[Slowhand] Review from Variety Magazine 1 Oct 2006

[EFSCHUL at aol.com]

Good review from Variety Magazine of  Thursday MSG show.  Here's the link 
just in case the article does not make  it through:
 
_http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931752?categoryid=1266&cs=1_ 
(http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931752?categoryid=1266&cs=1) 
 
Eric Clapton

By _DAVID  SPRAGUE_ 
(http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=bio&peopleID=1357)  

 
There was a time when Eric Clapton's name was  synonymous with sonic excess 
-- an era when the wildly extended solos he  delivered through overheated amps 
inspired the painting of "Clapton Is God"  graffiti on many a bathroom wall. 
In recent years, however, Slowhand has largely  been the personification of 
restraint in concert, prone to parcel out his riffs  with more concern to their 
tastefulness than their tastiness. 
At this, the first night of a three-gig stand at Madison Square Garden,  
Clapton seemed intent on turning the clock back, not so much by concentrating on  
vintage material -- although he did trot out a good bit of that -- but by  
applying a vintage approach, namely rolling up his sleeves and giving his  
instrument a bruising workout.  
The 61-year-old guitarist didn't waste much time getting into the groove,  
coloring "I Shot the Sheriff" in darker tones than usual -- a mood that was  
amplified by the ominous rhythm laid down by bassist Willie Weeks and drummer  
Steve Jordan.  
The pair stayed in lock-step, even when -- as on "After Midnight" -- Clapton  
abandoned familiar arrangements in favor of uncharted waters.  
Clapton's always been evenhanded when it comes to sharing the spotlight with  
his fellow guitarists, which meant plenty of showcase time for both his 
regular  sparring partner Doyle Bramhall II and new addition Derek Trucks, the 
latter of  whom set off some of the set's most spectacular fireworks.  
Trucks did a remarkable job of channeling the spirit of Duane Allman --  
Clapton's foil in Derek and the Dominoes -- on a manic version of the  short-lived 
supergroup's "Gotta Get Better in a Little While," as well as a  
bluer-than-blue solo that capped off "I Am Yours."  
Now and again -- as on a hoary run-through of "Wonderful Tonight" -- Clapton  
seemed to click on the automatic pilot, but those moments were isolated. Even 
 the now-standard "sit-down" set that cleaved the two-hour perf seemed a bit 
more  animated, thanks in part to sharp song selection and in part to an 
unusual  display of warmth on Clapton's part.  
There's seldom room to quibble about technical prowess when Clapton takes the 
 stage, but the conviviality he added to the mix here made for a show that  
affirmed as much as it  entertained.

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