[Slowhand] ERIC AT THE RAH

[Jeff Elliott]

Just returned from a wonderful trip to London during which the highlight,
obviously, was seeing Eric on the 19th at the Hall.  Eric seemed to be in
great spirits as well as top form.  I read some of the reviews from the
earlier shows in Ireland as well as the RAH and I must say that Eric and the
band were quite relaxed and ready to go from the very start (at one point
early in the show a fan of the female persuasion shouted out "welcome back
Andy" which got Eric laughing and caught Andy a bit surprised).  I agree
with some of the other reviewers in giving high marks for Going Down Slow as
the opener.  I've not heard Eric play this before and it was a nice change
of pace. 

 

I was equally excited to hear Old Love live for the first time.  It's always
been a favorite of mine and Eric's solo was spot on.  The acoustic set
slowed things down with Layla and, again, Eric, whether intentional or not,
seemed to toy a bit with Andy, asking him to play another round of the
opening stanza, to the amusement of many of us, certainly to Eric, but not
to the detriment of the song at any stretch.  Some folks may not appreciate
a little interlude like that and if it was a flubbed piece of work by EC, it
mattered to few in the Hall, as I think many of us rarely witness any real
interplay between Eric and the rest of the band.  

 

As many have posted in the digest, Eric is a man of few words, letting his
fingers do the talking, so seeing his light banter with Andy was a welcome
sight and was an indication that he was enjoying his 150th solo performance
at the RAH.

 

Eric's rendering of Dylan's Not Dark Yet was superb.  One can only hope he
chooses to record it at some point.  The YouTube version
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZiKxt15mus) from Liverpool doesn't do the
real thing any justice.

 

My favorite of the entire show, however, was Badge.  I've always thoroughly
loved that tune and to see and hear him play it live was a thrill.  The rest
of the music was great and the band was superb.  It was good to see Andy
back in the fold.

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff