Mayer-Trucks Solos, King-Bonamassa Led Zeppelin Cover: Crossroads 2026
The seventh Crossroads Guitar Festival took place over the weekend before September 28, 2026. The event raised money for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads addiction recovery facility and marked the Antigua center’s 28th anniversary.
Standout performances
Actor Bill Murray opened the festival with Robert Johnson’s Cross Road Blues. Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Jimmie Vaughan later shared the stage for a three guitar performance. John Mayer joined the Tedeschi Trucks Band and traded guitar lines with Derek Trucks, while the band also welcomed Trey Anastasio, Doyle Bramhall II and Clapton during its set. Marcus King performed with Sierra Hull for the first time in their careers, including King’s Falling for the Devil. King and Joe Bonamassa covered Led Zeppelin’s How Many More Times, then King closed his set alongside Trucks and Susan Tedeschi with Blind Faith’s Had to Cry Today. Pete Townshend was forced to withdraw from the festival.
Why Crossroads 2026 matters to guitar players
First conceived in 1999, Crossroads gives Clapton a way to celebrate musicians he admires. Clapton said in 2019 that the festival introduces those musicians to large audiences and encourages cross fertilization between players. The 2026 pairings put that idea into practice, with Mayer exchanging lines with Trucks and King working with Hull, Bonamassa, Trucks and Tedeschi. The event also gave fans their first opportunity to try the new Epiphone Eric Clapton ES 335 signature guitar.
(Compiled)