As the tribute genre matures so some acts are emerging into pre eminence. The likes of the Australian Pink Floyd now  fill large venues in their own right. One glance at the tour schedule for Forever Clapton shows an act vying for that status.  The Nottingham Royal theatre has an illustrious history not only for theatre but also live music-  Jimi Hendrix played here in 1967.

Tribute shows have now come of age. No-one attends a Beethoven concert and complains that he was neither conducting nor playing. As the Rock and Pop era draws to a close, its protagonists becoming infirm, dead or retiring, so the opportunity to fill that growing void is growing while its musical popularity remains.

Clapton is a shrewd  choice for a tribute act. With over 280million   record sales he is widely known, but he has never had a reputation for lavish stage productions, and personally he can best be described as having a taciturn stage presence, providing new productions with plenty of leeway for reinterpretation.

Forever Clapton are a six piece band  featuring Benny Smith as Eric, drums, bass, keyboards and two female backing singers. The show is chronological, starting with the Bluesbreakers, taking in Cream’s greatest hits and following his solo career thereafter. A projected backdrop of vintage images with some live footage accompanies proceedings. The setlist is shrewdly chosen combining crowd pleasers like “Bad Love” with lesser known gems like “All Our Past Times”.

–

Benny is excellent as Eric with an accomplished technical guitar technique honed since his first live performance aged ten. Physically similar to Eric, he replicates the notes and sound  exactly, but wisely  reinterprets the licks and solos to give it a contemporary feel.

–

However  the success of the show lies in the arrangements – which are superb. The keyboards are very Steve Winwoodesque. Matt  Cowley on drums is at his best channelling his inner Ginger Baker. The secret weapon is the two backing singers whose harmonies are flawless, how I would have loved them to sing “ Can’t Find My Way Home”. Visually they also offer  a pleasing counterpoint.

–

Obviously they finish with  a tumultuous “Layla” amongst numerous highlights, but above all this is a show with heart, exemplified by the band mixing with their beaming fans in the foyer after curtain down. A triumphant show, and a fine tribute to Eric. I shall be catching the band again later on the tour.

Gary Longden