Eric Clapton & friends rock the Crossroards

Eric Clapton assembled an assortment of friends on Saturday (July 28th) -- including John Mayer, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King, and Alison Krauss & Union Station -- for his second Crossroads Guitar Festival at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, outside Chicago.

A sell-out crowd of 28,000 attended the 11-hour concert, which raised money for Clapton's Crossroads Centre rehabilitation facility in Antigua. A DVD of the show, directed by Martin Atkins, is scheduled to be released on November 6th.

Clapton, who held the first Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004 in Dallas, was a recurring presence throughout the day:

He appeared at the very beginning of the day, finishing emcee Bill Murray's attempt to play Them's "Gloria," before welcoming the crowd.

He jammed with Sonny Landreth on "Hell at Home" and joined Sheryl Crow, Albert Lee, and Vince Gill's band for Danny Flower's "Tulsa Time."

Clapton was also seen on the side of the stage watching the other performers, taking photos or hanging out with his wife and children.

Clapton's own set began with a blast of Derek & the Dominos songs, including "Tell the Truth," "Got to Get Better in a Little While," and "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad."

He also paid tribute to the George Harrison -- "Someone I wish was here, and he kind of is, anyway" -- with the late Beatle's "Isn't It a Pity" before bringing the Band's Robbie Robertson onstage for Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" and "Further On Up the Road," invoking a similar phrase ("Play guitar. Robbie Robertson!") that Robertson used to introduce him at the Band's Last Waltz concert.

Steve Winwood, whom Clapton said he'd been "waiting to play with for 25 years," then came on for a trio of Blind Faith songs ("Presence of the Lord," "Can't Find My Way Home," and "Not My Cross to Bear"), and the Traffic favorites "Pearly Queen" and "Dear Mr. Fantasy," sticking around for the set-closing "Cocaine" and "Crossroads."

Jeff Beck dazzled the crowd with a 50-minute set of instrumental rock, ending with a rendition of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life."

Vince Gill hosted performances by Albert Lee, Sheryl Crow, and Willie Nelson during his portion of the show, with Alison Krauss and Union Station's Jerry Douglas coming on for Crow's "Strong Enough."

Robert Cray also played host to several guests, including Jimmie Vaughan, blues great Hubert Sumlin, and B.B. King, who offered an emotional salute to Clapton.

Following them, John Mayer dedicated "every note I play today... to Mr. B.B. King," the played a set that featured "Waiting on the World to Change," "Vultures," "Belief," "Gravity," and Ray Charles' ''I Don't Need No Doctor.''

Derek Trucks, the Allman Brothers Band guitarist, who's also been playing in Clapton's band for the past year, jammed with Johnny Winter on "Highway 61." Trucks' wife Susan Tedeschi, joined the group for Junior Wells' "Little By Little," and another Derek & the Dominos' song, "Anyday."


The show also included performances by John McLaughlin, Doyle Bramhall II, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, and Los Lobos. A second stage, sponsored by Guitar Center and Ernie Ball, featured morning performances by former Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Harvey Mandel, Tab Benoit, and others.

The evening's grand finale seemed like an afterthought, however. About two-thirds of the crowd left after Clapton's set, leaving a comparatively small audience for Windy City legend Buddy Guy, who played three songs with his band before hosting a two-song all-star jam with Clapton, Mayer, Vaughan, Winter and Randolph that included, appropriately, "Sweet Home Chicago."

Clapton told the crowd that "I think there could be more" Crossroads festivals in the future, but no specific plans have been determined.
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