Running on Faith

The last time we saw Eric Clapton was in October 2006 at the American Airlines Arena, and the atmosphere was tepid — toe-tapping, lots of Unplugged-type acoustic mellow hits, and few kick-out jams. There were boomers aplenty but hardly a doob in the house. The performance was polished, but we wanted more. Can Clapton still bring that Derek and the Dominoes “Layla” rock and roll? Or are we supposed to be sated with “Wonderful Tonight” from ol’ slow hand? We have high hopes for his show at the Seminole Hard Rock. And Clapton’s opening act should start things off strong.

Robert Randolph and The Family Band are a rare find in today’s musical landscape. Randolph plays the sacred pedal steel guitar, and his backing band includes some of his cousins. Their musical influences range from Hendrix to Sly and The Family Stone to Earth Wind & Fire. Randolph is known to pass the mike around for audience participation on the mainstream hit “I Need More Love,” and on occasion he has busted out a ridiculous instrumental version of Bel Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” that’s guaranteed to get the crowd jumping. See Clapton and Randolph at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $100 to $400.
Mon., May 5, 7:30 p.m., 2008