinganes and East.) With expectations high, I made my way to my 13th row seat. At 10:15pm I left my seat feeling deflated. Eric appeared to me to be a tired old man who gave a perfunctory performance. He looked like he was going through the motions. I agree that his stage banter is usually on the minimalistic side, but he appeared like he wanted to be elsewhere. He gave us some moments, a searing passage on Old Love and a romp through I Shot the Sheriff. He showed a bit of light during Little Queen of Spades but the song ended very quickly. Nowhere near the version from a couple of years ago guitar duel with Trucks and Cray. The acoustic set showed some flashes of brilliance but is ill placed in the middle of the set. Chris Stainton’s solo on piano was more interesting than Eric’s on Cocaine. His set list was very much the same as a few years ago. He has a huge catalogue to pick from. Do we really need to hear tired old versions of Cocaine and Wonderful Tonight? There was no passion to speak of. Maybe what he needs is another player to push him. I have heard tapes of last month’s shows with Jeff Beck and when they played together, it was incendiary. So to Eric, thank you for all that you have given me throughout your career. However, you didn’t give me $100 worth last night.

Review by Bill N.
It was the best of the six concerts I’ve seen since 1990! His playing was AWESOME!! His band did well, too. His solos on “Old Love” and “I Shot The Sheriff” made these songs more wonderful and they have been before. Wish we were still there listening and watching. Roger Daltrey put on a great show as well. His voice was almost drowned out by the crack band, but they were more than an opening act. 

Review by Chris H.
Clapton’s opening blues licks to Goin Down Slow were spine chilling. The transitions between Key to the Highway and Tell the Truth were so smooth it seemed like they were one song together. When he started Old Love the crowd went crazy, the solo had the perfect "clapton" tone that was simply out of this world and a guitarist’s desire. Old Love and Sheriff were worth the ticket price alone. The acoustic songs were amazing especially Running On Faith which is a Journeyman classic along with Old Love. Layla was enjoyable as was Rock N Roll Heart. As the night came to a close I was beginning to think that Eric wasn’t going to play a signature slow blues, but right as i thought that he did that signature slow blues intro and the crowd went crazy. Cocaine was very exciting, and Crossroads was a great choice for an encore. This was my first Clapton concert and hopefully not the last, well worth the 3 hour drive!