Concert Details

What a night…Before even taking our seats for the evening, reading the first page of the programme set the tone:

And he did! Straight out on stage and straight into Somebody Knocking followed by Key to the Highway, EC had the residents of the Hall captivated.

The old Journeyman favourite Pretending saw EC demonstrate his mastership of the Wah Wah pedal as he ripped into a ferocious solo which saw his fretwork at its best with ferocious flurries up and down the neck of the Sunburst EC Strat.

Following on was crowd pleaser Hoochie Coochie Man and then he stood back as Paul Carrack took the reigns for You Are So Beautiful, which was performed with soul.

Nathan East was next to occupy the spotlight following a haunting intro with EC providing delicate and touching lead fills into Can’t Find My Way Home. The trend of diversified intros was the same for the following track I Shot the Sheriff. EC’s vocals in particular were extremely powerful but remained understated compared to the guitar solos that just flowed through the old genius. It has to be the best version witnessed at a concert yet and have witnessed quite a number of renditions over the years!

Off came the Strat and out came the chair and trusty Martin Acoustic…

Following the sad news of BB King’s passing earlier in the week Eric entertained the crowd with a heart felt performance of Rock Me Baby. The unplugged theme continued with classic Nobody Knows You followed by a rather upbeat/reggae Tears In Heaven. In usual EC fashion the unplugged set was concluded with Layla.

From here things went up a notch!!!

From a sat down serene acoustic set EC picked back up the Strat and tore into Let It Rain! Absolute classic Clapton! This was followed by a hasty rendition of Wonderful Tonight, albeit polished.

If things had a gone up a notch before then things were turned up to 11!

Like a man possessed, EC ripped into Crossroads! Again, a number that has been witnessed on a number of occasions was listened to with a new enthusiasm. A level of energy and aggression that would be expected of an artist at least 40 years his junior! This then led directly into Little Queen of Spades which continued in the same vein as EC ran up and down the fretboard with the devil’s urge! It didn’t stop there as the show closer Cocaine saw the crowd get to their feet and make their way to the front of the stage to egg him on even further as every note from both the guitar and mic crashed around the Hall.

In time honored fashion it was merely a few minutes before EC and the gang returned to the stage, this time accompanied by Andy Fairweather-Low. Whilst the crowd were applauding upon their heroes return, EC asked the audience for a moment.

He went on to thank everyone and that it had been a hard week but worth it and that he may see us again’ further down the road’.

Being a veteran on the EC Tour circuit I can honestly say that last night I was tempted to purchase a can of car spray paint and repeat history with graffiti throughout London.

Hopefully we will see EC again soon, but if not then I could not think of a more fitting way to say goodbye to an ‘old friend’.

Thank you EC.

Review by Kris Verrelst
What a night it was. Some strong soloing during “Pretending” and “Cocaine” but enough space for the other musicians like Paul, Nathan and Chris to make a strong appearance especially during “Can’t Find My Way Home”. I went to a blues club the night before and Eric and his band could create that same feeling during “Little Queen of Spades”, all the people together, crammed up in a hot crowded club. I’ve seen EC before (first time in Ghent during the “Nothing But The Blues Tour”), but it has been something I wanted to do for nearly 25 years: attend a concert in the RAH. It was a great night!!!

Review by Brad Newsom
What a wonderful last night at the Albert Hall. I also just realized I think this may have been my 30th show, and certainly rates as one of the good ones. I went to the two shows at the Garden and the last show of the Albert Hall run on the 23rd. While each show was special in its own way, I particularly enjoyed this last one at the RAH. Eric was loose and not “playing it safe” and although that may mean a missed note here and there, the high points were excellent, as was the interplay with Steve Gadd and Nathan East in particular. They might not have been filming that night but that might have allowed them to let loose a little more and take more chances.

Solo high points for me on the 23rd were Little Queen of Spades, I Shot the Sheriff, Rock Me Baby, Crossroads, and Cocaine. Sheriff was an excellent rendition with great dynamics and interplay between Steve and Eric with a terrific build up in the solo. Queen of Spades truly stopped time and took your breath away in that way only Eric can do. Overall the night had the feel of a group of guys truly enjoying playing with each other, genuinely savoring the last time they might get to play these songs for a while. The sound was excellent at the RAH, better than the last time I was there previously a few years ago. Nothing quite beats a good show at the Albert Hall.

The first night at MSG (1 May) also had some real special highlights, Eric and the band were really on their game and the version of Let It Rain with Doyle, Derek, and Eric was unparalleled. Also You Are So Beautiful was particularly moving. The whole night sounded really well rehearsed (the venue staff said they had been there most of the day running through the set with Roger Waters in attendance as well) and no mistakes to be heard. EC’s voice was in fine form on that night in particular. Excellent overall, but I also liked getting to see Eric without all the guests with comfortable range to roam by himself at the RAH.

I ran into Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band) at the last RAH show, who came out here to catch EC himself.

In equipment notes it looks like Eric switched out the speakers in the Bandmaster reissues to ceramic Celestions and used the new sunburst custom Strat for the three shows I saw.