[Slowhand] Richmond Times-Dispatch Review of MCI Center show

[Mark Deavult]

Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger ...

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Talent shines, but Clapton is reserved
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, June 23, 2004


      MUSIC REVIEW
      ERIC CLAPTON
      AT:
      MCI Center, Monday
WASHINGTON Eric Clapton unassumingly strode on stage looking a bit like a
college professor on Casual Friday.

In jeans, sneakers, a button-down blue shirt and glasses, he lit into "Let
It Rain" with the effortless grace that befits a guitar legend.

His dexterity with his treasured instrument hasn't lessened with age - he's
59 - but one constantly wondered how much Clapton truly enjoyed being on
stage.

Watching him perform was a bit like observing Tiger Woods play golf. The
skill is tremendous, but it's purely a spectator sport, one designed to be
witnessed from afar.


That's fine for a golf round, but a bit disconcerting at a concert where
there isn't a shred of interaction.

Clapton hardly spoke at Monday's MCI Center gig, preferring instead to let
his guitar handle that chore. Nothing wrong with that - and the few times he
said "thank you!" sounded genuine - but fans paying $53 and $85 had a right
to expect a bit more from their idol.

It wasn't until "I Want a Little Girl" that Clapton's rich, soulful voice
came out to play. Equal parts melancholic blues and creamy pop, Clapton's
vocals managed to combine longing and sexiness in just a few phrases.

That his most recent effort is a tribute to Robert Johnson ("Me and Mr.
Johnson"), the blues formed the centerpiece of the show, with Clapton,
guitarist Doyle Bramhall II and bassist Nathan East breaking down to a trio
at the front of the stage for "Me and the Devil Blues," "Milkcow's Calf
Blues" and "If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day."

The youthful Bramhall has developed into a masterful slide guitar player,
and on the latter song, his playing, coupled with Clapton's guttural vocal
turn, crept into your veins.

Clapton and his R&B-steeped band of five tossed in few crowd favorites early
in the show, but they did offer a sinewy "I Shot the Sheriff."

Sometimes Clapton's playing is so good and so clean, it's almost antiseptic.
But watching him roar through a solo, his jaw unhinged and brows furrowed,
one got the impression that despite playing the same set list every night,
no two notes are ever played the same way.

Undoubtedly, many in the nearly sold-out crowd of about 15,000 heard
Clapton's recent proclamations that he was retiring from touring - or at
least retreating from the exhausting arena circuit.

Those were the folks who rallied from sleepiness after that extended blues
set and reveled in the lengthy jam that evolved from "Have You Ever Loved a
Woman?"

The achingly romantic "Wonderful Tonight" spurred the usual hug-fest among
dewy-eyed couples in the crowd, but it was the crisp one-two punch of
"Layla" and "Cocaine" that finally nudged fans out of their seats.

Clapton's joyfulness while playing was evident every time his fingers
splayed across the fret board like rubber bands. But it was difficult to
shake the feeling that he would have rather been meandering through those
solos on his couch, with nothing to distract him except the next note in his
head.


Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri at timesdispatch.com


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