Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2026 Recap
Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival returned to Texas for its 7th rendition on Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27, in Austin, Texas, at the Moody Center. The all-star lineup gathered in support of Crossroads Centre Antigua.
Fans got ready to go with the Next Gen stage featuring up and comers with Bill Murray returning as the MC to kick off both nights.
On Night 1, Murray got the crowd going with a quick rendition of “Crossroads,” joined by Eric Clapton. Then, in Crossroads tradition, slide guitar extraordinaire Sonny Landreth started the show with the first set and performed with Clapton.
A Family Affair
This year’s edition was a family affair in many ways. Longtime Clapton bassist Nathan East and his son Noah East, along with Sonny Emory, served as the house band for many acts, including Joe Bonamassa, who was joined by Will Johns for “Sitting on Top of the World.” Bonamassa then brought out Eric Gales and Marcus King for a raucous rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” to get the crowd going.
Bonamassa also received a standing ovation later in the night with a solo version of “Woke Up Dreaming.”
Noah East had a chance to show off his prowess on keys along with his father Nathan for a memorable set with John McLaughlin that ended up earning a standing ovation.
Dirk Powell, along with his daughter, Amelia Powell, followed their set on the side stage.
Keeping the family theme going, Marcus King brought his father, Marvin King, to the stage on night 2 for a rendition of “Blue Ridge Mountain Moon,” and Doyle Bramhall performed his night 2 set along with his daughter, Elle, who later brought out her mother, Susannah Melvoin.
Bramhall also reunited with Charlie Sexton for a performance of the Neil Young classic, “Cinnamon Girl.”
A Moment We Won’t Forget
A true Crossroads moment we won’t forget was on night 1, featuring the trio of Texas native Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Buddy Guy, 90 years young. Guy held the crowd in the palm of his hand, performing classics like “Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues” and “Hoochie Coochie Man” and leaving the crowd on its feet in appreciation for three all-time greats.
One of the other most well received sets on night one featured Bradley Walker and Brothers of the Heart. Eric Clapton joined in for “Lay Down Sally” and Walker’s vocals captivated the crowd.
The Night 1 Headliner: Tedeschi Trucks Band
Tedeschi Trucks Band headlined night 1 and brought out John Mayer and Trey Anastasio during its set. Eric Clapton and Doyle Bramhall also joined in on the fun, with Clapton giving his first electric performance of “Layla” in years, which was a crowd favorite.
Bill Murray called the Tedeschi Trucks Band “the greatest live band in the world” during his introduction, and the crowd found out why.
Night 1 closed with a group jam on Clapton’s “Got to Get Better in a Little While.”
Night 2
Night 2 kicked off with Bill Murray once again, this time joined by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Doyle Bramhall.
Marcus King brought out several guests for night 2. Not only his father, Marvin, but also Sierra Hull, Joe Bonamassa, Susan Tedeschi, and Derek Trucks, who closed the set with “Had To Cry Today.”
Standout Performances
With so many incredible guitar players at one event, it can be hard to stand out, but Tommy Emmanuel did just that. With only an acoustic guitar, Emmanuel mesmerized the crowd as a one-man band, earning a thunderous ovation in one of the highlight performances of the entire festival in his Crossroads debut.
Robert Randolph and Eric Gales, along with Tash Neal, had perhaps the most energetic set of Crossroads 2026. The crowd fed off their infectious energy, and they earned several standing ovations.
John Mayer shared the stage with Trey Anastasio, and the two exchanged dazzling guitar solos in a spectacular Crossroads moment that blew away the crowd.
Hometown Hero
Gary Clark Jr. performed a strong set in his hometown of Austin, Texas, as we heard both new songs and longtime favorites like “Bright Lights.” Clark closed off the set with a powerful rendition of “When My Train Pulls In.”
The Main Event: Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton headlined night 2 with both electric and acoustic sets, playing hits like “Cocaine,” “Tears in Heaven,” and the acoustic version of “Layla.”
Guests joining Clapton included John McLaughlin and Kurt Rosenwinkel.
The festival wrapped up with the grand finale of “Going Down,” featuring a massive collection of talent to cap off another memorable Crossroads weekend.
(Photo Credit: David Brendan Hall for Crossroads Guitar Festival 2026)
Will there be a dvd coming soon?
One of the finest guitar players around is on tour in the US, it would have nice if EC had invited Robin Trower to play.
Yes, so many guitar greats. It would be nice for some “new” old faces to be invited to grace the Crossroads stage. Trower definitely, but also there is Al DeMeola, Steve Morse, Leslie West and others, who are still around and still rocking into their late 70’s and early 80’s. The show staples are all great, but let’s give some others a chance.
Leslie West has unfortunately been gone for a long time.t
Getting Leslie West would be great – but would require a resurrection miracle
The family connections and collaborations make this festival recap especially interesting, particularly with Nathan East and Noah East sharing the stage alongside so many established and emerging guitarists.
This is a clever way to make a cross-body bag more practical by building the card slots directly into the design and freeing up space that a separate wallet would use.
So many seem to be men. How about Samantha Fish, Rory Block, Bonnie Raite, or Ana Popovic? Just to name a few.
I agree
He had Samatha Fish in LA
The talent on night two was fantastic, I didn’t want to miss a minute of the show and the show lasted close to eight hours. I do have one Compliant with the Moody Center and the folks who set up the sound and lighting. For those of us in the cheap seats on the second level, most of the video screen was blocked by the lighting and speakers. Total disregard for those who sat on the second level. Unacceptable for a show of this nature and price of the tickets.
I dare ask What were the price of the tix? I paid $5.50 for Led Zeppelin in early 70’s. Now add $1,000 for today’s concerts. Can’t afford it. Hopefully a DVD comes out. That & a joint will haffta do 🤷🏻♀️
There’s free live stream right now! You Tube etc.
Marcus King’s voice and guitar playing was exceptional and his set with Joe Bonamassa was awesome. Speaking of which, Bill Murray’s introduction of Eric Clapton was right ‘ we may not see his like again’ …. But while we can we should take every opportunity we can to see him play and recognize how important he is to the evolution of music and the encouragement of talent, and the live of his craft..
All were wonderful tonight and every night, and all for a fantastic cause. I couldn’t call any name out because there are so many unnamed above that took the stage, and so many more that work so hard to bring an unbelievable production like that to life for us. This doesn’t begin to appreciate the roadies, sound folks, board folks, and all the miscellaneous support that it takes to feed and water this cast of characters. Hats off and sincere appreciation to all those wonderful people and their families that give so much for our enjoyment and the best cause I can think of – drug and alcohol addition and rehabilitation! A huge thanks to the other Eric too!