Rating  - LIVE GUITAR RECORDINGS
After ordering the DVD crossroads 2004 I knew I had to have this one as well. Iam a huge eric clapton fan and these DVD's are THE BEST!!!!
They are very entertaining too!
Rating - HARDLY A DULL MOMENT
Sometimes an event has repercussions beyond its own timeframe. Festivals are intended to be entertaining, but sometimes that isn't even the case. You need look no further than the Festival at Altamont to find an example of festival-dom gone seriously wrong, but occasionally the stars align in just the sequence, making an event feel special as it is happening, and continue to feel special after it is long over. Woodstock was like that. A few of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivals have been like that, and the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival was also like that.
A few years ago, Eric Clapton helped to fund the opening of the Crossroads Centre, a treatment facility for alcoholism and drug addiction located in Antigua. Proceeds from the festival and the DVD benefit the Crossroads Centre, so the cause can make you feel good while the awesome music contained in this program can make you feel even better. Clapton pulled out all the stops on this one, inviting friends who he felt not only fit the bill musically, but also worked with the appropriate attitude of camaraderie and openness. The resultant mood is apparent from the minute the show starts, and it continues to the very end. Sonny Landreth starts things off by performing one of his flashier numbers, called "Uberesso," and he smokes it. Clapton then joins him and their duet is jaw-dropping in its execution. John McLaughlin follows (where the heck has he been?) as does Hubert Sumlin, Vince Gill, Jimmie Vaughan, Albert Lee, Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, Johnny Winter, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson...and that is just disk one. Special mention should be made of the husband-wife team of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, whose performance was so good that I felt myself tearing up. Tedeschi is under-rated and under-recognized, as her guitar/vocal performance here clearly indicates. Another touching moment occurs when B.B, King pays a tribute to Clapton's sense of humanity before ripping into a devastating version of "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss."
Disk two brings out the big guns like John Mayer, Los Lobos, Robbie Robertson and Jeff Beck. If you don't know it already, Mayer capably proves that he belongs on the bill with such magnificent musicians, while Los Lobos and Jeff Beck fully live up to their reputations. At this point, Eric Clapton emerges for his set, and he is in full `Derek & the Dominos' mode, with Derek Trucks playing like a virtual Duane Allman, while the double drumming rhythm section provides enough drive to thrust the band into the next county. The night is full of special guests and special moments, but perhaps the premier special moment happens when Steve Winwood joins Eric Clapton for a run through some of the material that they made famous together nearly forty years ago as Blind Faith. Buddy Guy closes the event, and he plays with such intensity and fire that you'd be forgiven to think it was his show. All in all there's approximately four hours of guitar-based music on these disks, and hardly a dull moment. `Crossroads' is a must for all fans of blues-based rock and roll guitar, but it also required viewing for all fans of blues-based rock and roll. A- Tom Ryan
Rating - Another Crossroads Winner!
Different from first Crossorads Festival on DVD ( the one held in Texas in 2004), was the following: (1) this one took place in the Chicago area in July of 2007; (2) had comedian Bill Murray as a host, beginning the festivities and humorously introducing many of the performers; (3) had some new faces at the concert.
Of the performers that were not on the 2004 DVD, the ones I enjoyed the most were Albert Lee (incredibly-fast hands), Susan Tedeschi, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood and Derek Trucks. Of the new faces, none was more startling than Beck's young bass player: Tal Wilkenfeld.
I have to admit I do not understand why Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow were there, as this was a guitar festival and neither one is known for that particular talent.
Speaking of talent, here's 10 guitarists, just offhand, I'd love to see if Eric keeps hosting these festivals: Mark Knopfler, Mick Taylor, Ronnie Earl, Keith Richards, Peter Green, Dave Mason, Jack Bruce, Sue Foley, Walter Trout and Robben Ford. I'm sure I left out a ton of other great guitarists, but those just came to mind.
There were touching moments in this all-day concert, too, and you can see the love Eric has with King and Winwood. The whole thing, really, is one big love affair the artists share for each other and the good cause for the concert. Speaking of that, the $20 you shell out for this four hours of music all goes to rehab center in Antigua.
Overall, this is another outstanding Crossroads Guitar Festival and I just hope they keep coming!
Rating - Why Complain
While some complain that this isn't the best concert ever, I agree, and it wasn't meant to be. It is something that should have been done years ago with all of the talent involved. Not much is made of the Derek Trucks play and if you want to see the reincarnation of Duane Allman, Derek Trucks is as close as you are going to get. Being raised in Macon, Ga and getting to listen to Duane early on, Derek is playing slide about as good as anyone can. As for the other performers, I only wish they had gotten on the stage together 20 years ago. If you love watching guitarists and how they play, this is as good as it gets. The closeups are absolutely phenomenal.
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