Concert Review: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2026
The star-studded seventh installment of Eric Clapton’s guitar festival energized the live music capital of the world with two days of awe-inspiring collaborations and finger-picking.
Written by Valeria Mota
Photos courtesy of David Brendan Hall
On Saturday, Sep. 26, comedian Bill Murray baptized Austin’s Moody Center into “a cathedral of the guitar,” made to honor “the trinity: the Stratocaster, the Telecaster, and the Gibson Les-Paul.” Seven years after its Dallas event, guitarist Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival took a southward turn to Austin, taking the city by an electric-guitar storm. This year’s festival had an Avengers-like lineup of guitar virtuosos, exhibiting revitalizing takes on rock, folk, bluegrass, and blues genres in honor of the 28th anniversary of Clapton’s Crossroads Antigua rehabilitation center. While the festival featured over 25 virtuosic performances, here are some of the most notable moments from the guitar-packed weekend.
SATURDAY
Joe Bonamassa, Marcus King, and Eric Gales
After a poppy collaboration with British blues singer Will Johns and before a breathless solo set on one of Crossroads’ small side stages, guitar great Joe Bonamassa introduced two acts to play alongside him at 6:35 p.m.: musical prodigy Marcus King and blues-rock guitarist Eric Gales. Gales set the tone for the performance with a quick soundcheck, his golden Stratocaster immediately evoking Jimi Hendrix, even in an outfit more reminiscent of Snoop Dogg. The Hendrix-style soundcheck wasn’t a coincidence — Gales seamlessly transitioned into a cover of Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” with the crowd’s excited howls almost drowning out the iconic intro. Though Gales is admittedly not as husky a vocalist as the song’s original singer, the first verse and chorus laid the groundwork for the three maestros to exhibit their raw six-string playing abilities. Bonamassa opened the round of solos, displaying the technical precision he would later showcase further in his solo set. Behind his dark sunglasses and low cap, Bonamassa’s concentrated expression and finger-picking looked almost painful, as if it physically hurt him to be such a grandiose player. King followed suit with his own guitar passage, closing his eyes and grinning as he played. The 30-year-old Americana star seemed to be levitating as he plucked the strings of his Les Paul-style instrument. But it was Gales who brought the house down with the cover’s closing solo, effortlessly putting the “electric” in electric guitar before finishing the performance with “Voodoo Child”’s chorus. The bluesman’s unflappable attitude and striking confidence pulled the virtuosos’ extended one-song performance into cohesion, resulting in another entry into the Crossroads Festival’s long list of unexpected but remarkable collaborations.
John McLaughlin
Before fretboard master John McLaughlin strutted onto the stage, Murray encouraged the audience to “stretch [their] legs” and give the guitar legend a standing ovation. The suggested ovation did not come without reason — backed by a lengthy career featuring the jazz-fusion of Miles Davis’s 1970s album Bitches Brew, McLaughlin’s critically acclaimed finger-picking is still as stellar at 84 as it was at 28 for Bitches Brew. Accompanied by acclaimed bassist Nathan East and Eric Clapton’s backing band, the guitar hero kicked off his 7:39 p.m. set with the progressive jazz of “Little Miss Valley.” While keyboardist Noah East’s suave improvisation definitely perked up audience members’ ears, McLaughlin flawlessly slipped back into the song, eliciting passionate hollers from the Austin crowd. The lead player’s rendition of Pharaoh Sanders’ “Light at the Edge of the World” grounded the 21-minute set in a smooth reality, contrasting with the high-adrenaline solos that made up most of the evening as McLaughlin and Thomas East completed an improvised back-and-forth. McLaughlin closed off his short but impactful performance with a rendition of Miles Davis’ “Jean-Pierre,” bringing a spry take to the 50-year-old track with an excruciating vibrato. Other guitarists understandably maneuver their way through their fretboard with crawling and precise anguish; McLaughlin’s fingers float across his PRS Private Stock with an enviable ease that undeniably earns him a spot in guitar history.
SUNDAY
Del Mccoury Band
Bluegrass icon Del McCoury brought his collective to the Moody Center stage to perform songs that belong squarely in a Coen brothers’ adaptation of “The Odyssey.” Kicking off at 5:21 p.m., the nearly 90-year-old acoustic guitarist casually strummed his dreadnought-style instrument for the band’s jaunty cover of “Dry My Tears and Move On.” McCoury’s Southern drawl stretched out the assertive lyrics: “If you don’t want me / I’ll dry my tears and move on.” The band continued with its contemporary folk renditions by playing Robert Cray’s sinister “Smoking Gun,” cementing the supporting mandolist and birthday girl, Sierra Hull, as a quick fan favorite of the set. The frontman shifted back into a breezy tenor for the contagious “Nashville Cats.” Fiddler Christian Ward slid up the neck of his violin and added subtle warmth to the song’s texture. McCoury led his collective in the original “I Feel The Blues Coming In,” notably popularized by late country star Dolly Parton. Though he made a barely perceptible mistake, the bandleader acknowledged the incident with poise and blithely sang the opening line again. McCoury wrapped up the set as a locomotive conductor, hollering for the audience to get on his musical train for “All Aboard.” The closing track not only displayed McCoury’s extensive, twangy range but also became the set’s most musically animated performance, specifically strengthened by banjoist and frontman’s son Rob McCoury's intricate finger-styling. The genial performance called forth a live radio recording, perfect for all the Del-Heads in the audience, creating a cozy and familiar yet never basic Crossroads concert experience.
Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal
Murray acknowledged that a festival MC isn’t supposed to have favorites, but shamelessly admitted that bluesmen Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal were the last musicians he wanted to listen to before he got sent to the electric chair. With an understated three-song set, the performance confirmed Murray’s choice to be an excellent one. The duet’s segment decidedly lacked the flashy grooves of other Crossroads performances, but this served to highlight the artists’ distinct vocal styles — Taj Mahal’s raspiness evoked a light cerulean shade, and, Keb’ Mo’s richness produced a dark blue tone, showcasing the wide range of the blues genre. The feet-tapping worthy “Rough Time Blues” garnered the crowd’s approval with its relatable, gloomy lyrics, and Taj Mahal’s soulful harmonica for Keb’ Mo’s “Hand It Over” only increased the audience’s passion for the performance. While the straightforward riffs provided a welcome change of pace within Sunday’s untamed guitar passages, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ still dominated their acoustic guitars for Taj Mahal’s “Diving Duck.” The song concluded the duo’s all-too-brief set with sassy ad-libs from Taj Mahal and velvety warbles from Keb’ Mo’. The legendary blues players received a roar of applause for their raw, laid-back performances, with their chemistry proving that for at least one night, the blues genre is alive and well.