If anyone is qualified to organize a festival with some of the best guitarists in the world it's Eric Clapton. The legendary performer did just that in 2004 with the inaugural Crossroads Guitar Festival. Now, the fundraiser has become a regularly held event, and anybody who picks up Crossroads Guitar Festival tickets will be treated to some of the best music around.
The first festival was held in an effort to benefit the Crossroads Center, which was founded by Clapton, as a drug and alcohol rehab facility in the Caribbean. Hosted at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the three day festival featured performances from the likes of Jeff Beck, B.B. King and ZZ Top. The event was a big hit and it was clear that it could turn into a regular festival.
After a three year hiatus, the festival returned in 2007 and then once again in 2010. There aren't many other places where so many talented guitarists in one place, and the event will return once again in 2013 - this time April 12 and 13 at Madison Square Garden. A mixture of both young and old musicians, everyone from country star Brad Paisley to up-and-coming blue guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. will be in attendance.
Past Crossroads Guitar Festival lineups include:
2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival Bands
Brad Paisley, Buddy Guy, Citizen Cope, Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Booker T, B.B. King, Los Lobos, Vince Gill, Jonny Lang, Allman Brothers Band, Albert Lee, Keith Urban, Taj Mahal.
2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival Schedule
Sonny Landreth, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Robert Cray Band, ZZ Top, Bert Jansch, Vince Grill, John Mayer Trio, The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, B.B. King, Stefna Grossman, Jeff Beck.
2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival Lineup
Bill Murray, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Vince Grill, Los Lobos, Alison Krauss and Union Station, The Derek Trucks Band, Sonny Landreth, Eric Clapton, John McLaughlin, Willie Nelson, Robert Cray Band, Jimmie Vaughn, Johnny Winter.
2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival Bands
Eric Clapton, Jonny Lang, B.B. King, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Styx, Joe Walsh, ZZ Top, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, James Taylor, Jimmie Vaughn, Bo Diddley, Booker T and the M.G.'s, Johnny A., Robert Randolph, Duke Robillard, Jeff Beck, Neal Schon. |