Photo provided by Jam Productions

England may be Eric Clapton’s origin, but Chicago could easily pass as his second home given how much the blues were a formative influence on previous bands The Yardbirds, The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith or Derek And The Dominos throughout the 1960s and early ’70s, to the solo superstardom that continues to this day.

Lately, he’s been focused on revisiting and remastering some of the most regarded later work, starting with the newly expanded “Journeyman: Deluxe Edition,” alongside the B.B. King collaboration “Riding With The King,” in honor of the late great’s 100th birthday.

When the triple Rock & Roll Hall of Famer filled up much of the United Center as part of a relatively rare half-dozen Midwest dates, the format followed the original “Journeyman” era, as documented on the “24 Nights” concert recording, split into specific electric and acoustic segments, as well as plenty of the blues sprinkled in both.

Joined by an all-star band comprised of guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, bassist Nathan East, B3 Hammond Organ player Tim Carmon, drummer Sonny Emory, keyboardist Chris Stainton, plus backing vocalists Katie Kissoon and Sharon White, a fully amplified Clapton came out to the psychedelic bang of Cream’s “Badge.”

From there, they would alternate between the distinctive tones and time periods of Charlie Segar’s “Key To The Highway,” which was part of the King collection, the locally-adopted Willie Dixon’s “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” and the slicker rock sheen of “Pretending.”

Up next, “Slowhand” switched to his “Unplugged” style, offering up interpretations of Robert Johnson’s “Kind Hearted Woman Blues,” Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out,” Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” featuring East on vocals and the Dominos’ “Layla,” in addition to softer spoken solos “Give Me Strength,” “Running On Faith” and “Tears In Heaven.”

Clapton cranked back up to “Tearing Us Apart,” then slowly serenaded the masses with “Old Love” and “Wonderful Tonight” on the way back to more of Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” and “Little Queen Of Spades.”

Of course, there was his personally popularized take on J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and an ever so fitting encore of “Sweet Home Chicago” when the 81-year-old marvel showed zero signs of slowing down and left the Windy City in awe of a truly enduring master with hopefully at least a couple more chances coming around the corner.

For additional information on Eric Clapton, visit EricClapton.com.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions concerts, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming shows at the United Center include Robyn (Sept. 12); Lily Allen (Sept. 13); Phoebe Bridgers (Sept. 18-19); Weezer (Sept. 22); Teddy Swims (Sept. 25); Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds (Sept. 29); Le Sserafim (Oct. 2); Doja Cat (Oct. 3); Journey (Oct. 5); Gorillaz (Oct. 8); Olivia Rodrigo (Oct. 11-12); The Smashing Pumpkins (Oct. 14); Disney’s “Descendants,” “Zombies” and “Camp Rock” (Oct. 19); Rod Wave (Oct. 31-Nov. 1); Sombr (Nov. 4); Katseye (Nov. 5); Dave Matthews Band (Nov. 7); XG (Nov. 9); The Neighbourhood (Nov. 18); Stevie Wonder (Nov. 21) and John Summit (Nov. 24-25). For additional details, visit UnitedCenter.com.

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