Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert

THE REVIEW

It's 1973; Clapton hasn't hit the stage for a couple of years. After the death of Duane Allman, his dear friend, he fell into the pit of depression. And drugs. Heroin, to quote the Velvet; devastating, especially if your name is Eric Clapton and you play the guitar god-like. Both he and his career need a turnaround as soon as possible; and the turnaround comes unexpectedly when Pete Townshend (The Who) organizes a concert for him at the Rainbow Theatre in London; Eric feels almost obliged towards his friend, and ends up accepting his proposal. And it's a rebirth: the performance at the Rainbow is like a jolt for Eric, who the following year, now free from drugs, will release his new album, 461 Ocean Boulevard.

Musically speaking, the LIVE doesn't present anything astonishing; of course, there aren't the best performances by Mr. Slowhand, yet his blues/rock pieces remain of a high level. Starting with Badge, a pleasant, catchy piece, perhaps a bit repetitive in the long run, to the slow and engaging blues of After Midnight, written by J. J. Cale, and one enjoys very well-executed covers like Pearly Queen (a song with a visionary text: I had a strange dream from a pearly queen, and she could drink more wine than I've ever seen…) or the well-known Little Wing by Hendrix, picked up with style and personality. And then—you can feel it—the touch is always that of Eric Clapton, not just anybody. And excuse me if that’s not much. A nice THREE