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| Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010: The Where's Eric! The Where's Eric! Team travelled from several cities around the globe to cover Eric Clapton's 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival in detail for our readers. In the next issue of Where's Eric! Magazine, look for exclusive stories, photos and interviews that you won't see anywhere else. Until then, enjoy our online summary of our Chicago roadtrip. It was great to meet up with so many magazine subscribers and friends (old and new) at all of the events going on in the Windy City. Day One – Thursday 24 June: Fans from around the U.S. and the globe begin to arrive in Chicago, as does the Where's Eric! Team. Wherever Eric Clapton fans gathered on Thursday evening, it was a high-energy start to Crossroads Weekend. After an early evening dinner meeting for the WE! Team at Wildfire, some staff went off to explore Rush Street, some to Martyrs' for the Bert Jansch gig, while others went to the Southside to catch Gary Clark Jr. and Jimmie Vaughan at Buddy Guy's new club. Spotted in the audience were Jeff Beck and Doyle Bramhall II. Buddy was on site happily autographing club t-shirts for all who asked. Jeff left early disappointing those who were hoping for a jam with Jimmie. But, Buddy didn't disappoint. The legendary bluesman plugged in with Jimmie's band for some late night Chicago-style jamming. Vocalist Lou Ann Barton sat in for a few numbers too. Day Two – Friday 25 June: Music fans continued to show up in droves. Those already in Chicago began touring the city, with many visiting the legendary Chess Studios and shopping at the Jazz Record Mart, which is probably America's finest jazz and blues record store. With the absolutely glorious weather, some even relaxed at the beach! By 9AM, however, the WE! Team was not taking a lake cruise or visiting the Art Institute. The team was at Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, in Bridgeview to begin festival coverage. The crew was in the final stages of triple-checking everything on the main stage – audio, lights and jumbo screens. After morning sound checks by Earl Klugh, Jimmie Vaughan and Robert Cray, the WE! Team split up. TE (short for The Editor) was off to do the first round of interviews for the next issue; the rest of the gang was off to watch the Guitar Center Village rise from the asphalt. Dozens of white tents were erected; the Ernie Ball Stage was assembled by the guys from Mobile Stage Rentals, while the various exhibitors brought in their products so fans could try them out the next day. A big shout out to the guys from Takamine Guitars, who took time out from their busy day to chat with us and let us escape the sun for a while in their tent. (Yes, with all that asphalt and concrete, it was just as hot out at Toyota Park on Friday as it was Saturday). Don Crawford was happy to host WE! on board the Gibson Guitar Tour Bus. Located by the main entrance, festival-goers were able to check it out for themselves on Saturday. Not only does it boast a deluxe lounge area where musicians can chill or conduct media interviews, there's a rehearsal / demo area with a variety of Gibson instruments, sleeping area, small kitchen and more. Its décor is all guitar / piano themed (the latter a nod to Baldwin, which Gibson owns) and throughout there are plenty of guitars for the playing, including an Epiphone Paul McCartney 1964 Texan from Gibson's historical collection (it's been played by Sir Paul himself while on board the bus for interviews), two really sweet ES335s (Cherry Red and Tobacco Sunburst) and a flame top Les Paul Standard. Replete with flat panel televisions, a kicking sound system, and high-speed internet it's the ultimate dream hideaway for anyone, not just guitarists. Don's a gracious host and a terrific storyteller, so if you spot the bus at an event or music festival near you, be sure to stop by and say hello. In one corner of the media center, the crossroadsfestival.com staff was busy setting up headquarters and testing digital camera equipment, computers and internet connectivity. In another area, the Crossroads Festival Staff were busy organizing gift bags for participating artists. Not only did they receive a fabulous limited edition leather duffel-style travel bag by designer Andrea Valentini, they also received a Burton roll-on bag from Eric filled with all kinds of goodies as a thank you. The Burton bag was stuffed with everything from Koss headphones, guitar picks, luxury tea and coffee blends, healthy snacks, Gold Canyon candles, hair care products from Bumble & Bumble, to festival memorabilia. There were even golf balls imprinted with the Crossroads Festival Sun Logo! The Burton bag had the Crossroads Sun embroidered on it, along with the date of the festival. About 3PM, the WE! Team headed back into the stadium to see how things were progressing. To the uninitiated, it looked chaotic. The crew actually operated as a well-oiled machine checking all needed systems for the big day on