Eric Clapton says 'for Jurgen' as fans sing at M&S Bank Arena

On any list of all-time great guitar players, you'll find Eric Clapton - probably quite near the top.

And I can't say I'd argue with that. The Surrey-born musician started his career in the early 1960s, first as a member of The Yardbirds alongside fellow guitar greats, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, then, after a brief stint with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, he formed Cream with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce.

The world's first 'supergroup', Cream lasted just under three years, but the four albums they released in that short time changed the face of rock music. A fusion of rock, blues and jazz, Cream directly influenced an entire generation of musicians and paved the way for a second wave of rock bands to storm the music scene.

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Clapton has been, more or less, performing solo since 1970. He told Rolling Stone magazine in 2018 that he was 'going deaf and that his hands just about worked', but that hasn't stopped the now 79-year-old embarking on a new, albeit brief, UK tour.

Last night the M&S Bank Arena was the second stop on that nine-date tour, almost 15 years to the day since he last played in Liverpool in 2009.

Nearly all of the arena's 11,000 seats look to have been sold, yet it would go on to feel like an incredibly intimate gig.

The set is stark, just a stage full of musical instruments with six video screens above. The lights dim, the arena cheers and Eric and his band arrive. Picking up his guitar, he goes straight into Blue Dust, an instrumental track that showcases his incredible guitar playing.

From there he plays Key To The Highway. His voice remains impressive, seemingly having lost none of its power. As the song ends he addresses the crowd for the first time, saying good evening, and then launches into his next song, Hoochie Coochie Man.

He has surrounded himself with a group of incredible musicians, with Doyle Bramhall on guitar, Sonny Emory on drums, Chris Stainton on keyboards and Tim Carmon on the Hammond organ. Bassist Nathan East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music, having played with stars like Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder and Daft Punk, to name just a handful.

They play the spiritual track, Presence of the Lord, followed by Badge and then Prayer for a Child. After this, Eric sets aside his electric guitar and, sitting down, picks up an acoustic one. Accompanied by just Nathan East on a double bass, he plays Kind Hearted Woman, Back Home and Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out.

It's a brave man who risks alienating half of his audience, but by the time he breaks into You'll Never Walk Alone, the arena is eating out of his hand. It took a few bars for fans to realise what he was playing, but when they do, there are cheers and a few boos ringing out.

As backing singers Sharon White and Katie Kissoon, ably accompanied by the crowd, belting out the last few lines, Eric ends the Anfield anthem by declaring, "For Jurgen", which elicits a huge reaction from the audience.

He rounds out the set with the moving Tears In Heaven. The acoustic is set aside, and we're back to the electric guitar picking up the tempo with Gotta Get Better In A Little While, then You Were There and Crossroads.

Little Queen Of Spades has toes tapping all around the arena, and Cocaine - excuse the pun - has the band ending the gig on a high, taking a bow before leaving the stage.

In their absence, there are deafening calls of more and applause rings out.

They return to the stage, Eric introducing the encore song, That's Alright, as a tribute to blues guitarist Jimmy Rogers, who would have turned 100 this year. It's the perfect end to a stripped-back and unfussy set that gave fans a masterclass in guitar playing.

He must have spoken half a dozen words to the audience during the nearly two-hour set, but the fans' admiration for this rock legend was palpable.

He was clapped on and clapped off, but last night proved the 79-year-old legend is anything but clapped out.

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