Great Performances

Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 3

In June 2010, Eric Clapton gathered a veritable Who's Who of the world's most talented guitar players at the third Crossroads Guitar Festival, an 11-hour celebration of the six-string that attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 27,000 music fans to Chicago's Toyota Park. All profits from this daylong display of guitar virtuosity benefited The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility Clapton founded to help people suffering from chemical dependency. GREAT PERFORMANCES presents highlights from this star-studded concert. Regarding the festival, Clapton notes, "The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me, to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform on one stage," and adding, "The Crossroads performers are all musicians I admire and respect." Actor-comedian Bill Murray-host of the second Crossroads Festival in 2007-returns as host, and supplies the festival's nonmusical highlights with his inimitable style. It's no surprise a festival named for a Robert Johnson song would include a heavy dose of the blues, and the 2010 edition does not disappoint, with remarkable performances by Robert Cray, Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf's guitarist), Jimmie Vaughan, Sonny Landreth, Gary Clark, Jr., Keb' Mo' and Buddy Guy, as well as the legendary B.B. King, who led an all-star jam of his classic "The Thrill Is Gone." The rock contingent is also well represented by ZZ Top, Jeff Beck, the John Mayer Trio, Doyle Bramhall II, the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Warren Haynes and Steve Winwood, who teamed with Clapton for several performances including an epic cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile. " Other styles find a home here too, with Vince Gill's amazing take on Clapton's "Lay Down Sally" accompanied by the legendary James Burton and others; and Jeff Beck who transforms Puccini's aria "Nessun Dorma" into a soaring piece for electric guitar. Other artists making appearances include: Sheryl Crow, Ronnie Wood, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Joe Bonamassa, Pino Daniele, and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas.