Product Description

In June 2004, some of the greatest living guitar players and their bands gathered at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, for a three-day festival to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. It was the ultimate concert for any music lover, featuring one legend after the other: Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, James Taylor, Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Walsh, John Mayer, Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, Santana, ZZ Top, and many more. This 2-DVD set beautifully documents the event and contains over 4 hours of content. Planned extras include in-depth artist interviews, a mini-documentary, photo gallery, alternate angle, and more. Royalties from the DVD sales will benefit the Crossroads Center.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9922 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-11-09
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Enhanced, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, English, Italian, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 210 minutes

Amazon.com
Although it could have been twice as long, this double-DVD set effectively captures over three hours of highlights from one of the most comprehensive and diverse collection of guitarists ever assembled for a single event. Recorded over three days in June of 2004 to benefit Eric Clapton's Crossroads Center in Antigua (as do the sales of this set), the show is not surprisingly heavy on the rootsy blues and country that comprise Clapton's primary inspirations. But it also includes folk (James Taylor), gospel (Robert Randolph & the Family Band), fret-shredding rockers (Steve Vai who delivers a dazzling performance), jazz (John McLaughlin), and, most interestingly, Indian classical music (a stunning piece from Vishwa Mohan Bhatt).

Most compelling are the rare and sometimes unusual collaborations. Joe Walsh and Taylor clown around on "Steamroller Blues," and Booker T. & the M.G.'s back both Joe Walsh on a rollicking "Rocky Mountain Way" and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo tearing into a sizzling "The Neighborhood." Clapton and J.J. Cale share the stage as do Clapton and Carlos Santana, and a show-stopping blues summit with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Clapton is a treat for all involved.

There are some shortcomings. The event isn't presented in chronological order--different stages, days, and backing bands are shuffled with Clapton's own set scattered throughout--ZZ Top's closing is a bit anticlimactic, and there are many omissions due to time constraints. But every act rises to the occasion, and this expertly recorded and shot DVD gives the viewer a front-row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. --Hal Horowitz

Customer Reviews

Buy It !
I was lucky to attend the festival in Dallas this summer. While the songs selected for the DVD aren't always the ones I would have picked (Buddy Guy blew everyone else away, but he is conspicuously absent except for the ensemble numbers), this is nontheless sure to be a great DVD. Clapton was brilliant as usual, Santana was fantastic and ZZ Top were their usual eccentric selves.

John Mayer, Jonny Lang and Robert Randolph were all excellent newcomers in the mostly over-50 lineup. Jimmie Vaughan and his Tilt-a-whirl band served as a fantastic houseband, backing up the many blues legends on hand.

Some disappointing omissions ... Robert Randolph's "I Need More Love" ,a surprising show-stealer on the second day of the festival is not listed. Same with John Mayer's "Come Back To Bed". Styx put on a surprisingly good set of cover tunes, from the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" to BB King's "The Thrill Is Gone". Also, Eric Clapton's set on the third day included a nice selection of songs from his new album of Robert Johnson covers that are omitted here.

That said, I still pre-ordered my copy as soon as I saw it announced. They could have made it a four disc set with more material and doubled the price and I still would have bought it.

You had to be there!
This DVD set attempts to capture a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was at the Crossroads Festival both days that there were performances. Sure, there are parts I would like to see on the DVD that were cut, but obviously they could not put TWO DAYS of music on two DVDs. As some of the other reviews indicated, I too would love to see a volume 3 and 4, but highly doubt that will happen.

It was a grand event for a grand cause and I would not have missed it for anything. I equate some of the complaints about the DVD set (yea, the sound could be a little better, but it is still VERY GOOD quality) to some of the whining I heard while walking back to my car at the Cottonbowl that Sunday night. People had seen hour after hour after hour of amazing music performances by the top guitarists in the world and were actually whining and cursing about the "finale" being cut. I don't blame the promoters, the weather was looking quite bad. At the end of the day, you had gotten many times your money's worth and then some.

The DVD set is but a small snapshot of a really fantastic music event. That is all. It is like the photo you take on vacation. It is but a small window, a reminder, of a really nice event that took place and I was truly glad to be there to see it.

Good DVD. I was ready to buy it the second that I read that there was to be a DVD released. If you were there, the DVD is a great reminder. If you were not there, the DVD will make you wish that you had been.

A must-have presentation of a once in a lifetime event!
The Crossroads Guitar Festival will go down in history as one of the greatest gatherings of guitarists ever. The 2 DVD set features performance footage in 5.1 Surround Sound, artist interviews and a photo gallery.

Disc one:
"Cocaine," Eric Clapton
"Love in Vain Blues," Robert Lockwood Jr.
"Killing Floor," Clapton, Robert Cray, Hubert Sumlin and Jimmie Vaughan
"Sweet Home Chicago," Clapton, Cray, Buddy Guy, Sumlin and Vaughan
"Six Strings Down," Clapton, Cray, Robert Randolph and Vaughan
"Rock Me Baby," Clapton, Guy, B.B. King and Vaughan
"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," Dan Tyminski and Ron Block
"Road to Nash Vegas," Tyminski and Block
"Copperline," James Taylor with Jerry Douglas
"Steamroller," Taylor and Joe Walsh
"Oklahoma Borderline," Vince Gill and Douglas
"What the Cowgirls Do," Gill and Douglas
"After Midnight," J.J. Cale with Clapton
"Call Me the Breeze," Cale with Clapton
"March," Robert Randolph & the Family Band
"Green Light Girl," Doyle Bramhall II
"Incident at Neshabur," Carlos Santana
"Jingo," Santana with Clapton
"City Love," John Mayer
"Your Body Is a Wonderland," Mayer

Disc two:
"Rag Bihag," Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
"Tones for Elvin Jones," John McLaughlin
"Josie," Larry Carlton
"Question and Answer," Pat Metheny
"Going Down Slow," Honeyboy Edwards
"Time Makes Two," Robert Cray
"Give Me Up Again," Jonny Lang
"Neighborhood," David Hildago
"Whispering a Prayer," Steve Vai
"Desert Rose," Eric Johnson
"Funk 49," Joe Walsh
"Rocky Mountain Way," Walsh
"I Shot the Sheriff," Clapton
"Blues in C," Clapton
"Cause We've Ended as Lovers," Clapton and Jeff Beck
"La Grange," ZZ Top
"Tush," ZZ Top

ZRock features exclusive Crossroads Guitar Festival coverage, including photos, interviews, event details, and media reviews. I was onsite for the full three days of the festival and witnessed the magic first hand. This DVD set captures the magic and preserves the history for generations to come. "Sweet Home Chicago" and the performances by Honeyboy Edwards and Robert Lockwood, Jr. were true history in the making. This is a must-have for music fans!