The Crossroads Guitar Festival

[SweetNadine]

Cotton Bowl
June 6, 2004
Dallas, Texas

The Crossroads Guitar Festival featuring: Eric Clapton, BB King, Booker T & The MG's, Brian May, Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Joe Walsh, Larry Carlton, Otis Rush, Steve Vai, Robert Cray, ZZ Top, and many, many more...

I hope this festival finds its way to a CD. ;D ;D Yikes!! Would be cool.

[LS]

Crossroads Fest Boasts Three Days Of Music

In addition to the all-star concert that will serve as the finale to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, the June 4-6 event will host performances and clinics featuring a host of well-known artists. Performances and instruction will take place on multiple stages at Fair Park in Dallas.

On June 4, the Guitar Center Village will feature blues guitar and metal clinics with Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) and George Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob). A yet-to-be announced live performance will cap the evening.

The second day's lineup will boast performances by Journey's Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, Styx's Tommy Shaw and James Young, Del Castillo, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Jonny Lang, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Johnson, Dan Tyminski, J.J. Cale, John Mayer and Robert Randolph. The day will also feature an all-star blues jam in the evening, and acoustic guitar and "shredders" clinics.

Prior to Sunday's big concert at the Cotton Bowl, Fair Park will host a "picker's corner" clinic with one-time Elvis Presley sideman James Burton and former Johnny Cash guitarist Marty Stuart.

As previously reported, the Cotton Bowl concert will feature Clapton, Schon, Steve Vai, Vince Gill, Pat Metheny, Brian May, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin, Booker T, Bo Diddley, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, Joe Walsh, James Taylor, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Sonny Landreth and ZZ Top.

The entire event will benefit Crossroads Centre, a chemical addiction treatment and education center founded in by Clapton in 1997 to provides residential care, family and aftercare programs on the island of Antigua. Tickets priced at $15 for the first day, $45 for the second and $60 for the last day, including the Cotton Bowl concert, are available via Ticketmaster.


-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

[snizz]

ERIC CLAPTON's Crossroads Guitar Festival, set for June 6th in Dallas, will be broadcast live by Sirius Satellite Radio. The concert, which will benefit the substance abuse treatment facility that Clapton started in Antigua, will include performances by JOHN MAYER, CARLOS SANTANA, ZZ TOP, JAMES TAYLOR, B.B. KING, BUDDY GUY, JIMMIE VAUGHAN, ROBERT RANDOLPH and others. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. with a three-hour pre-show broadcast.

I don't have satellite radio myself, but sounds like there could be a DVD, CD or both in the cards.

[SweetNadine]

Argh!

I have Sirius Radio on my Dish Network satellite. I didn't know about this live program until I was scrolling through the channels.

I heard just a few minutes ago that this concert will be re-broadcast this week-end on Channel 6029. ;D ;D

Hey LittleSister -
How are you doing girl? I hope all is good with you.
Do you listen to the Sirius Radio channels through your satellite? A gold mine of good music. I was tickled when Dish gave us the 60 channels of music. I like the Roadhouse Channel real well. Good to hear those Texas Boys on the radio. ;D

[DRL]

Guitar legends strum their stuff at Dallas festival
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

DALLAS — It was a moment that musicians with a healthy respect for the gods of guitar might fantasize about while taking a break in band practice:

"Imagine if B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Clapton were ever in on the same jam together. Wonder what that would sound like."


B.B. King and his Lucille: He can still incite a crowd into a frenzy with his fret work on his beloved guitar.
What it sounded like on Sunday at the Crossroads Guitar Festival at the Cotton Bowl was history. The 12-hour gathering of more than two dozen of the greatest guitar players in rock 'n' roll and modern blues took place in front of an estimated 40,000 sun-and-strum worshippers.

With sets by many of the electric-guitar pioneers of the past half century — Bo Diddley, King, Carlos Santana, Clapton, Jeff Beck and Houston's ZZ Top — it would be easy to take for granted just how rare this gathering of talent was. One only needed to look at the expression of 26-year-old John Mayer to understand the magnitude.

After listening to King's modern blues, Clapton's squealing Stratocaster and Guy's funky wailing strings, Mayer (the only youngster invited to this strum circle) plucked his way through a few bars of competent chords as Guy and King nodded in approval. After a minute or two of basking in the attention, he unplugged his guitar, placed it at Guy's feet and bowed in respect to the titan who paved his way to success.

It was the highlight of a weekend that should live in Texas music history. Put together by Clapton as a benefit for his Antigua-based Crossroads Centre, a treatment and education center for the chemically dependent as well as their friends and families, the event got under way on Friday and Saturday with guitar clinics and performances at the fairgrounds that surround the Cotton Bowl. It was all a warm-up for the army of axes and amplifiers on Sunday.

"All I did was make a list of people I dreamed of playing with, I wrote to them, and they showed up," Clapton said as he expressed his gratitude to all the performers.

Afternoon sets by progressive rock experimentalist Steve Vai, Gulf Coast slideman Sonny Landreth and former Mahavishnu Orchestra leader John McLaughlin set the tone for what might be possible on the massive stage that stretched across one of the field's end zones. Appropriately, 75-year-old Diddley began the all-star second half of the day.

"Are you ready?" the baritone Mississippi native asked the crowd. With that, one of rock 'n' roll's founding fathers took a seat and began playing the bluesy Bo Diddley. By the time he had wound through I'm a Man and Who Do You Love, it became evident just how many bands — from the Rolling Stones to Bow Wow Wow — have borrowed his licks.

Stellar moments came at unexpected times. Singer and guitarist David Hidalgo revealed an appreciation for American blues he usually keeps hidden while playing with Los Lobos. Country musician Vince Gill showed he can play more than the traditional chords of Nashville when pushed by arguably popular music's best dobro player, Jerry Douglas. King may be 78 years old, but he still can shake like his back has no bones and incite a crowd into a frenzy with fret work on the guitar he affectionately calls Lucille.

Most surprising was normally sedate singer-songwriter James Taylor. After he had lulled the crowd with Copper Line and Carolina in My Mind, musical jester Joe Walsh joined him and provoked Taylor into shouting and scat-singing.

But Clapton was the star of the show. In addition to playing with Santana and Beck — the guitarist who replaced him in the Yardbirds in 1965 — Clapton offered a peek at his upcoming tour for his new album, Me and Mr. Johnson, during his own set. The album pays tribute to early bluesman Robert Johnson, and Clapton played reverential versions of Johnson's Delta classics like They're Red Hot (Hot Tamales) and If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day.

Clapton ended with a sampling of songs that included a shuffling reggae-rock cover of Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff, the ballad Wonderful Tonight and raw, energetic renditions of Cocaine and Layla. Clapton, 59, proved that he is a guitar king with a fond affection for his royal blues-rock peers.

Mayer aside, the gathering of veterans at the Crossroads Guitar Festival also raised the question: Where is the next generation of guitar gods?

[LS]

SweetNadine said:

Argh!

I have Sirius Radio on my Dish Network satellite. I didn't know about this live program until I was scrolling through the channels.

I heard just a few minutes ago that this concert will be re-broadcast this week-end on Channel 6029. ;D ;D

Hey LittleSister -
How are you doing girl? I hope all is good with you.
Do you listen to the Sirius Radio channels through your satellite? A gold mine of good music. I was tickled when Dish gave us the 60 channels of music. I like the Roadhouse Channel real well. Good to hear those Texas Boys on the radio. ;D

Hey Alice- real good to hear from you
I'm home so rarely these days...but I do listen to it every chance I get. I'm not sure if adding those channels was a good thing or a bad thing...there's so many good ones it's so hard to pick which one to listen to. Guess the three I listen to most are the blues channel, the country outlaws channel and the deep cuts channel.

Wasn't anywhere near my TV to get to hear this concert... I was sick about missing it- especially after everyone was talking about it Monday morning...the highlight seems to have been when Jimmie did "Six Strings Down" and Eric & Robert Cray came out and joined him...everyone said it was awesome and very moving. I'm really sorry I missed it.

Did they say when (which day, what time) they were going to re-run it Alice?? I'd sure like to know so I can set up the recorder and tape some of it...Hope snizz is right about a DVD/CD- and Eric could raise a lot more money doing that by donating the proceeds from the sales...

[SweetNadine]

No LittleSister, I did not catch a time for the second airing of the show for this week-end. I checked the Sirius website this afternoon, but, I didn't find any info about the week-end broadcast.

