Eric Clapton explains why he’s bringing back the Crossroads Guitar Festival

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, which raises money for his Crossroads rehab center in Antigua, is returning in September. In a new post on Instagram, he explains why the festival is so badly needed now that the pandemic is over.

Clapton says the pandemic was particularly hard for those battling addiction, explaining, “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.” He adds that “treatment centers were really badly hit because people couldn’t travel; and they were very fearful of going out,” noting many “voluntarily locked themselves down.”

Clapton explains, “A lot of people, and 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.”

The seventh installment of the Crossroads Guitar Festival will take place September 23 and 24 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with a lineup that includes Clapton ZZ Top, Robbie Robertson, Santana, Stephen Stills, Gary Clark, Jr., John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Robert Randolph, Roger McGuinn, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa, Jakob Dylan and more.