Live in San Diego

by Eric Clapton

Overview

Eric Clapton recorded The Road to Escondido, a collaborative effort with his laconic idol J.J. Cale, in 2006 but the pair didn't play supporting concerts due to Cale's aversion of touring. He wound up showing up for one show: a date near his home in San Diego, playing five songs on March 15, 2007 at the iPayOne Center. That guest set forms the heart of 2016's Live in San Diego, a double-disc live album released three years after Cale's death. Effectively, this marks Clapton's second tribute to Cale since J.J.'s passing -- in 2014, he assembled The Breeze: An Appreciation of J.J. Cale -- but this brief mid-concert set perhaps illustrates the love and affection between the two men better than either The Breeze or The Road to Escondido. Mainly relying on chestnuts, the chemistry is there along with a palpable affection between the two musicians, with Clapton following Cale's lazy lead. It provides a nice contrast to the heavy blues that dominates the rest of the album. Working with a band featuring guitarists Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks plus drummer Steve Jordan, Clapton opens up with no less than five Derek & the Dominos numbers -- including "Got to Get Better in a Little While," not released while the band was active -- and then concludes with a bunch of blues covers (Robert Cray shows up for a closing "Crossroads"), along with his own "Wonderful Tonight" and "Layla," the only two big hits on the album. That kind of crowd-pleasing isn't part of the intention of this particular concert. Instead, Clapton decides to devote the majority of his set list to the guitar, which helps offset the easy-rolling grooves of the Cale showcase. Combined, it amounts to one of his most satisfying live albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/18/2016
Label:	Reprise / Rhino
UPC:	0093624918547

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Tell the Truth
2. Key to the Highway
3. Got to Get Better In a Little While
4. Little Wing
5. Anyday
6. Anyway the Wind Blows

Disc 2

7. After Midnight
8. Who Am I Telling You?
9. Don't Cry Sister
10. Cocaine
11. Motherless Children
12. Little Queen of Spades

Disc 3

13. Further On Up the Road
14. Wonderful Tonight
15. Layla
16. Crossroads

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Eric Clapton   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Sharon White   Vocals (Background)
J.J. Cale   Guitar,Vocals,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Michelle John   Vocals (Background)
Chris Stainton   Keyboards
Derek Trucks   Slide Guitar
Doyle Bramhall II   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Tim Carmon   Keyboards
Robert Cray   Guitar,Vocals
Willie Weeks   Bass
Steve Jordan   Drums
Steve Gordon   Drums

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Simon Climie   Mixing,Producer
Bobby Whitlock   Composer
Bobby Womack   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
J.J. Cale   Composer
Joe Veasey   Composer
Eric Clapton   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Don Robey   Composer
Jimi Hendrix   Composer
Big Bill Broonzy   Composer
Carl Radle   Arranger
Robert Johnson   Composer
Jim Gordon   Composer
Guy Charbonneau   Recording
Stephen Walker   Design,Art Direction
Eric Boulanger   Mastering
Joe M. Veasey   Composer
Charles Seger   Composer
Guy Charbonneu   Engineer
Alan Douglas   Engineer