27 May 2025 (gig)
28 May 2025
EC, alias God, returns to Italy after last year’s well-received slot at Lucca Summer Festival, this time gracing the Unipol Forum in Milan for a two-night stint. He’s 80 now, but like so many of the greats, Clapton refuses to fade away quietly. Instead, he continues to tour, record, and—more importantly—remain relevant.
Clapton has always been a divisive figure, and it’s hard to entirely separate the art from the artist. His guitar tonight bears a Palestinian flag—inevitably drawing attention—but this review isn’t here to litigate his politics. EC’s been on the wrong side of the conversation before. So let’s focus on the reason fans still pack arenas: the guitar.
No one in rock history has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times—except Clapton. Once with The Yardbirds, once with Cream, and once as a solo artist. That alone is legacy enough. But it’s the tone, the touch, the sheer feel that’s earned him the title of ‘God’. His “slowhand” technique—marked by those long, soulful bends and unfussy phrasing—helped repackage the blues for a white mainstream audience, without dulling its power. He didn’t invent the form, but he defined how it would sound in the rock era.
Clapton is also a master curator of bands. Tonight, he’s backed by a top-tier group of seasoned collaborators: Doyle Bramhall II (guitar, vocals), Chris Stainton (keys), Tim Carmon (Hammond organ, keys), Sonny Emory (drums), and vocalists Sharon White and Katie Kissoon. Long-time bassist Nathan East is ever present , and the ensemble brings to the table a rich, full sound honed over two decades of playing together.
The crowd is a mixed bag, as expected—Boomers, Gen Xers, maybe a few blues-curious millennials. Tickets aren’t cheap and so the venue’s only about 80% full, leaving room to breathe inside the 15,000-capacity arena.
The setlist doesn’t stray far from last year’s Lucca show, leaning heavily on the blues. That’s partly a strategic move—Clapton’s voice isn’t what it once was—but also what the crowd came to hear. Let’s be honest: no one’s here for ’80s synth-pop Clapton.
That said, his vocals are surprisingly strong tonight. The show opens with a four-track electric set featuring two Cream classics—“White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love”—which kick things into gear. His solos in this section draw the biggest cheers, but I find that it’s the acoustic section which follows that delivers some real magic. “Tears in Heaven” and a beautifully restrained “Can’t Find My Way Home” stand out, but the wonderful “Golden Ring” from 1978’s Backless is played with excellent dynamics; a genuine masterclass for semi unplugged acoustics.
The electric reprise set however is the night’s high point—a pounding, urgent “Badge” (co-written with George Harrison and arguably Cream’s finest moment), followed by a soul-baring “Old Love” from 1989’s Journeyman. The latter, co-written with Robert Cray, features Clapton’s most expressive guitar work of the night—mournful, melodic, and utterly captivating.
The final third of the show dips a little, descending into a standard blues jam session. Each band member gets a solo, some stunning, others veering towards indulgent. “Cocaine” closes the main set with an overlong, meandering arrangement that could’ve been swapped for something tighter and less expected maybe.
The encore—Bo Diddley’s “Before You Accuse Me”— is possibly a less than subtle nod to his critics? Either way, it’s a stylish end to a night that proves Clapton can still command a stage with ease. Special mention to Tim Carmon, whose Hammond organ work added real depth throughout the show.
So, yes—God still exists and if tonight’s anything to go by, he’s still walking among us, Strat in hand, playing the blues like no one else can.
Setlist
1. White Room
2. Key To The Highway
3. I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man
4. Sunshine Of Your Love
5. Kind Hearted Woman Blues
6. Nobody Loves You When You’re Down And Out
7. Golden Ring
8. Can’t Find My Way Home
9. Tears In Heaven
10. Badge
11. Old Love
12. Cross Road Blues
13. Little Queen Of Spades
14. Cocaine
15. Before You Accuse Me
Photo credit: David Canevari
