The Festival of Arts brings to the stage some of Southern California’s most well-known tribute bands. Talented performers pay homage to music legends as they re-create popular songs. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or simply looking to enjoy great music, this series is sure to have you singing, dancing, and reminiscing. Friday nights are a blast from the past at the Festival of Arts!

Endorsed by the man himself, family, friends, and bandmates celebrate Eric’s record-breaking “24 Nights” at The Royal Albert Hall in 1991. Very special guests include Eric Clapton’s bass player, Nathan East, and legendary drummer Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr / David Lee Roth), who will join founding members Will Johns (Eric’s nephew) and Noah East (Nathan’s son) on stage. Firmly establishing themselves as the “New Gen” go-to band, celebrating the musical legacy of a legendary musician, The Cream of Clapton Band continues to bring together family, friends, bandmates, and A-list musicians to perform live on stage.

Needing no introduction, and when the occasion presents itself, long-time supporter and advocate of this band Nathan East thoroughly enjoys not only playing with his 23-year-old son but with an ever-changing list of the very best musicians, all honored and excited to be invited as guests to perform with this band. One of the most recorded bass players of all time, East was 16 years old when he got his first break and found himself on the road with Barry White. The next time the phone rang, Quincy Jones was on the line. The calls kept coming, and for the last four decades, East has been recording and performing with artists as legendary as Phil Collins, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Toto, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, and Stevie Wonder. He is a founding member of the chart-topping contemporary jazz group Fourplay and has been one of Eric Clapton’s go-to bass players since 1984.

With his infectious enthusiasm and legendary swing, GRAMMY® Award-winning musician Gregg Bissonette has played and recorded with legends such as Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth, Maynard Ferguson, Santana, Don Henley, Ray Charles, Rick Springfield, Gino Vannelli, and Joe Satriani, to name but a few! No wonder he was voted best all-around drummer in the 2023 Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll.

Given the successful 2023 reissue of the Royal Albert Hall concerts, dubbed “The Definitive 24 Nights” and heavily influenced by the original foursome of Eric Clapton, Nathan East, Greg Phillinganes, and either Steve Ferrone or Phil Collins on drums, this next generation of musicians believes it’s the perfect time to celebrate this historic and popular period of an extraordinary career.

“Of course, we’re playing classics like ‘Cocaine,’ ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ ‘Badge,’ and ‘Layla,’” says Will Johns. “But there are many great songs that haven’t been performed for some time from the Gold and Platinum-selling albums ‘Behind the Sun,’ ‘August,’ and ‘Journeyman,’ such as ‘Bad Love,’ ‘Tearing Us Apart,’ ‘Holy Mother,’ and ‘Run,’ all of which led to Eric’s record-breaking 24-night residency at the Royal Albert Hall.” Johns is British icon Pattie (“Layla”) Boyd’s nephew and got to know his “Uncle Eric” as a boy, which included an introduction to his two lifelong loves: fishing and the guitar. His father is the late, great Andy Johns, legendary record producer and engineer for the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Van Halen.

Twenty-three-year-old Noah East has played the piano since the age of four and has listened to his father play with Clapton since he can remember: “Our goal is to do justice to this incredible body of work, and blessed as we are with the support not only of Eric and my father but many members of Eric’s band, past and present, we have the confidence to interpret these songs in our own way, which is so exciting. So many great musicians want to come along and sit in with the band, so we’ve decided to invite ‘special guests’ as often as we can. For these three SoCal shows, my father is coming out, and we have the extraordinary Gregg Bissonette playing drums. It’s going to be amazing!”