Crossroads Guitar Festival

Great concert captured on DVD. Price on Amazon.Com cannot be beaten.

Eric Clapton did a fabulous job in organizing a rare collection of guitar talent to perform at this three-day festival in Texas. It is as much a treat to see the legendary bluesmen Buddy Guy and B.B. King onstage with Eric, as it is to see fret-shreddin' Steve Vai, Jimmy Vaughn and Johnny Lang.

The music is blues-based, but many different styles and flavors are present: old-style blues, cultural (Indian), jazz, blues-rock and rock. Although there were time considerations in editing the footage of this CD, the "best of the best" is represented here.

One of the key highlights of this show is Robert Randolph, a new Jersey native, who played the pedal steel guitar in a cross between the styles of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I have never seen anything like it and he clearly made his mark in this performance, appearing onstage several times.

Some of the tunes were inspirational enough to pick up the guitar, turn on the amp and play along, as some of my favorite musicians played onstage. I would recommend watching in this in 5.1 on a home-theater system, as the presence of the music is much more realized.

I disagree with Amazon's assessment that ZZ Top as a closing act was anti-climactic. The group is monumental in the history of rock and they are at the top of the Texas blues-rock genre. I saw it as befitting to have them close this show, especially in the state of Texas.

FANTASTIC....Some of the best music performed by some of the best musicians around. Enjoyed every minute! !

Yeah.............Eric, all that & more. But wasn't this outing where Brian May discovered that Paul Rodgers could more than adequiately sing, and score him for the "Queen + PR" thing? And a vote: Hubert Sumlin is worth the price of admission, anytime, anywhere. Johns Mayer/Lang just prove the hypothesis that Rock and Roll did, indeed, die, Aug. 16, 1977. Remember: Hubert Sumlin. That's all you need to know.

There were a few guitarist that should have not been omitted from this DVD set, who played at the Festival. The Most disappointing omission was JEFF BECK!! He should have been on this DVD as well. There is not enough product of Jeff on DVD for us Beck Fans. All we have is the ARMS Concert and BB King Live by request. I hope Clapton decides to do a Volume 2 of this with the guitarist that were missing from the first set. But I still love seeing Buddy Guy cutting heads on "Sweet Home Chicago" (Robert Cray was right..you gotta keep your eyes on Buddy). Joe walsh was at his comic & musical best, playing his hits and commenting on how a song was dedicated to those who never had a song dedicated to them.