Clapton at the Hollywood Bowl

I’ve seen Eric Clapton three times—in 1998, 2001, and last night. The 2001 concert was rather disappointing (and I have no idea why they chose to release it as an album). The 1998 concert was breathtaking. Last night was, in many ways, better even than that. The opening act, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, was really good—very animated. Randolph plays a sixteen-string pedal steel guitar, an unusual instrument with a great bluesy sound to it. But it was even more impressive when the band members would switch places—the guitarist taking over for the drummer, the drummer taking over for the guitarist, the bassist taking over for the rhythm guitarist, and so forth; literal musical chairs.

Clapton came out playing “Let It Rain”; the sound quality was a little bit fuzzy. But not bad enough to be a bother, and it cleared up after a little while. By the time he was playing the solo in “Hootchie Cootchie Man,” it was perfect. And the choice of songs was great. I really like “I Want A Little Girl,” and he did a great version of that. Everyone’s been talking about the extended version of “I Shot The Sheriff,” which was, indeed, outstanding. It just kept going and going—it was really astonishing, and the audience really roared for it.

He added a guitar solo to “Kind–Hearted Woman Blues,” making it far superior to the album version, which sorely lacks some of his magic. I really like “Me And The Devil Blues,” althoughn on the album, it too is rather spare. It was really livened up by Doyle Bramhall’s slide guitar. Bramhall was outstanding through the whole concert, actually, and I was surprised by how much Clapton let him play. He treated him almost like an apprentice. I don’t mean to sound condescending; Bramhall is an excellent, very disciplined guitar player, and I really liked the album he put out in 2001.

“Got To Get Better In A Little While” has long been a favorite of mine, and you never hear it anywhere nowadays. The new version of that was great. But for me, the highest point of the concert was “Have You Ever Loved A Woman,” which is my favorite Clapton song. The version on 24 Nights is the best recorded version, but the way he played it at the 1998 concert was my favorite. Then last night he did a version that really let every member of the band shine. Clapton, of course, hit exactly the right notes to express exactly the right feelings. Bramhall was very stern, carefully playing just what he wanted to, and what was great was that both of them were not afraid to let the music be quiet for a while, to let the mood simmer. It was outstanding—the best I’ve ever heard.

I’ve never understood the popularity of “Badge”; it just never did anything for me. But it was well played, as were “Layla” and “Cocaine.” Of the encores, I really liked how Clapton brought Randolph back out to play along on “Got My Mojo Working.” By the end, people just couldn’t sit; everyone had to stand up and at least move a little.

Very enjoyable night. I wish they would release it as a concert album!

Update: The Eric Clapton fan site has posted this (but with a typo I've now corrected).