I saw him with Winwood, too--Winwood is a force of nature, but the two of them worked very well together. Great great show. When I saw him with Daltrey as the opener, I'd been hoping/assuming they'd do some songs together, but they didn't. Daltrey was in great form, and Clapton was pretty good, but not nearly as strong as with Winwood.

Saw him about 8 years ago in the US. Had great front center floor seats but was so bored. He is a true talent but his stage personality is horrible. He spent most of the time walking back to his amp and turning knobs and then walking over to a tech to complain all while playing and sometimes during breaks.

Layla was horrible. So was cocaine. he played it like here you go I know you want to hear this but I don't want to play it.

Then as he left the stage he was yelling at the techs about the sound and his amps. So unprofessional.

Do a sound check and hire good people, Eric!

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BluzDude

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michaelsavage
He has been boring for like 30 years now. He should buy a farm or something.

Or something? Like cash in his chips?

I thought God lives forever

or two farms..that'll keep him busy

<<Then as he left the stage he was yelling at the techs about the sound and his amps. So unprofessional.>>

Pete Townshend has done the same thing numerous times and most recently during the latest Who tour, and no one berated him about it.

You mean musicians have to just accept it when lousy techs are spoiling the sound for everyone? It wasn't like it was Clapton playing poorly and ruining the show--he did his part.

How about the techs not sucking at their jobs? That's where the unprofessional element is.

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crholmstrom
Having seen Eric several times since the 70's, I've always found he's better with another guitar player kicking him in the butt. The tour with Derek Trucks was really good, as were the ones with Steve Winwood & Jeff Beck. At least what I've listened to. I did enjoy his brief set for the Hurricane Sandy benefit.

He's been uninspired in his twilight. He has always been the guy changing bands and updating his sound but he no longer has that momentum. Other than Cream he can't do a proper oldies show as his career is so scattered. I'd seen every tour from 461 Ocean Blvd. until the 90's. Every special tour like ARMS and Roger Waters. Last concert I saw him was with The Stones at Shea. I'm even credited on his biggest selling record, my greatest honor. He's brought me great pleasure.

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DoomandGloom

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crholmstrom
Having seen Eric several times since the 70's, I've always found he's better with another guitar player kicking him in the butt. The tour with Derek Trucks was really good, as were the ones with Steve Winwood & Jeff Beck. At least what I've listened to. I did enjoy his brief set for the Hurricane Sandy benefit.

He's been uninspired in his twilight. He has always been the guy changing bands and updating his sound but he no longer has that momentum. Other than Cream he can't do a proper oldies show as his career is so scattered. I'd seen every tour from 461 Ocean Blvd. until the 90's. Every special tour like ARMS and Roger Waters. Last concert I saw him was with The Stones at Shea. I'm even credited on his biggest selling record, my greatest honor. He's brought me great pleasure.

That's pretty cool! I don't want to give the impression I don't like Clapton. He has been transcendent at times. The first time I saw him was on the Slowhand tour when I was in high school. That show was in a small theater & magical. I do have to admit that as far as guitar gods go, I'm way more of a Jeff Beck guy. I've never left a Jeff Beck show anything less than blown away. I got to sit front row in Vegas for the Brian Wilson/Jeff Beck show last October. I have another Beck show coming up in August (with ZZ Top). Pretty excited about that. Jeff has lost nothing with age. Cheers.

Saw him once a number of years back and thought he was just great. Sooner see Johnny Winter these days though.

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crholmstrom

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DoomandGloom

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crholmstrom
Having seen Eric several times since the 70's, I've always found he's better with another guitar player kicking him in the butt. The tour with Derek Trucks was really good, as were the ones with Steve Winwood & Jeff Beck. At least what I've listened to. I did enjoy his brief set for the Hurricane Sandy benefit.

He's been uninspired in his twilight. He has always been the guy changing bands and updating his sound but he no longer has that momentum. Other than Cream he can't do a proper oldies show as his career is so scattered. I'd seen every tour from 461 Ocean Blvd. until the 90's. Every special tour like ARMS and Roger Waters. Last concert I saw him was with The Stones at Shea. I'm even credited on his biggest selling record, my greatest honor. He's brought me great pleasure.

That's pretty cool! I don't want to give the impression I don't like Clapton. He has been transcendent at times. The first time I saw him was on the Slowhand tour when I was in high school. That show was in a small theater & magical. I do have to admit that as far as guitar gods go, I'm way more of a Jeff Beck guy. I've never left a Jeff Beck show anything less than blown away. I got to sit front row in Vegas for the Brian Wilson/Jeff Beck show last October. I have another Beck show coming up in August (with ZZ Top). Pretty excited about that. Jeff has lost nothing with age. Cheers.

I love Jeff in the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck Group but beyond that I rarely listen to him. Seen a few tours and they were great but not always my cup of tea. At the Arms show in NY Page blew the other 2 off the stage. I left having no doubt that Jimmy was the superior showman. I saw EC at the Cream reunion and watched him bend a string so slowly and perfectly it appeared he wrapped it around the neck itself. That's what The Brits meant by "Time Standing Still" and Eric invented it. Mick Taylor is just about there right now. His tone in Rome made me think of this historic Les Paul sound. Reportedly Jimmy Page was in the control room for many of these Bluesbreaker recordings keeping the engineers from "cleaning up" the guitar sound...

Any kids out there you need to listen to this album before trying to understand Clapton.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-24 05:03 by DoomandGloom.

He just doesn't feel that way about Layla anymore.

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TurkuStonesFan
he played it like here you go I know you want to hear this but I don't want to play it.

This perfectly encapsulates the attitude. To give the Vegas Era its due, the Stones must be pretty tired of a lot of their material by now, and I suspect that at some point it became clear that the only realistic alternative to performing the songs the crowd came to hear in a grudging, slapdash way was to turn pro, so to speak.

The tour Clapton did with Trucks was incredible. Great band, classic line up, and fantastic selection of stuff from Derek and the Dominoes.

I sat not more than 20 feet from in the small House of Blues in 1994 when he was on the From The Cradle tour, which was all blues. Technically perfect, but stone cold. I hate to say it, but he hasn't taken sobriety well. Saw him in 1978, when he was still drugging, and he was fantastic, with long blues solos. He seems to have lost all interest in emotion.

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DoomandGloom

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crholmstrom

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DoomandGloom

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crholmstrom
Having seen Eric several times since the 70's, I've always found he's better with another guitar player kicking him in the butt. The tour with Derek Trucks was really good, as were the ones with Steve Winwood & Jeff Beck. At least what I've listened to. I did enjoy his brief set for the Hurricane Sandy benefit.

He's been uninspired in his twilight. He has always been the guy changing bands and updating his sound but he no longer has that momentum. Other than Cream he can't do a proper oldies show as his career is so scattered. I'd seen every tour from 461 Ocean Blvd. until the 90's. Every special tour like ARMS and Roger Waters. Last concert I saw him was with The Stones at Shea. I'm even credited on his biggest selling record, my greatest honor. He's brought me great pleasure.

That's pretty cool! I don't want to give the impression I don't like Clapton. He has been transcendent at times. The first time I saw him was on the Slowhand tour when I was in high school. That show was in a small theater & magical. I do have to admit that as far as guitar gods go, I'm way more of a Jeff Beck guy. I've never left a Jeff Beck show anything less than blown away. I got to sit front row in Vegas for the Brian Wilson/Jeff Beck show last October. I have another Beck show coming up in August (with ZZ Top). Pretty excited about that. Jeff has lost nothing with age. Cheers.

I love Jeff in the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck Group but beyond that I rarely listen to him. Seen a few tours and they were great but not always my cup of tea. At the Arms show in NY Page blew the other 2 off the stage. I left having no doubt that Jimmy was the superior showman. I saw EC at the Cream reunion and watched him bend a string so slowly and perfectly it appeared he wrapped it around the neck itself. That's what The Brits meant by "Time Standing Still" and Eric invented it. Mick Taylor is just about there right now. His tone in Rome made me think of this historic Les Paul sound. Reportedly Jimmy Page was in the control room for many of these Bluesbreaker recordings keeping the engineers from "cleaning up" the guitar sound...

Any kids out there you need to listen to this album before trying to understand Clapton.

Mick Taylor was by far the best part of the Stones show I saw a year ago. I know its been debated here endlessly but I'm extremely disappointed that the Stones aren't letting him play more. The 3 guitars were really great on MR. Really wanted more of that. As far as Beck goes, there was 1 show this year in Sao Paulo where he went the power trio route, with Jimmy Hall singing. Pulled out a lot Jeff Beck Group material & did 3 (!) Hendrix songs. There's an excellent sounding boot out there. Well worth tracking down. I know what you mean about Page. I've been listening to the remasters. Would love to see him play live again. Don't care if its Led Zeppelin or not.

As I said earlier, he was a bore. Doyle Bramhall opened for him and I wish he had played more.

I have not seen Clapton since and think he is irrelevant as a live act. I also hate it when he guests with the Stones. Mick Taylor is more fun to watch than Clapton and that's saying something. Also, Ronnie Wood is now one of the all-time best guitarists ever because his sound is always evolving. He brings new life to old classics every night on this tour. Can Clapton claim to do that. No.

And when shit goes wrong, Ronnie smiles, improvises and plays. That's what pros do. Plus the Stones have the best people on the backline and always will.
Tip of the hat to Piere and the guys.

Good ole Slowhand himself the master of the six string. my absolute favorite guitar virtuoso . i had the dream of a life time come true in october 2005 first night at madison square garden the worlds most famous arena of catching live for the first time CREAM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Words can not come close to describing the joy and euphoria of seeing CREAM .Clapton on fire blazing his way around the fretboard of his stratocaster .someone very close to me told me that you will never be able to see and hear him in any other context without there being a let down of sorts ,at the time i said no way ,but i have come to accept that as gospel because after CREAM well it's just not the same .true that allright.i did catch EC at the Howling for Hubert benefit at the Apollo 2 years ago which EC was there for and opened the evening on his Martin 000-42 acoustic with James Cotton playing some might fine harp on key to the highway and later in the evening EC plugged in and did some might fine jamming .to me his left hand technique is perfection and his tone and vibrato and phrasing are the BEST .lest i forget to say that he is a master of the blues !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-24 18:51 by TheGreek.

