Eric Clapton – Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007

Eric Clapton – Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 / 2007 Rhino / 240 Minutes / http://www.ericclapton.com / http://www.rhino.com /

This DVD features the events that occurred during the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, an event set up by Eric Clapton to help the Crossroads Center in Antigua. While all the tags on the DVD point to this being a Clapton-only DVD, there are performances captured by a number of other individuals. For example, John Maher (“Belief”, “Gravity”), Los Lobos (“Don’t Worry Baby”, “Mas Y Mas”) and Jeff Beck (“Cause We’ve Ended Up As Lovers”, “Big Block”) all perform on this two-DVD set.  The four or so hours of performances will ensure individuals have something to do that exceeds the set’s cost, and provide enough in the way of material that individuals will watch the set again and again.

Depending on where the individuals buy the DVD set from, they may be able to pick up a few extra tracks. For example, if individuals go to Best Buy, they will receive versions of “Got To Get Better In A Little While” and “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad”, tracks performed by Clapton which were originally created during eir time with Derek and the Dominos. Vince Gill is the focal point of the Target exclusive, with “Cowboy Up” and “Tear It Up” being their exclusive tracks on this DVD. While there were tracks that were ultimately removed from the final cut (Jeff Beck’s cover of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life”), the energy present on the DVDs are amazing.

The camera work during the sets are a high point of these DVDs, as the shots provide a very natural and intuitive way to see each track performed. Individuals could conceivably even sit in their couches and let the disc play on and receive an experience that is similar to that received by individuals that actually made it to the show. Rhino would be smart to go forth and sign for the rights for the Crossroads festival, especially if it becomes a yearly thing. By doing that, they ensure themselves tremendous sales, as well as providing the rest of humanity with recordings that may otherwise gain dusk in the filming company’s archives. The blend of past and current stars (nowhere better exemplified as during the Willie Nelson / Sheryl Crow duet) ensures that fans of all ages will be able to find something that they can tune into. If you are a fan of Clapton, Beck, Maher, or Los Lobos, this disc is a must buy.

Rating: 8.0/10