Crossroads Festival | 07.28 | Chicago
By Team JamBase Aug 20, 2007 • 12:00 am PDT

Crossroads Festival :: 07.28.07 :: Toyota Center :: Bridgeview, IL
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I’m referring to Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Guitar Festival. The Crossroads Center is a rehabilitation center located in Antigua for substance abuse, something Clapton knows a little bit about. The proceeds from the festival go towards the funding of the center.
In June of 2004, the first Crossroads Festival was held over a couple days at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX and featured many of the greatest guitarists from the past and present. This year’s festival was only one day but featured many of the same artists from the 2004 festival. It all got going promptly at 11:50 a.m. with special guest and emcee, Bill Murray. He started off by telling the crowd how we were in store for some great music, for a great cause. Then, with a Strat hanging by his side, he launched into “the only song I know how to play on guitar,” Van Morrison‘s “Gloria.” Murray was far from the caliber of say Clapton, Jeff Beck or Mr. Buddy Guy, but he gave it his all and pulled through, but then again, this wasn’t meant to be taken seriously; he is a comedian after all. As he was nearing the end of the song he got a little help from one of his friends, Eric Clapton. They finished the song and Clapton talked about what was in store for the day.
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Balancing the jazz rock with some bluegrass, Alison Krauss & Union Station took the stage as guitarist Jerry Douglas soothed what wounds were caused by the two preceding bands. Doyle Bramhall II was up next. The Texan guitarist’s set was satisfying but could have been a bit more upbeat. He played seated in a chair, and while a chair may be standard during his regular shows, it may be wise to save the sitting down for playing an acoustic set, especially in this setting. However, Bramhall did redeem himself later in the day when he played with Clapton’s band.
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Robert Cray, the first of many blues masters of the day, came out firing. Cray has been around for upwards of 25 years and shows no signs of slowing down. His set was soulful, heartfelt and it was fitting that Cray was here for his second Crossroads appearance. Jimmie Vaughan, former Fabulous Thunderbird and older brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, came out to play a few numbers with Cray’s band backing him. Mention the name Vaughan and images of younger brother Stevie come flashing to the mind, however Jimmie is very underrated and has the family chops when it comes to guitar.
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Before the last song, King gave a very sincere toast to his dear friend Eric Clapton, who was watching King’s set from stage left. With the band playing softly in the background, King said, “May I live forever, but may you live forever and a day, because I’d hate to be here when you pass away.” He added, “And when they lay me out to rest, may the last voices I hear be yours!” It was a sobering appreciation of a dear friend and the 81-year-old King stated he was no spring chicken anymore. He then told the band to play louder and ripped into his trademark song, “The Thrill Is Gone.”
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Vince Gill arrived with a large band and proceeded to play his blend of country rock. Gill’s set reached a climax with the help of Albert Lee when they tore up a great version of “Country Boy.” Lee stayed out for a bit longer as Sheryl Crow made an appearance and played “Strong Enough To Be My Man” with the help of Alison Krauss. Clapton came out for one of his few sit-ins of the day and played “Tulsa Time” with Crow.
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As Bill Murray introduced the next band he said that what Bridgeview, IL lacked was a bit of East L.A. Enter Los Lobos. The band, known to most for their version of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba,” chose to play their own material that day. The mood instantly went from mild to extra spicy. The layering of Dave Hidalgo and César Rosas‘ instruments complimented the rest of the band’s talents and proved why this band has achieved such legendary status.
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Robbie Robertson (The Band) made a rare appearance for a pair of songs with Clapton’s band, “Further On Up The Road” and “Who Do You Love?,” the later a tribute to the ailing Bo Diddley. Steve Winwood made his way to the stage and sat down behind the Hammond. Backed by Clapton’s band, he launched into Traffic’s “Pearly Queen.” Clapton made a point to say how excited he was about playing with Winwood again after 25 years. They continued with Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” “Presence Of The Lord” and “Had To Cry Today.” This grouping of songs would have been the cherry on the sundae, that is until Clapton went backstage and left Winwood to steer the ship. Winwood followed with what might have been the highlight of the show, “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” When one thinks of Winwood, we think of a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, not necessarily a lead guitarist. When it came time for the solos in “Fantasy” his guitar work brought the crowd to a level that hadn’t been reached all day. Clapton came back and they finished with J.J. Cale’s classic “Cocaine.”
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Guy is a master showman in every sense and knows how to entertain a crowd, even a sold out mob of 30,000 like this one. Near the end of the show, preparations for the finale started. Vaughan, Cray, Mayer, Winter, Sumlin, Trucks, Bramhall and, of course, Clapton took to the stage to help Buddy for a mandatory “Sweet Home Chicago,” where everyone traded licks. At about 10:45 p.m., Guy and Mayer looked to the sound pit to see if there was time for one more. Fortunately, there was. The final song of this all day masterpiece was “She’s Just 19.”
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