I like that Outlaw station too. I have my tv hooked-up to a surround sound system. So, I am really enjoying these stations.

[LS]

Thanks anyway Alice...I couldn't turn up anything either. Maybe there's something over on Dish's site...

Got mine hooked up to my stereo receiver...don't have surround sound- but those old speakers can crank. ;D

[DRL]

Clapton guitar auctioned for $959K

Fender Stratocaster nicknamed 'Blackie' sets record, with proceeds bound for Antigua rehab center.



NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eric Clapton's favorite guitar for 15 years fetched $959,500 at auction Thursday, easily eclipsing the record set five years ago by the sale of another guitar belonging to the legendary rock musician. The Fender Stratocaster, nicknamed "Blackie," was one of 88 guitars and other items Clapton and other musicians donated to raise money for Crossroads Centre Antigua, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in the West Indies. Christie's, the New York auction house handling the sale, had estimated Blackie's price at $100,000 to $150,000.


The auction brought in a total of $7,438,624. That's nearly half again the $5 million generated at Christie's 1999 sale, which also benefited Crossroads. At the 1999 auction, an anonymous bidder paid what was then a record $497,500 for "Brownie," a 1956 Fender Stratocaster that Clapton used on the Derek and the Dominos hit "Layla." "Blackie" was practically the only guitar Clapton used on stage and in the studio from late 1970 to 1985. A composite of three guitars made in 1956 and 1957, it is on the cover of Clapton's 1977 album "Slowhand," which includes such hits as "Cocaine" and "Wonderful Tonight."


Christie's said it sold all 88 of the selections, most of which were donated by Clapton, 59. Three other guitars also brought more than $500,000 each. A Gibson ES-335 that Clapton bought in 1964 and used through stints with The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Blind Faith, as well as his solo career, sold for $847,500 -- more than 10 times the high end of an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. The 1939 C.F. Martin & Co. acoustic guitar that Clapton played during his famous "MTV Unplugged" appearance in 1992 sold for $791,500. It also had been expected to sell for between $60,000 and $80,000.



A composite Fender Stratocaster, circa 1965, used by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, sold for $623,500, well above the estimated range of $15,000 to $20,000. It was donated by his brother, Jimmie Vaughan. Clapton, a longtime Antigua resident who has spoken openly about his recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, founded Crossroads in 1998 and is its chairman of the board.  

[snizz]

LS said:

Hope snizz is right about a DVD/CD- and Eric could raise a lot more money doing that by donating the proceeds from the sales...

snizz guessed right ;D so everybody can cheer up now! It's not as good as being there but what the hay it's better then nothing at all so I'll take it! ;D


Double DVD Commemorates 'Crossroads' Fest


More than four hours of footage from Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival" will make up a two-disc DVD set of highlights from the June benefit concert. Due Oct. 19 via Duck/Reprise/Warner Strategic Marketing, the release features footage of some of the greatest living guitarists, including Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, Joe Walsh, Pat Metheny and Jeff Beck, as well as the event's esteemed host.

Staged at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the all-star show was the finale of a three-day event that centered on guitarists and their craft. Proceeds benefited the Crossroads Centre, a chemical addiction treatment and education center founded by Clapton in 1997 on the island of Antigua. Royalties from the sale of the DVD will also benefit the non-profit facility.

Clapton is featured throughout the set in combination with such players as Guy, Santana, Beck, Robert Cray, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmie Vaughan, B.B. King and J.J. Cale. Others acts represented include ZZ Top, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Dan Tyminski, James Taylor, Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, John Mayer, Larry Carlton, David Hildago, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson.

Along with performance footage in 5.1 Surround Sound, the DVD will boast artist interviews and a photo gallery. Highlights from "Crossroads Festival" will air Dec. 1 as a PBS special.


