It’s a pleasant late summer evening in New York. Dusk is falling as thousands of Eric Clapton fans make their way through the relentlessly bustling Manhattan.
They’re on their way to the imposing Madison Square Garden, where the British guitar god will play his sixth in a series of seven shows on American soil this Friday.
The concert is almost the final act in a rather busy 2025 for Clapton, with performances at the Budokan in Tokyo and later in England, France, and Italy.
So, Eric is alive and kicking, at eighty.
The MSG holds few secrets for Eric Clapton. He first performed there with Cream in 1968, and he’s been a welcome guest ever since.
He’s graced the stage of “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” as the venue likes to describe itself, about fifty times since then. Tonight, it’s a bit of a home run, a guarantee of success—in short, a privilege to be there tonight.
Before the main course, however, it’s time for the opening act, The Wallflowers, the band formed around Jakob Dylan—son of. The band plays a short but energetic set of seven songs from their own oeuvre, supplemented by “The Waiting” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Well worth a visit, and the audience is suitably warmed up with some strong guitar solos from Chris Masterson. Barely a pee and a drink later, the lights in the hall dim, and the moment everyone’s been waiting for arrives. Deafening applause rings out, and the American audience makes itself heard.
The band quietly enters the stage, and the cheers swell even more at the first glimpse of Clapton.
The frontman raises his hand in greeting, leans forward slightly, smiles, puts on his electric guitar, and, as soon as Sonny Emory has finished, plays a few killer licks.
The Garden fills with the sound of that one guitar, Clapton’s Stratocaster, and the feeling is indescribable. “White Room” comes on shortly after. I can’t think of a better song to start a concert with, with that epic intro—what a banger. Eric’s voice is in full swing, his guitar is fierce, and the other band members are on point.
“Good evening!” and on we go. “Key To The Highway” and “Hoochie Coochie Man,” the more or less established blues staples of the first half of Clapton’s set, sound excellent.
Their performances have definitely been upgraded in recent years with the animated solos of keyboardist Tim Carmon, who has replaced Paul Carrack—who is, of course, also a notable figure. The slide solo that Doyle Bramhall II pulls out of his sleeve tonight on “Hoochie” is equally good.
A rock-solid “Sunshine Of Your Love” certainly brings the house down; the crowd goes wild as soon as the recognizable riff hits; there are plenty of Cream fans in attendance.
Then it’s time to unplug, time for the acoustic portion of the evening. Clapton settles into his chair, is handed his Martin guitar. And suddenly he speaks. Only a few sentences, but still. I strain my ears, trying to make out what he’s saying, but it’s incomprehensible and over before I know it – unfortunately, peanut butter.
There’s laughter at the front of the room; it must have been funny, how could it be otherwise. Visibly in good spirits, EC launches into “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out,” delightful as ever, a certainty – Clapton himself loves playing it – but somewhat unusual at this point in the set.
In any case, it almost certainly means no “Bell Bottom Blues,” with which Clapton began the first American concerts in his acoustic repertoire as a tribute to the recently deceased Bobby Whitlock, with whom he originally wrote the song.
“Kind Hearted Woman Blues” then, and the MSG becomes the Mississippi Delta for a moment. Eric doesn’t make it easy for himself by picking up the falsetto – it’s met with great appreciation from the already enthusiastic audience.
“The Call,” from Clapton’s latest solo album Meanwhile (2024), is the surprise of the evening. The Robert Nieuwirth cover was played a few times in Tokyo in April but hasn’t been performed since.
A beautiful song with beautiful lyrics – Eric shuffled it around several times tonight, but that doesn’t dampen the fun at all; the message gets across.
“Layla,” too, is back, having been on all the American shows so far, and that’s a good thing. The short solos by Chris, Nathan (on double bass!), Eric, Doyle, and Tim alternate smoothly.
“Can’t Find My Way Home,” sung by Eric’s friend and bassist Nathan East, is yet another song that seems to be doing exceptionally well across the Atlantic.
Collective joy in a polarized country—it exists. The Blind Faith classic, with its recognizable downward bassline, always has something magical and is giving many people goosebumps tonight.
Hearing Eric Clapton sing “Tears In Heaven” never gets old, but after that, it’s absolutely time to plug the amplifiers back in. Part three kicks off, and how! The MSG is treated to a delicious treat with “Badge,” the sound cranked up, and then with one of the highlights of Clapton’s show this year: the fabulous “Old Love.”
The calm buildup, the constant emotion on Eric’s face, his long, fiery guitar solo, and finally, Tim Carmon going wild on his keyboard—my goodness, it’s simply unbelievable.
The iconic “Crossroads” is always a blast; pretty much everyone in the audience is on their feet by now. The slow blues “Little Queen Of Spades,” a true masterpiece of musical excess for years, follows, and as if that weren’t enough, New York is treated to “Got To Get Better In A Little While.” The old man still rocks like crazy!
But then, bam, all good things must come to an end. The instruments are put away, and the band members leave amid loud cheers.
It’s not long before everyone is back on stage, though. I get it, tomorrow the veterans are back in action at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville—the last stop of 2025. A bit of an early night would be nice.
Nathan decides to really fire up the crowd, and it works; everyone goes wild for “Cocaine.” It’s a top-notch performance, and one last time, we thoroughly enjoy ourselves. It was good, it was great, it was fantastic.
