*****
This was my third visit to see the band, the first being at the start of the tour in Nottingham some eight months ago, which had launched in a blaze of glory. But, as Bruce Springsteen sagely once observed; “You gotta prove it all night- every night”, and that I am pleased to say is exactly what Forever Clapton did on Friday in Bromsgrove.
What should you expect? A classy, eclectic, romp through Eric’s back catalogue and consummate musicianship played with care, sincerity, and a smile.
The show is broadly chronological, starting off with the Bluesbreakers and finishing off with a Tina Turner duet – harmony singer Gayle Fraser taking the female vocal.
With a cv incorporating the Carpenters, Shania Twain and Madonna there seems to be nothing “G Force” cannot sing. Sharing harmony duties is Kimberley Ann who excels on “Holy Mother” ably abetted by Andy Price’s suitably ecclesiastic sounding organ, reminiscent of Jon Lord.
Having an opening salvo of Crossroads, White Room and Badge gives them quite a start with “Ginger” Millington giving the drums a beating ,but it is with “I Shot the Sheriff” that the band really find their groove as the girls channel their inner Ronettes/ Shirelles with some sassy dance moves to help proceedings along the way.
Holding the backline together is the fluid mellifluous bass work of Ben Hackett who positions himself firmly in the shadows while making an essential contribution to the band’s sound, particularly during “Bad Love”.
They played a generous two hours, not including interval, before an audience clearly well steeped in Clapton’s music, and convinced us all, earning a well deserved standing ovation at the end from a healthy Friday night crowd.
I had been disappointed to miss out on seeing Eric himself live again earlier in the year after his Sandringham show was pulled when the promoter went into bankruptcy, but Forever Clapton more than compensated for that shortfall.
Pivotal is Benny Guitar Goodman as guitar virtuoso and frontman, both roles at which he excels.
He cheekily runs a snatch of “Samba Pa Ti” into “Wonderful Tonight” – how I wish he had played “Let it Rain” and allowed the girls to segue into “It’s Raining Men”! Although he replicates Clapton’s blues breaks to perfection he also puts his own stamp on the melodies with more than a touch of Prince style as well. Clapton has a huge back catalogue, but Benny makes a shrewd stab at his choices for the setlist. Inevitably fans will miss omitted favourites- I for one would love to see the inclusion of “Presence of the Lord” to offer another female vocal opportunity and “Double Trouble” to unleash Benny’s inner blues man once again.
At the end of the show, he and the band meet the audience personally on the way out, a nice touch cementing the bond between band and audience. The sound was excellent, the audio visual backdrop effective, a proper show production. Another terrific night out.
For information on remaining dates of the tour: https://foreverclapton.co.uk/tour-dates
Band information on Forever Clapton : on Facebook/ Instagram and Tik Tok
Nottingham Royal theatre review:Forever Clapton – Nottingham Royal Theatre | Garyswordz
Gary Longden
