Eric Clapton / UK Tour 2009 R.A.H. London (2CDR)

CD01:
01- Going Down Slow
02- Key To The Highway
03- Old Love
04- Anything For Your Love
05- I Shot The Sheriff
06- Layla
07- Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
08- Not Dark Yet
09- Anything For You
10- Somewhere Over The Rainbow

CD02:
01- Badge
02- Little Queen Of Spades
03- Before You Accuse Me
04- Wonderful Tonight
05- Cocaine
06- The Crowd
07- Crossroads

The Band:
Eric Clapton (Guitar, Vocals)
Andy Fairweather Low (Guitar)
Willie Weeks (Bass)
Chris Stainton (Keyboards)
Tim Carmon (Keyboards)
Steve Gadd (Drums)
Michelle John (Backing Vocals)
Sharon White (Backing Vocals)

This latest recording captures the performance at the hallowed Royal Albert Hall on May 23, 2009—part of the European tour that followed his highly successful Japan tour. A major difference from the Japan shows is the significantly altered backing band lineup; while the backing vocalists, keyboardists, and bassist remained the same, the keyboard section was expanded from one player to two. Sonically, the set leans more toward uptempo tracks rather than the deliberate, blues-focused arrangements heard during the Japan tour. It is unclear whether the supporting musicians were changed specifically for this setlist, but personally, I prefer the RAH performance with this lineup. The setlist also differs greatly from the Japan tour, featuring ten songs that were not performed there. The classic "Layla" is presented in a soulful acoustic version, and the hit "Badge" is also delivered in fine form. Regarding sound quality: although this is an audience recording, modern recording equipment offers such high performance that you can clearly enjoy the sound of EC's guitar. If I had to make one complaint, it would just be that I’d like a bit more emphasis on the high frequencies, but otherwise, there are absolutely no issues. You can fully enjoy the latest EC Slowhand sound.