Search - Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007 on DVD

More Inspirational Guitar From E.C. and Friends

Perry Celestino | Tahmoor, NSW Australia | 12/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well first of all, this is a fantastic show, and it's in Chicago. The line up is stellar and everyone is having a great time. Yes there could have been others there as we all know- Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Steve Vai and maybe even Les Paul--and with Blues folk Otis Rush -who has been sick and of course Bo Diddley (who had a tune dedicated to him by Robbie Robertson and had suffered a stroke earlier this year) Chuck Berry (he lives close!) Jody Williams maybe a lot of others...

But you can't please everyone and I thought the show was a nice mix. Very entertaining and the various combinations which played together (the real highlight of this DVD) seem to work well. I am a Blues enthusiast and the Blues in this show is fantastic. Hubert Sumilin plays great as does Robert Cray-who usually has no effects, but pulls off a little delay in "Poor Johnny". And Johnny Winter, who is also ill, brings back the fire in "Highway 61" as noted his slide playing is still phenomenal, and he gets applause from Derek Trucks!

B.B. King is very charming as usual at 82 and does well with Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert and Robert Cray. Well presented and touching with Eric in the wings. In Disc 2 we have John Mayer and the charismatic Los Lobos who start it off. Then the masterful Jeff Beck always amazing as he was when I first saw him with Rod Stewart on vocals at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1968. His quartet with Tal Wilkenfeld on bass, originally an Aussie from Sydney (Bondi) now based in the US-she is a stunner she may be the next Jaco Pastorius or Charlie Mingus and sexy too! I agree with other reviewers this band should tour now! Maybe Tal can sing?

Eric's set is great of course. I saw it in Australia this year (twice). Great selection of not the usual E.C. classics--well Doyle Bramhall II does "Outside Women Blues" on Disc 1. He does things from early in his solo career and of course a tribute to George Harrison. The highlight is his sub-set of Blind Faith tunes with Stevie Winwood. I haven't heard "Presence of the Lord" since I was 19 years old!!! Just superb. "Had to Cry Today" with Winwood and Clapton playing double lead is also excellent. This was worth the whole price of the DVD.

Yes, everyone has the items and artists they would wish for. This set does include Jeff Beck thankfully, but the whole show is well presented.
I am a Blues person but can appreciate Albert Lee and Vince Gill, too. This DVD will satisfy most musical tastes. The end with Buddy Guy, after ZZ Top in Texas, was also appropriate and proper even if Buddy did not have his incredible Sax player with him on the night. Buddy is a Chicago Blues icon and you could not have had a guitar show in Chicago without him. The final jam of the day "Sweet Home Chicago" with Buddy, John Mayer, Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin and Eric was a perfect end to the show.

This DVD is a must for guitar fans of all genres. The extras include snippets of performances of Tab Benoit, with his 72 Telecaster Thinline, playing with Skunk Baxter, Harvey Mandel (a native of Chicago of Canned Heat fame) with his strange custom axe and a very attractive young woman "Orianthi" getting an interesting Blues sound out of a PRS.

It is commendable that this show is different and varied and is a great companion volume to the first Crossroads DVD. And this Chicago edition has the comic wit of Bill Murray--I loved his intro of Eric Clapton while he was dressed up like the Clapton of '68 with perm and painted Gibson SG- wow! Lastly, it was very interesting and touching to 58 year olds like me, who have played guitar all of our lives, when Bill came out at the start of the show and played "Gloria" ("the only song I can play") I am sure many many folks out there had a tear in their eye with that memory!"

Bonus Tracks

mackmor | Fairfax, VA United States | 11/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is bonus track packaging while supplies last from Best Buy and Target in which you get two extra tracks, but unfortunately neither version includes Jeff Beck's "A Day In The Life". I also was at the concert and it was indeed a highlight of the day. Release from the Where's Eric web site:

"In the United States, "exclusive editions" with additional tracks are being sold by retailers Best Buy and Target. ($10 cheaper on-line, my comment))

Best Buy's Exclusive Edition has two extra tracks: "Things Get Better(Got To Get Better") - the correct title for the song is "Got To Get Better In A Little While" - and "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad." Both were songs performed by Eric during the Derek And The Dominos era.

The Target Stores Exclusive Edition also has two extra tracks, different from those offered by Best Buy. They are "Cowboy Up" by country superstar Vince Gill and "Tear It Up", performed by Albert Lee and Vince Gill.

The bonus discs are not in the clamshell case, but are stored in a pocket in the cardboard outer packaging. The tracks are also listed on the outer packaging.

Store exclusive editions are generally only available while supplies last.""

The best concert DVD of the year!

Baberufus | West Jordan, UT USA | 11/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Clapton's universal appeal and longtime assocations with other stellar guitarists once again pays off with a spectacular lineup on this DVD--a real who's who of guitarists. A lot of these guys are getting up there in age (as well as Clapton himself) and it's great to have such a gathering of legends documented on video. Sadly, stellar guitarists do not have the mainstream appeal they once enjoyed (just take a look at the crap on the current Top 40), so this high-profile video gives these artists, some of them somewhat obscure, the attention they deserve. Sonny Landreth, for one--AMAZING slide guitarist. Right up there with Derek Trucks (also prominently featured) even though his style is completely different. The only sore thumb in this lineup is Sheryl Crow--what was she doing there?? All the other featured acts were those with guitar prowess. Eric can invite anyone he wants, of course, but obviously she doesn't fit that category. Willie Nelson's "duet" with Crow was awful. If anything was going to be left on the "cutting room floor," as another reviewer noted about one of Jeff Beck's numbers, the Crow-Nelson duet should have been it. I too demand a re-release!

Overall though, a great DVD and highly recommended for all guitar buffs. The 4 hours will fly by! And get the Best Buy/Target version with the bonus extra DVD. It's only two more songs, but they're good ones."

A Must Have for Anyone Who Likes Music

Bill Sullivan | 11/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was at this show. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. There were a few difficulties with the sound, but don't let that bother you- it was limited, and I don't think it will detract from the overall experience of watching this dvd. I've seen many shows over the years, but this was truly special. There were so many great artists, new and already established (icons, actually), that it created an electricity in the air that I believe will be apparent to all those that see this. There will be some people that single out things, and yes- it's a shame that Beck's performance of the Beatles' classic is missing; but trust me- this is a show that you'll want to own if you're a fan of even half of these artists. Truly special."