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DoomandGloom
At the Arms show in NY Page blew the other 2 off the stage. I left having no doubt that Jimmy was the superior showman.

Superior showman, maybe, but Page was awful on those shows. You won't find a bigger Jimmy Page fan than me - I've heard everything he's ever done, hell, I even enjoy Outrider - but the ARMS tour was a real low point. MSG wasn't his worst show, I guess (from what I've heard of it, Cow Palace would be hard to beat).

I agree, incidentally, that Mick Taylor is the only one of the original British blues guitar heroes that continues to play at that level and with a similar musical approach. Clapton lost all that when he started playing Strats and writing pop songs, Beck disappeared into fusion land, Page and Peter Green virtually disappeared altogether after a while (and when they re-emerged, they were shadows of their former selves). I think it's quite remarkable how well Taylor has aged as a musician, considering the things he's been through.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-24 14:08 by Stoneburst.

....well he did shoot the sheriff after all



ROCKMAN

Well, it could have been worse: at least he spared them the Enoch Powell speach...

The criticism agains Clapton is a little unfair, imo.

He still plays very well, at a much higher level still than our boys (including Mick Taylor), compared to their respective peaks.

I never thought of Taylor as the only british blues player that kept his chops on the three Taylor solo shows I've seen.

None of them are as good as when they were in their 20s, end of story. We should be grateful that they're all out there playing for us.

And Clapton plays like this (4:26) today:







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-24 14:37 by DandelionPowderman.

You're right, Dandelion. Clapton has kept his chops. I enjoy Clapton in small portions. In the long run he tends to bore me. Most musicians keep their chops with age though. Look at Buddy Guy for instance - soon turning 80. Keith is an exception to the rule though. In his case I think it has to do with disorders and medicines. And when it comes to equilibrism few can compete with "Slowhand" anyway...

Clapton still has his chops, yes, which is why it's frustrating that most of what he plays is so insipid. Most of the time what you see Clapton play on stage (to say nothing of his recent studio records) is 20-30% of what he's actually capable of doing and would do if he cared enough. There are rare instances of him still raising his game - the Hubert Sumlin tribute someone mentioned above would be a case in point - but they are just that, rare.

Also, his tone is awful these days. That fake humbucker sound from the mid-boost circuit on his Strats sounds like utter crap.

I agree about his tone, and sound, in general.

Well, Clapton has been criticised since Derek And The Dominoes broke up. Everyone is bashing him for not playing psyhedelic or classic blues.
The man is a fantastic player, but wants to perform and play music in the style of The Band or JJ Cale, which the majority of the rock audience hates he does.

I have seen him once, in 2004, and was surprised how much he rocked out.
I loved the show. He is not at all like The Stones nor shouldn't be, either. He plays his songs and his guitar and not a lot else. Great.

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crholmstrom


I have another Beck show coming up in August (with ZZ Top). Pretty excited about that. Jeff has lost nothing with age. Cheers.

I heard Jeff just canceled his European tour for health reasons. Hopefully he'll be recovered for the ZZ Top tour.

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Bliss
I saw him some years ago and it was a big disappointment, considering how very expensive the tickets were. He and his band were dressed in t-shirts and old jeans, there was no light show, he didn't make eye contact once with the audience, didn't thank us for coming, and there was no life at all in the performance, despte it being note for note perfect.

Contrast this with the Cure and Guns 'n' Roses, which were on fire.

OK, I'll add ditto to this...I don't know if I'd go again if I were given tickets. One's own time is also of value.

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DandelionPowderman
Fans' fury as Eric Clapton walks off Hydro stage early

Fans voiced their anger when Eric Clapton's first concert in Glasgow for three years ended with the rock legend walking off stage early.

[www.eveningtimes.co.uk]

Maybe it finally dawned on him at that moment that he has played the same boring guitar solo for 45 years straight and couldn't do it one more time..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-24 18:00 by stanlove.

Is there anyone posting here who feels they are a better guitar player
than Eric Clapton?

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stonesrule
Is there anyone posting here who feels they are a better guitar player
than Eric Clapton?

Of course. There are many. But noone will or can beat Hendrix.

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stonesrule
Is there anyone posting here who feels they are a better guitar player
than Eric Clapton?

This relates to the thread how?

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Blueranger
Well, Clapton has been criticised since Derek And The Dominoes broke up. Everyone is bashing him for not playing psyhedelic or classic blues.
The man is a fantastic player, but wants to perform and play music in the style of The Band or JJ Cale, which the majority of the rock audience hates he does.

I have seen him once, in 2004, and was surprised how much he rocked out.
I loved the show. He is not at all like The Stones nor shouldn't be, either. He plays his songs and his guitar and not a lot else. Great.

it is funny that you mentioned that EC wants to play in the style of the Band .check out the Band's last album "jubilee" , the track " last train to memphis" features none other than slowhand himself .also of note after cream broke up EC wanted to join the Band !!!! pretty wild right ?