Eric Clapton: Rainbow Theatre, London

SO THERE'S THIS cat in the white suit smiling diffidently through his beard at the cheering hordes on the other side of the lights. He's feeling alright, because a special convocation of his buddies are all around and they've gotten it all nicely together for him. With a little help from his friends, right. And he raises the neck of his guitar just a little bit and cues in the band as he tears out the opening notes of the contemporary anthem that kept his name in the papers and his music on the radio.