Eric Clapton is bringing his Crossroads Guitar Festival back this year after a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The festival raises funds for Clapton’s Crossroads Centre in Antigua. The center provides recovery assistance to those seeking addiction treatment for alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use.
Clapton touted the importance of recovery groups — which took a significant hit during the pandemic — in the video below. The guitar legend says, “For people that wanted to get well from alcohol or drugs or anything, it was a tough time, because the normal network of AA meetings was pretty much off limits. Some of them were shut down completely, and some kept going in a skeletal fashion.”
Clapton added, “I think a lot of the community that I know, either died or dropped off or stopped going to meetings, as it was just too risky.”
Eric talking about bringing back the #CrossroadsGuitarFestival #Festival pic.twitter.com/eOcbw9IIZa
— Eric Clapton (@EricClapton) June 26, 2023
The Crossroads Guitar Festival is taking place on September 23 and 24 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. A number of major artists have been confirmed for the festival. They include Gary Clark Jr, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, H.E.R., Santana, ZZ Top and more.
Details about the festival, including the full lineup and ticket information, can be found at CrossroadsGuitarFestival.com.
