7 March 2007
99th Show '06 / '07 Tour
Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

The Band:
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Doyle Bramhall II - guitar
Derek Trucks - guitar
Chris Stainton - keyboards
Tim Carmon - keyboards
Willie Weeks - bass
Steve Jordan - drums
Michelle John - backing vocals
Sharon White - backing vocals

Setlist:

01. Tell The Truth
02. Key To The Highway
03. Got to Get Better in A Little While
04. Little Wing
05. Anyday

Sit Down Set
06. Driftin' Blues (EC Solo)
07. Outside Woman Blues
08. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
09. Running On Faith

10. Motherless Children
11. Little Queen of Spades
12. Further On Up The Road
13. Wonderful Tonight
14. Layla

Encore
15. Cocaine
16. Crossroads (with special guest Robert Cray)

Impressions from the fifth row.

What an awesome talent. Eric was absolutely on fire and effortlessly displayed why God put him on this Earth last night. After a nice warm up from the Robert Cray Band, the lights dimmed promptly at 8:30. The band took their places and Eric casually strolled out already strumming the opening riffs of "Tell The Truth". This was a pleasure to see he had changed the set list from earlier in the tour when he was opening with "Pretending". He is much more into the Derek & the Dominoes material currently, and the entire first part of the show reflects it. Eric's voice has really gotten better with age. He can groan the blues like the masters and belt out the lyrics with depth and feeling. He is letting the band do their job providing him a solid backing while he gets warmed up with some punctual solos. Eric stretches out as long as he likes then turns and nods to Doyall to have a go. Doyall has many different guitars during the evening and it is interesting to watch him play. Being left handed and stringing his guitars upside down (from years playing with Doyall senior's guitars) it is evident he has a couple favorites. It is also evident that he means business with his Savage cabinet and his 2 Marshall 100 watt heads. In fact, every time he takes a solo Derek put earplugs in!

Then the spotlight focus is on Derek Trucks. What an amazing talent. He has such depth, tone control and feeling that it is amazing he has only been on tour since the age on 9. He looks as if he was born on stage. He plays slide and lead (without slide) with equal virtuosity. Many times during the evening he would quote Duane directly, but often he would nod to him just enough and go in a completely new, but relevant direction. Each guitarist taking his own solo, the tune then returns to Eric and he shows all why he is the boss. Every time he came due he delivered a more intense barrage of guitar assault than before. It was unbelievable how he could keep topping himself time after time.

Next up the go into an updated “Key to the Highway". A long time favorite of Eric's, it has a new tempo and the night is geared towards the blues. More trading of licks all around and the tune winds up squarely on Eric's able shoulders. Without a break they transition into the Dominoes’ staple "Got to Get Better in a Little While". This is a booty shakin upbeat number that hasn't been trotted out since the day, but on this tour it sounds better than ever. It gets stretched in so many different directions and even gets an early drum break from Steve Jordan. It is funny the way the song seems to wrap up and people think it is over, applauding wildly- only to have Eric revisit the entire melody again to finish the lyrics and draw it to it's proper conclusion.

We finally get a breather and Eric says "Good Evening!" Then with the first few notes of the Hendrix classic "Little Wing" Eric lifts the entire arena to the heavens as Jimi's spirit is evoked with loving testimony. As the crowd begins to realize the magnitude of this event there are audible gasps of disbelief. What a majestic tune! Such hippy, trippy lyrics with visions of butterflies and zebras and the open confession of love.

Well shes walking through the clouds
With a circus mind thats running round
Butterflies and zebras
And moonbeams and fairy tales
Thats all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind.

When I’m sad, she comes to me
With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free
Its alright she says it’s alright
Take anything you want from me, anything
Anything.

Fly on little wing,

After that if you are not stunned and blown to the four winds, you are not alive.

Then comes one on my absolutely favorite Derek & the Dominoes tunes of all time "Anyday". I just can't believe my good luck in getting the dream set. When I first saw he was performing this tune at the beginning of the tour in London (and he didn't show a Denver date on tour yet), I knew I had to fly away to see it. I didn't get it together for the east coast, and he had already dropped it most shows. Then in Japan he put it back in and he still hadn't announced another American leg. When it finally was announced I was so relieved to see the set evolve into the present form. If my luck holds out I'll get "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad" in Vegas. I just hope Willie Weeks can prove that bass line is as solid as it should be. That is what really drives that tune.

Well, I can't go on much more other than to say the triple slide guitar in "Motherless Children" is stunning. The blending of Derek & Eric in "Layla" is poetry and the encores are just good time fun rocking.

It was well worth the cost of the ticket to sit up that close and have actual eye contact with the band. They really enjoyed Denver and were smiling and joking quite a bit. There were 2 young stoner dudes in the second row that were cracking up Derek and Doyall. At the end of the night Derek stole several picks off of Doyall's mike stand and threw them at these two. When Doyall saw that he picked up Derek's Gibson SG and pretended to toss it off the stage to them. You should have seen his face. Priceless.