From H.E.R. to John McLaughlin and Marcus King to Stephen Stills and Gary Clark Jr, the LA event takes place this September and features an eclectic, once–in-a-lifetime lineup
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Eric Clapton’s 2023 Crossroads Guitar Festival takes place on 23-24 September 2023 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA – and it’s no exaggeration to say it could be the guitar event of the decade.
Among the biggest names scheduled to appear across the two nights are ZZ Top, John Mayer, Santana, Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa, but even that set of heavy-hitters barely scratches the surface…
Elsewhere, 2023’s Crossroads seventh instalment will also feature sets by rock greats including John McLaughlin, Robbie Robertson, Albert Lee, Roger McGuinn and Stephen Stills.
Then there’s a who’s who of blues and blues rock including Gary Clark Jr, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Samantha Fish, Jimmy Vaughan and Eric Gales.
Country blues fans, meanwhile, will spot Sonny Landreth, Marcus King and Clapton-collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, then moving towards the folk/roots end of the spectrum there’s Ariel Posen, Bros. Landreth, bluegrass legend Del McCoury, dobro maestro Jerry Douglas, plus next generation torch bearers like Sierra Hull and Molly Tuttle.
Last but by no means least, there’s the likes of H.E.R., The War On Drugs, Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, ‘sacred steel’ player Robert Randolph, jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and… well, that’s still not everyone, but we imagine you get the point by now.
(Image credit: Press)
Elsewhere on the weekend, the Guitar Center Festival Village will feature booths from leading guitar companies, offering the chance to try new gear, as well as an exhibit featuring the retailer’s Legends collection of historic six-strings, including Clapton’s famous Blackie Strat.
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As a whole, it’s a crazy lineup and it’s hard to recall an event in recent memory that has brought together more accomplished guitarists than this one, at least not for full sets. Then there’s the prospect of the one-off jams and guest spots that such a gathering creates – and we haven’t even mentioned that it will, of course, all be topped-off by two sets from Clapton himself.
As usual, a slice of the proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the Clapton-backed Crossroads Centre in Antigua, which supports chemically- and alcohol-dependent persons and their families through treatment and education.
Tickets will go on sale this Friday (April 21) at 10am PT and will be sold as individual day passes, rather than weekend tickets.
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
