X Concert Review
Crossroads Guitar Festival
June 26, 2010 @ Toyota Park
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By Dave Miller
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Eric Clapton came into his Crossroads Guitar Festival Saturday on record that it would be the last one. By the end of his engaging set with Steve Winwood that featured a slew of thrilling solos, an inspired Clapton had a change of heart.
“This was going to be the last one, but I don’t think it will be,” he told a sold-out crowd at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. “I’ll break the news to my crew that we’ll have to do it again.”
And, really, why not? The idea of Clapton inviting many of the best guitarists in the world to gather in one place for a show is too good to abandon. The first Crossroads concert took place in Dallas in 2004 before coming to the Chicago area in 2007 and 2010.
It was hard not to get caught up in Clapton’s enthusiasm, especially after his scintillating set. It started with “Crossroads” with Clapton backed by his band of a drummer, bassist, keyboard player and two backround singers. The absence at first of a second guitarist onstage put the spotlight squarely on Clapton and his guitar. He offered plenty of solos for his fans to savor including on “I Shot The Sheriff,” which featured a long, mellow intro before the song kicked in and Clapton led with his guitar. A dream pairing came next when Jeff Beck joined Clapton for a relatively straight playing of “Shake Your Moneymaker.” The perfomance really took off when Winwood joined Clapton onstage to play keyboards and guitar. The former Blind Faith members spurred each other to greater heights on songs such as Blind Faith’s “Had To Cry Today,” Traffic’s instrumental “Glad,” Buddy Holly’s “Well…All Right,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile,” Clapton’s “Cocaine” and Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”
Clapton’s set was worth the price of admission, but it was just one of a number of standout performances in the more than 11 hours of music on a glorious summer day.
The top set of the first half of the show came from Vince Gill and his band with James Burton, Albert Lee and Keb’ Mo’. The guitarists got into the spirit of the event immediately and smoothly took solo turns on the first song. A goosebump movement came when Gill sang “Mystery Train” backed by the distinctive sound of Burton, who played with Elvis. Gill was clearly excited to receive his second Crossroads invitation. “I would be here even if I didn’t get invited,” he said. His ballad “Whenever You Come Around” was a nicely-play changeup to the set, which ended with “Lay Down Sally” with Sheryl Crow contributing vocals.
The surprise of the show came when Buddy Guy brought out Ron Wood along with Johnny Lang. They attacked their set, and lifted each other’s performance in the process. Guy noted how thrilled he was to be standing between the two talented players. “I don’t know how you feel,” Guy said, beaming as his smile on the big video screens lit up the stadium, “but I feel like I’m in heaven.” They closed with the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You.” Guy broke a string during the song, but the master bluesman improvised without missing a beat. “I broke my guitar string,” he sang, “but I’m going to keep playing because I miss you.”
Bill Murray returned to Crossroads to emcee the concert and added special moments of his own throughout the day, appearing at different times as Buddy Holly, Elvis and Jimi Hendrix. As Elvis, he dabbed his face with what looked to be a red scarf before letting it unfold to reveal itself as a Blackhawks banner, which drew cheers from the hometown fans. Murray kicked off the event with some rudimentary playing of his own. “Could I have less guitar, please?” he joked before attempting “Not Fade Away” with help from Clapton.
The first official set saw slide guitarist Sonny Landreth in fine form. He was joined by Clapton on “The Promise Land,” which received the first of many big ovations on the day. Even Landreth was impressed. “Well, how about that?” he said. “That’s not bad for 12:15 in the afternoon.”
Hubert Sumlin received a warm reception when he joined the Robert Cray Band and Jimmie Vaughan. Wearing an oxygen tube, Sumlin sat and played “Sittin’ on Top the World.” Acoustic sets by Bert Jansch and Stefan Grossman followed, the latter joined by Keb’ Mo’ on steel guitar for a pair of songs. ZZ Top then raised the decibel level with a well-received set that featured “Foxy Lady.”
Doyle Bramhall II brought out Gary Clark Jr. and Sheryl Crow. Clark, one of the “kids” on the bill, stood out among the three. Crow’s pedestrian performance was lifted by an appearance by Clapton.
I’m not sure how singer-songwriter Citizen Cope found his way on the guitar festival stage in a stadium, but he even sang a song during Clapton’s set. Earl Klugh’s acoustic jazz playing beautifully filled the air. John Mayer thankfully kept his mouth shut and rocked with drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino. The Allman Brothers Band cancelled because Gregg Allman underwent successful liver transplant surgery earlier in the week, but Derek Trucks and wife Susan Tedeschi admirably filled in with help from Warren Haynes, David Hildalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos, and Johnny Winter.
You couldn’t expect Jeff Beck to duplicate his jaw-dropping, show-stealing performance from the last Crossroads. He recently changed players in his backing band with keyboard player Jason Rebello as the lone holdover. Bassist Rhonda Smith’s singing and funk were showcased, Rebello sang through a talk box a la Peter Frampton, and drummer Narada Michael Walden exhorted the crowd. “Over the Rainbow” received the Beck treatment, “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” was sung by Smith, and “I Want to Take You Higher” by Sly and the Family Stone. The end of the set saw Beck dropping to his knees.
Those who stuck around to the end were rewarded with an intimate performance by B.B. King. As he ambled to his chair on stage, he invited his all-star backing players of Clapton, Cray and Vaughan to sit beside him. King talked to the crowd as if he was in a club, and Clapton, Cray and Vaughan leaned in his direction to back him on “Rock Me Baby.” King exhorted the respectful crowd and danced in his chair. At one point, he didn’t know what to do next. “Whatever you want to do,” Clapton could be seen telling him. King responded with a strong “The Thrill is Gone.”
Most of the performers returned to the stage for a “Sweet Home Chicago” jam session in a scene that was worthy of a picture to preserve history. The multitude of memorable moments that Crossroads created once again proves that Clapton’s concert idea deserves to continue.
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