Royal Albert Hall, England
17th May 2006

Review by : Craig Jackson

It was polished, it was professional but, unfortunately, it was rather clinical.

The band obviously had a set list to get through - and that's what they did. There was no spontaneity, no extended guitar solos, no interaction with the audience and none of the numbers were introduced. If you didn't know your Clapton, you wouldn't have had a clue which track was being played!

Even the audience were subdued. The applause was polite rather than thunderous, there was no clapping along or yelling and everyone stayed firmly rooted to their seats except during the Crossroads encore when some, but not all of us, stood up (probably to take the pressure off their aching backsides).

This was the first time I'd seen Clapton in concert and, as I expected, the musicianship was technically superb and I enjoyed every minute of it. I just couldn't get away from the feeling that they were all going through the motions.

Having said all that, I can't wait until the next time I see EC!

Want to review a concert? Go Back and fill in the form at the bottom of the page.