"Eric Clapton Crossroads Festival" DVD track list:

Disc one:

"Cocaine," Eric Clapton
"Love in Vain Blues," Robert Lockwood Jr.
"Killing Floor," Clapton, Robert Cray, Hubert Sumlin and Jimmie Vaughan
"Sweet Home Chicago," Clapton, Cray, Buddy Guy, Sumlin and Vaughan
"Six Strings Down," Clapton, Cray, Robert Randolph and Vaughan
"Rock Me Baby," Clapton, Guy, B.B. King and Vaughan
"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," Dan Tyminski and Ron Block
"Road to Nash Vegas," Tyminski and Block
"Copperline," James Taylor with Jerry Douglas
"Steamroller," Taylor and Joe Walsh
"Oklahoma Borderline," Vince Gill and Douglas
"What the Cowgirls Do," Gill and Douglas
"After Midnight," J.J. Cale with Clapton
"Call Me the Breeze," Cale with Clapton
"March," Robert Randolph & the Family Band
"Green Light Girl," Doyle Bramhall II
"Incident at Neshabur," Carlos Santana
"Jingo," Santana with Clapton
"City Love," John Mayer
"Your Body Is a Wonderland," Mayer

Disc two:

"Rag Bihag," Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
"Tones for Elvin Jones," John McLaughlin
"Josie," Larry Carlton
"Question and Answer," Pat Metheny
"Going Down Slow," Honeyboy Edwards
"Time Makes Two," Robert Cray
"Give Me Up Again," Jonny Lang
"Neighborhood," David Hildago
"Whispering a Prayer," Steve Vai
"Desert Rose," Eric Johnson
"Funk 49," Joe Walsh
"Rocky Mountain Way," Walsh
"I Shot the Sheriff," Clapton
"Blues in C," Clapton
"Cause We've Ended as Lovers," Clapton and Jeff Beck
"La Grange," ZZ Top
"Tush," ZZ Top

[LS]

snizz said:

snizz guessed right ;D so everybody can cheer up now! It's not as good as being there but what the hay it's better then nothing at all so I'll take it! ;D

Good call snizz... ;D and yep- I'll definitely take it too!! ;D

[Roland]

I'm finally back, but it looks like everyone else left town!

Did anyone else see the Crossroads Festival program on PBS? A good show that whet my appetite for the DVD set I hope to be getting for Christmas. ;D I see the DVD set barely dents the festival and includes only a fraction of those who played. I hope they release more of it!

[snizz]

Roland said:

I'm finally back, but it looks like everyone else left town!

I'm back in town. ;D I got back under the wire for Thanksgiving and my welcome home gift was a honey-do list a football field long! Never ends I tell you. But the wife's over at her sister's tonight so I'm taking full advantage. ;D Nothing but beer and slacking for me tonight! ;D

Did anyone else see the Crossroads Festival program on PBS? A good show that whet my appetite for the DVD set I hope to be getting for Christmas. ;D I see the DVD set barely dents the festival and includes only a fraction of those who played. I hope they release more of it!

Yea! But it drives me nuts when they save all the good stuff for their epic pledge drives. And that show barely put a dent in the DVD set! It was a good teaser though. The set's great, but barely skims the surface. Too many perfomers were still left out. And I don't know about anybody else, but I could've done with a whole lot more BB, Buddy & Beck so I'm hoping they put out more of it too.

[LS]

Roland said:

I'm finally back, but it looks like everyone else left town!

Did anyone else see the Crossroads Festival program on PBS? A good show that whet my appetite for the DVD set I hope to be getting for Christmas. ;D I see the DVD set barely dents the festival and includes only a fraction of those who played. I hope they release more of it!

Oh Roland...I didn't leave town- just had a ton of stuff pile up all at once and I've just been insanely busy and TIRED the past few weeks...Hopefully another week or so and things should calm down- at least a little.

Yep- I managed to catch it...'twas a good teaser- but now that I've got the whole set- that's kinda a teaser too. Everybody's right- it was 3 days and soooo much was left out. (And yep- I could watch & listen to just BB & Buddy forever ) Jeff Beck was pretty much relegated to a cameo ...so count me in with you guys- I hope they release more too!!

[Roland]

LS said:

Oh Roland...I didn't leave town- just had a ton of stuff pile up all at once and I've just been insanely busy and TIRED the past few weeks...Hopefully another week or so and things should calm down- at least a little.

I understand that completely LS. Between personal matters combined with the holidays I can certainly relate.

I did get the DVD set for Christmas ;D and I agree. While what's included is fantastic, knowing everything that wasn't included did leave me wanting for more. Again, here's hoping they release more volumes.

I also got Eric Clapton's "Sessions For Robert J." I think this one's far superior to "Me & Mr. Johnson" and the DVD portion is worth the price by itself.