Crossroads Guitar Festival returns to Austin this weekend with a multi-generation guitar lineup

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival returns to Austin's Moody Center on September 26–27 for its seventh edition. The event supports the Crossroads Centre Antigua and brings together a deliberately broad guitar lineup, with Clapton performing both nights.

Returning Crossroads names include Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, John Mayer, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Jimmie Vaughan. Trey Anastasio, Tommy Emmanuel and Julian Lage are among the artists making their first Crossroads appearances; the bill also reaches into bluegrass, jazz, roots and fusion through players including Sierra Hull, Del McCoury Band, John McLaughlin, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Pedro Martins and Daniel Santiago.

The festival also has a substantial gear component this year. Guitar Center's on-site experience will display historically important instruments including Clapton's Blackie and Cream-era ES-335 and Stevie Ray Vaughan's Lenny, while Gibson plans a world-first public preview of the forthcoming Epiphone Eric Clapton 1964 ES-335TDC Reissue. With the event now only days away, the festival's actual occurrence is the freshness trigger rather than its original spring announcement.