Saturday. Fences to divide the floor into sections were going up, stage lighting was tested for probably the tenth time, trucks pulled in at a steady clip backstage, beverages were dropped off at stands and to our complete surprise, Eric walked on stage with his band to rehearse with Citizen Cope and Steve Winwood! About 30 people stopped what they were doing to watch the man himself at work. It was a rare privilege to observe Clapton at work in this way. (The next issue of Where's Eric! Magazine will have complete details and exclusive photos from Friday rehearsal) Interviews and initial reporting completed, and after a quick stop at Portillo's Hot Dogs, the WE! Team raced back to Chicago. There were two more Crossroads Festival events still on the day's agenda. First up was the EC Access party at the Hard Rock Hotel in River North (the re-purposed art deco Carbide & Carbon Building). Kicking off at 7PM, the four-hour party was hosted by Reprise / Warner Brothers Records for members of Eric Clapton's official fan club. A few hundred of Eric's most ardent fans gathered in a ballroom to put faces to screen names and to listen to EC's upcoming album (like the old credit card advert said, membership has its privileges). Lots of prizes were given away, including Crossroads Guitar Festival Programmes, Clapton / Winwood DVD box sets, a Cream Reunion Leather Bomber Jacket and more. From the Hard Rock Hotel, the WE! Team zipped across the Chicago River to the House of Blues for the Artists and Sponsors Welcome Reception. Right at the door, we were handed a press release with big news; Bonham's in New York City will hold an Eric Clapton Guitar Auction in Spring 2011 (read about it here). Spotted mingling with guests were Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, the Burbridge brothers and other members of their band. Rather than the usual House of Blues fare, world-renowned chef Grant MacPherson created a special gourmet menu for the party. A high-energy set by Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo, the heart and soul of Los Lobos capped off the evening. Gary Clark. Jr. sat in, as did the winner of the "Ernie Ball Play Crossroads Contest, " Ryan McGarvey. Acoustic fingerpicker Pete Huttlinger opened. On the other side of town, a group of regular WE! contributors were back at Martyrs' for a rare U.S. appearance by Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes. The first set featured material from their new CD, including "Crying in the Rain" and "Breathless". Things got interesting in the second set when they were joined by Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and James Burton. Highlights were "Mystery Train" (vocals by Vince, killer solos by all) and Albert Lee's signature tune, "Country Boy", with vocals by Ricky Skaggs. Albert's daughter, Alexandra, also did a guest turn in each set. (She would also join her Dad on stage the next day at Toyota Park). Day Three – Saturday 26 June: The big day finally arrived. It was the toughest ticket in town. The WE! Team was out at Toyota Park early to cover Eric Clapton’s 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival in detail for our magazine subscribers. We’ll be bringing you exclusive reporting, interviews and photos from the 12-hour festival not seen anywhere else in Issue #42. In the meanwhile: Guitar Center Village: The Guitar Center Village opened in advance of it's 10AM start time for ticketholders. Located near the main gate were two key exhibitors. Most important was the Crossroads Centre at Antigua tent. All profits from the Festival benefit Crossroads Centre, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons. Key personnel were on site to provide confidential information on the Centre's world-renowned rehabilitation and treatment services for those suffering from addictive behaviors. Attendees were also able to find out how to get involved and support the Crossroads Foundation beyond the festival, a cause that Eric has called the most important work of his life.Then, there was the Guitar Center’s “Legends Collection.” Inside the climate controlled facility with tight security were three very special guitars: SRV’s Lenny and Eric Clapton’s Cherry Red Gibson 335 (the “Cream Guitar”) and of course, Blackie. From 9 until 6PM when the village closed, there always a line to get in (non-guitar peeps were probably happy to accompany spouses and friends simply to enjoy the air conditioned environment). Many guitar, amplification and equipment manufacturers – Fender, Gibson, Martin, Marshall, Ibanez, Takamine, Egnator, Ernie Ball, Vox to name a few - were represented and attendees were able to demo their products, talk with brand representatives and win prizes. T-Mobile myTouch, the festival’s presenting sponsor, distributed thousands of guitar-shaped fans to help festival-goers stay cool. The WE! Team was also excited to meet the staff of the National Guitar Museum. When completed, it will be the first museum in the world dedicated to the evolution, history, scie write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |