Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden 6/30/04

[DudeAsInCool]

ROCK REVIEW

Eric Clapton at the Junction of Precision and Improvising

By BEN RATLIFF

Published: June 30, 2004

..The core of the show, bracketed by old hits, was music from his new album, "Me and Mr. Johnson" (Reprise), the evenness had another dimension. The album is a tribute to Robert Johnson, and as recent blues scholarship has argued (particularly an insightful book called "Escaping the Delta" by Elijah Wald), Johnson did not particularly prize spontaneity.

For the rest of the show, Mr. Clapton essentially ran laps around the track. Most of the set list came from his 2002 live album, "One More Car, One More Rider," with "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Layla," "Badge," "Wonderful Tonight" and "Cocaine."

In the encores he had duets with the steel-guitarist Robert Randolph, the concert's opening act, on "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Got My Mojo Working."

***

Also accompanying Clapton were, guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Nathan East and keyboardists Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon..

You can read the full concert review here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/arts/music/30CLAP.html