Eric Clapton channels Robert Johnson on solo acoustic, Jimi Hendrix on electric, and gets on par with BB King in a duet. What an unbelievable superhuman talent!!!
I learned to play guitar from one album with clapton, page and beck, I think all yardbirds songs. It was instrumental blues. I just played to it over and over knowing one position of the pentatonic scale. But that was all I needed. That’s what I love about the blues- it’s structural simplicity keeps everything a feel thing. Heart types love that. Head types can play lots and lots of scales. I’m impressed but give me 3 minutes of it and I want to feel it. Roots. Hell yeah.
This is my favorite time of Eric’s career he’s in his 50’s although he still looks pretty young. 50’s the new 40. Anyway as he ages I get kindve sad I wish he could stay like this. He’s going on his last tour due to nerve damage in his fretting hand and age is catching up to him etc. And his hearing which has never stopped him. He has loss in I think his left ear. Eric seems to have overcome his demons at this point. BB is gone and now Eric’s retiring. I wish we could stop time. FYI forgot to say although SRV was the reason I picked up electric guitar and fell in love with it for a lifetime. Eric’s actually the one I borrowed most of my licks from. Made them my own. He’s just full of great licks. Even just one song, you can build ur own vocabulary. But he’s a wealth of knowledge. And I thank him for all that he’s given to us. BB as well.
Watched him and listened to him all my life, he never showed signs of his powers decreasing. For years and years he just got better and better. But ever since about 2010 he really is not the same player anymore. I was gonna say gone downhill but its not the right word, because the magic is still there sometimes but hes just not the same anymore. And I haven't got that goosebumps reaction to a single thing hes played since then. Crossroads this year wasnt great and certainly nothing of note from Eric. I'm noticing more and more hes getting others to join in and play stuff hed usually play years ago. The last thing I heard from him that made me think and enjoy what I was hearing was a home recording of Layla done in a jazzy way at a concert in Rio sometime in the last 10 years. He was sitting down playing a custom police style strat that he sold for charity a few months later. It was a lovely guitar too.
one of EC's best moments was on the (unavailable )soundtrack of MEAN STREETS. during the last few minutes Scorcese uses CREAM live no less and it electrifies the film's ending. Scorcese knows good sound and how it can be used w/ film.
How lucky were we to have the great BB King with us for so long. I love watching him & Eric perform together. The love and friendship between them shows though and they both play so well together. Great rendition of all along the watchtower too. Love the girl on the drums! Great band all around. Thanks for posting.
Sorry, the concert of the century already took place. the TAMI show. Chuck Berry, the Supremes, James Brown, the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Leslie Gore, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Rolling Stones, the Wrecking Crew backing up most of the acts. Rent or buy the DVD. You won't be sorry
i totally agree, i think eric was linked with jimi on this jam. he was surprised when his guitar neck touched lenny, he was into it. AND, i think it's the only time i've ever saw hillary smile.lol
Sir,Yes i am an exceptionally well educated gentleman, but in this case only one word will suffice my good man,oh dear! ,this such fun, is it not?.Mr. Clapton has always been the superior player.Now if you dont mind i'll have a cuban & a brandy. Best of luck old shit.!
clapton fucking KILLS watchtower. i thought it was gonna be a bit off. man he slays it. i still have trouble with the F chord. life isnt fair sometimes
Clapton is great no denying that but Buddy Guy is by far a better guitar player. You see Buddy in a nice small venue and you will leave in awe.....just say'n
Three different songs and three different approaches to play the guitar always with awesome class and stylistic perfection. Eric Clapton is an incomparable legend of the music and a living monument of the blues and rock history.
This showcases part of ECs great talent, to seamlessly fit in with other musicians and play exactly what's needed, no trying to outplay, no ego, just perfect playing.
I was about 14 when I saw EC on TV. His precision and clarity were obviously beyond the guitarists being shoved down our throats, at that time. Pure talent. No bs.
I'm a big fan of Lenny K, but watching every one of the rest of the players on stage get into their "postures" and "super-cool" movements... I am so impressed by Eric just standing there playing. He doesn't need to posture. He just plays. The duet with the legendary Mr. B.B. King was as excellent as you could expect from two virtuoso's. Beautiful.
+pnolans eric is trying to channel the great late jimi so he can't love besides leave Lenny alone, that's his thing and eric has his own..its like saying that if eric was playing next to angus young..lol
Your so right. EC just plays his heart out on every song. You notice at first he doesn't even know Lenny is next to him until he almost hits him with the neck of his Strat
Please people get over who is better, Jimi, Clapton, Buddy, BB, Stevie, etc. Get the point. They are all in there own right great at playing guitar and performing. Of course they all sound alike its called pentatonic scales and music theory. They all as musicians share licks and Ideas off each other. They also create their own style of playing but always paying respect to the fundamentals of where blues came from. Its cool you favor one more than another artist but to say one is a better player than the other? Crazy. If you don't think Mr. "Slow Hand" Clapton is not a good guitarist, strap on a guitar and go ask the man to cut heads with you. Oh yeah don't forget to record and post on youtube. Thanks
You know there are many other players before BB King. Blues and jazz have been around since early 1900's. BB learned from other players too. Buddy guy as well. We can have a discussion about it for hours. Music theory has been around for a least 300 years. Orlando I don't know if you play guitar but if you listen to different artists, you can hear distinct differences between them which becomes their own unique sound. One thing is for sure, no body was as good doing vibrato like BB King. That was his signature sound.
Agreed. As you are probably aware, Clapton has enormous respect for BB and vice versa. We were fortunate that he lived as long as he did given his health issues, but it was a sad day when he passed.
I saw Santana last year, she was drumming. First thing came to my mind watching this is that Santana's wife; thanks for the answer. She hadn't married Carlos, yet, when this was performed.
BB King, so glad I saw him as many times as I did. He's the real deal old school, king of the blues. That Eric Clapton fella might amount to something too. ;)
BB is at times more than a foot away from the mic and still has an amazingly powerful voice. You gotta dig "the King"! Clapton seems more at ease playing with BB and more in his own element than with anyone else. The vibe is scary good with BB and Clapton.
Jakexx01 have you watched Eric play with JJ Cale? He is totally relaxed with him also and you can tell the feeling between them. Eric laughs and smiles throughout .
Clapton's "Crossroads" gutiar festival, in Chicago (June), is worth making a big fucking effort to attend. B.B. King is fantastic but Eric Clapton has taken gutiar playing to an entirely new level. I saw Clapton, with Bruce & Baker, in June 1968 when he was burning down the strings as part of Cream. Think of the music that Clapton has been a part of; In '63-'64 he was playing with John Mayall and The Blues Breakers & he just kept going. Nobody will ever play the Stratocaster like Clapton.
They're all a bunch of sell outs. By playing at that fascist weeny roast they gave those criminals at the White House validation. They should be ashamed
I’ve watched this video many times and always think Clapton was really at his top form here. Until recently I saw an interview on RU-vid of his guitar tech who said the performance with Lenny Kravitz was an impromptu and all Clapton used was his guitar plugged directly into his amp, no effects. That further goes to show how great the man is.
It was all an impromptu performance except the opening number rambling on my mind. Lee his guitar tech decided to bring an amp and a strat along as well just in case. Thank god he brought them!!
We have heard the recordings of Clapton and then saw him live and realized that recording technology cannot duplicate the sound, he is beyond duplicating. Also, all ten fingers move at once like ten ballet dancers on strings.
I have seen all the great guitarists live with the exception of Hendrix and I think Beck and Vaughan have great technique Clapton gets the nod because of his great body of work
