Eric Clapton 2024 Concert: Energetic But Not Inspiring—And Short on Hits
by Thomas K. Arnold
Eric Clapton (with bassist Nathan East) in San Diego, 2024. (Photo by Thomas K. Arnold, used with permission)
Remember Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average?”
Such a clean, neat description applies to Eric Clapton’s Oct. 8, 2024, concert at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena.
The veteran guitar hero delivered a solid, but not spectacular or inspiring, 90-minute set that consisted mostly of old blues covers and deep cuts from his supergroup (Cream, Derek and the Dominoes) years.
Even at 79, old Slowhand shows no signs of slowing down. He remains an incredible guitarist, mastering a multitude of techniques, including slides, legato and bends, and combining them into tightly defined phrases. One minute he’s methodical and unrushed; the next he spits out a burst of fiery notes that pierce the air like a Roman candle. And while Clapton could never be considered a great singer, his voice was in as fine a form as ever—even when he filled in for the late Jack Bruce on the classic Cream anthem “Sunshine of Your Love,” an electric show opener that instantly had the crowd on their feet.
But after that mesmerizing start, the audience sat back down—and it remained in their seats until the show ended with another energetic rendition of a crowd favorite, this time J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine,” a big hit off 1977’s Slowhand LP that has become one of Clapton’s signature songs.
Energetic, but not enthusiastic. As for what came in between those two classic rock staples, Clapton turned in a perfunctory, above-average performance that was as short on passion as it was on hits.
Eric Clapton and band, San Diego, October 2024 (Photo by Thomas K. Arnold, used with permission)
Although he still dazzled on guitar, Clapton appeared wooden and disinterested, neither welcoming the crowd, thanking them or even introducing the band, which included such musical marvels as Nathan East on bass and vocals, Doyle Bramhall II on guitar and vocals, Sonny Emory on drums and the amazing Chris Stainton on keyboards and Tim Carmon on the Hammond organ and keyboards, along with backup singers Sharon White and Katie Kissoon. The two keyboardists were given the chance to shine toward the end of the show, after an acoustic interlude, on a pair of Robert Johnson covers, “Cross Road Blues” (aka “Crossroads”) and “Little Queen of Spades.”
The audience, meanwhile, appeared more than a little let down that Clapton didn’t perform any of his other most popular songs, with the exception of “Tears in Heaven,” a poignant ballad Clapton wrote in 1991 following the tragic death of his four-year-old son, Connor, who fell from an open window in a New York City high-rise. No “I Shot the Sheriff” (although that omission was a welcome one). No “Forever Man,” no “Alibis,” no “Wonderful Tonight,” not even “Layla,” the Derek and the Dominos classic everyone wanted to hear, judging from overheard conversations as the crowd walked out after the show.
Related: Clapton’s new album, Meanwhile, will be released in January 2025
Of the 15 songs Clapton and his band performed that night, all but four were covers. During the five-song acoustic portion of the show, Clapton did a fine rendition of “Running on Faith,” off 1989’s Journeyman album, which Clapton released shortly after he found sobriety. He and the band also ran through a rousing rendition of the Derek and the Dominos song “Got to Get Better in a Little While,” a live version of which was recorded during Clapton’s 2007 appearance in the same venue and released nearly a decade later on the 2016 album Live in San Diego.
Despite the fact that Clapton’s latest album was released digitally just four days before the San Diego concert, Clapton only performed one song off Meanwhile, a ballad called “The Call.” The album, on the Bushbranch/Surfdog Records label, will be released on physical formats (vinyl as well as CD) on Jan. 24, 2025. It features collaborations with Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Bradley Walker, Judith Hill, Daniel Santiago and Simon Climie. [It’s available to order in the U.S. on CD or 2-LPs and in the U.K. here.]
Watch Clapton perform his new song, “The Call”
Clapton isn’t the first artist to turn his back on his past. The late David Crosby performed almost exclusively new material during his final tours, but it was so damn good people didn’t mind. And Bob Dylan is known for all but abandoning his hits when he performs live, but, well, he’s Dylan.
The difference is that Crosby and Dylan focused on new stuff, while Clapton focused on covers. He and his band did an admirable job interpreting such tunes as Willie Dixon’s “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man,” Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and Wynonna Judd’s “Change the World,” but there was nothing distinctive, nothing uniquely Eric Clapton about those songs.
Just above-average covers by a brilliant guitarist who could do much more.
Watch Clapton and band perform “Crossroads” in San Diego, 2024
The 2023 edition of Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival is being released on Nov. 29, 2024, in various configurations, including 4-CD/2-Blu-ray, 6-LP vinyl, 2-DVD (and streaming with Dolby ATMOS mix). It’s available for pre-order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationCompetence, but no fire or spirit. It was that way when I saw Clapton perform live a few years ago, too. It’s kinda sad. He’s so talented, yet so laid back that it’s almost lazy.
I’d rather choose Cocaine, Tears In Heaven and Sunshine Of Your Love in my omission list instead of I Shot The Sheriff.