24 Nights - Recorded Live At the Royal Albert Hall, London (1990-1991)

Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1990 and 1991 and originally conceived as a double vinyl album, 24 Nights splits Clapton’s stage show into four concepts. Each idea was given its own night in the original run of concerts: a four-piece band (tracks 1 to 4), an all-star blues jam (tracks 5 to 8), a nine-piece band (tracks 9 to 12), and a band backed by The National Philharmonic Orchestra (tracks 13 to 15). It wouldn’t be wrong to say the sides represent a progressive escalation of intensity. Even though the thunderous Cream tracks come first, they can’t compare to the jolt of the blues jam, which includes four legendary guitarists: Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughn, Robert Cray, and Clapton. Still, the set becomes most interesting in its second half. The nine-piece band brings breadth and dimension to “Bad Love” and “Wonderful Tonight,” but the showstopper is the trilogy of “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Hard Times," and “Edge of Darkness.” These are the songs in which Clapton seems most in the moment as guitarist and vocalist, and the songs' emotional release is particularly moving considering Clapton would lose his four-year-old son just weeks after these performances were recorded.