Review: Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck at The O2
GIG
Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, The O2 arena
4/5
IN A NUTSHELL
Veteran guitar gods join forces for an evening of virtuoso fretboard fun, even if most of the hits are missing.
REVIEW
Fans of great guitar music got two legends for the price of one this weekend when Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck joined forces at The O2.
The showdown between the ageing guitar slingers became a celebration of musical virtuosity, with both players showing why they've stayed at the top of the tree for five decades.
Anyone turning up expecting a greatest hits night will have been sorely disappointed, but the evening's entertainment was probably all the better for exploring more off-beat material.
Beck's 45-minute solo set kicked things off, starting with the muscular funk of Eternity's Breath. Arguably our greatest living guitarist Beck's fluid fingerwork, hammer-ons and tremolo control made it seem as if he had three hands, not two.
An instrumental dominated set saw him joined by Sharon Corr on violin for a version of Mna Na Heireann while Irish vocalist Imelda May sang a stunning Lilac Wine. But it was Beck's excellent version of The Beatles' A Day In The Life that stole his part of the show.
Ever the innovator Beck lobbed a couple of curve balls into the mix, including a guitar-led version of Nessum Dorma, which to his credit he just about pulled off.
After a short interval to clear the stage Clapton ambled on with an acoustic guitar and got stuck into old blues songs Driftin' and Nobody Knows You When You're Down and out.
This was Clapton as interpreter of classic blues, and his voice, at 64, has grown well-suited to such material.
He kept fans of his more mainstream fare happy with faithful renditions of old favourites I Shot The Sheriff and Cocaine but things really began to heat up when Beck returned to the stage for a rollicking Shake Your Moneymaker.
They really hit a peak with a stunning Brown Bird, showcasing Beck's outstanding technique, although Clapton - a different style of guitarist - more than held his own.
There were misses - a schmaltzy Moon River didn't really fit in - but on the whole this was top-notch entertainment, with both men bringing the best out of each other as they traded licks.
Proceedings were rounded off with an airing of Beck's 1967 hit Hi Ho Silver Lining, getting the almost capacity crowd - which included Bob Geldof and Ronnie Wood - singing along lustily.
Sadly there wasn't time for Clapton's showpiece, Crossroads, but the thousands of fans streaming out of The O2 on Valentine's Day were happy to know their love affair with Clapton and Beck was as strong as ever.
Set list:
Jeff Beck
Eternity's Breath
Stratus
Led Boots
Corpus Christi Carol
Hammerhead
Mna Na Heireann
People Get Ready
Big Block
Lilac Wine
A Day In The Life
Nessun Dorma
Eric Clapton
Driftin' - acoustic
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out - acoustic
Running On Faith - acoustic
When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful
Tell The Truth
Key To The Highway
I Shot The Sheriff
Little Queen of Spades
Cocaine
Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck
Shake Your Moneymaker
Moon River
You Need Love
Outside Woman
Brown Bird
Wee Wee Baby
(I Want To Take You) Higher
Hi Ho Silver Lining
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3 Comments
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Read The Wharf E-Edition
I am really sorry to disagree with most of your review but last nights' gig was, with the exception of Jeff Beck, the most boring I have been to in a long time.
Clapton looked tired and clearly didn't want to be there, and the ralationship between him, his band and Jeff Beck, well it was non existent.
I like thousands of others streamed out of the O2 at the end, but the number of people leaving before the end said it all.
Couldn't agree more with the previous comment.
I might add that as I was sitting there listening to Clapton noodle through his set I
couldn't help but think what a disastrous venue the O2 arena really is - sterile, devoid of atmosphere and (yesterday) apparently full of loudly chattering stewards and punters seemingly more interested in leaving for more beer than listening to the music.
How depressing, especially given Jeff Beck's excellent performance!!
I agree with the above comments. Jeff Beck was fantastic!
Eric Clapton seemed unwell. Claptons songs were knocked out with no feeling or spark at all. He seemed to perk up towards the end of the gig but was still seemed miles away and uninterested. I also noticed that many people left well before the end.
I have been to a couple of concerts at the O2 and they were fine, Madness were great, so I don't think the venue is to blame.