Show Review

Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, Eric Clapton performed the second show of his three-night stand in support of his recent release, Me and Mr. Johnson, a tribute to the blues legend, Robert Johnson. The legendary guitarist, once called “God” by his awestruck fans, demonstrated why he continues to be a vital part of the blues tradition.

About midway into his 90-minute set, Clapton and his touring guitarist, Doyle Bramhall II, sat down on wooden stools to recount the songs of the King of Delta Blues. While the blues genre has suffered as of late, mainly due to the lack of younger visionaries like Stevie Ray Vaughn, it’s artists like Clapton, B.B. King and Buddy Guy who continue to remind us the importance of its place in musical history.

Songs that are nearly 70 years old were brought to life in one of the more unlikely places you will find this type of music currently: a rock arena. It was refreshing to hear straight blues, which has been the cornerstone of Clapton's four decade plus career.

While he wasn’t appeasing the “hits-only” crowd, he was digging in deep to his catalog with red-hot versions of “Walk Out In The Rain” from Backless and “Got To Get Better In A Little While” from his Derek and the Dominos days, which featured Clapton hammering away at his Cry Baby Wah-Wah pedal.

Even the radio songs were getting extra attention and were left open for the opportunity to demonstrate why he is one of the greatest guitarists of his time. “Let It Rain,” “I Shot The Sheriff” and “Have You Ever Loved A Woman” went beyond any expectations the audience might have reserved for an artist who has been playing the same songs for years. In fact, Clapton looked energized and seemed to be having a great time showing off his dexterity.

The show ended with opener Robert Randolph sharing the stage for the encores of “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Got My Mojo Working.” Randolph who was enjoying a sort of homecoming being from New Jersey, was clearly honored to be playing with one of giants of rock, in front of family and friends who came out to see him play in his biggest tour yet.

Clapton was impressive and left you wanting a bit more which is what most professionals do. But it would be interesting to see him pull away from the pre-arranged set list and song structure to just let it all hang out. This is what the audience craved and became the moments their cheers were heard the loudest.