The two hour screening will be featured in high definition and digital surround sound. Other artists expected to appear in the movie special are Steve Winwood, Bill Murray, ZZ Top, BB King, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy and Vince Gill. The movie will also feature backstage and behind-the-scenes footages plus artist interviews.

In 1998, Clapton established The Crossroads Centre in the island of Antigua, a facility specializing in the rehabilitation, through treatment and education, of people who are suffering from substance abuse problems. To help run the facility, Clapton also spearheaded, along with fellow artists like Jimmy Vaughn, Bo Diddley, Joe Walsh and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, the first Crossroads Festival in Dallas in 2004.

The festival was held twice in a row in Illinois’ Toyota Park, this year and on its second year in 2007. To view the complete list of theaters that will be featuring this year’s Crossroads Festival, log on to www.fathomevents.com.

At present, Clapton has hit the homestretch of his US tour tagging fellow performer Roger Daltrey along. They will be in Indianapolis tomorrow, July 2 and at Clarkston, MI on the 3rd.

The Crossroads Guitar Festival, organized by highly acclaimed musician Eric Clapton, was not only intended to raise funds for the Crossroads Drug Rehabilitation Center in Antigua which was also spearheaded by Clapton himself, but was also intended into bringing together rock and blues artists and guitar geniuses and prodigies from the ‘60s till the present to celebrate the power of an instrument that has been underestimated as the decades have passed – the guitar and the ability of its master, the guitarist, to create rhythms and tunes that could move even the toughest of rockers and could give life even to the saddest of blues.

This is the second time that the Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Il has hosted the half-day event, the first time was in 2007.  The festival was inaugurated in Dallas in 2004.  This year’s festival featured the likes of B.B King and Howlin Wolf’s Huber Sumlin, who at 78 years old can still play and woo the crowd with enigmatic solos.  Everyone, including the most iconic ones like Clapton, The Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood, Jeff Beck and contemporary musicians like John Mayer, who all performed at the event look up to these two great musicians.

While Clapton watched in the sidelines at the start of the show which was taken care of by Louisiana-based guitarist Sonny Landreth, the organizer and music icon shared the stage with pop-country superstar Sheryl Crow, as she performed tracks from her forthcoming album.  Other musicians present at the event were Johnny Winter, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood, Texas-based Doyle Bramhall II and Gary Clark Jr., Allman Brothers Band’s Derek Trucks and Warren Hayes, The Susan Tedeschi Band, Jonny Lang, Los Lobos’ Cesar Rojas and David Hidalgo, The Robert Cray Band, Buddy Guy and a whole lot more.

The event was also filled with never before seen or heard side-by-side performances crossing genres and generations from 73-year old Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Steve Winwood who all shared the stage together in a guitar-off, so to speak, and another from Clapton, Beck and Winwood.  There were a lot of performances that one can only witness from this event but words may not just be enough to describe how phenomenal and rare such an event is.  One should be there to capture the greatness of each performance that transcends through time and genre.

“Sweet Home Chicago”, lead by seasoned musician Buddy Guy capped the lengthy yet gratifying event.  The finale featured all of the artists performing together for the first time during that day and the song was a perfect choice to bid farewell to the city and state which became the event’s home for two years.  And contrary to what was previously announced that this year’s “Crossroads” will be the last, Clapton hinted that a fourth one, perhaps in 2013, is on the works as there are more guitarists and other musicians that are willing to take part in this event.

The idea of long guitar solos as being boring and narcissistic, an idea thrown by punk enthusiasts, was completely defied by these artists.  They hailed the art of guitar playing as something more than a musical act.  For many of those who worship the instrument, it is not merely a form of expression, it is their way of life.  The sound produced with every strum and pluck of the chords while the fret is being pressed is who they are.  The tabs are their words, they talk through it and affect those who care enough to listen, the same way a poem or a speech would.

The June 26 show will feature Jeff Beck, The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top and John Mayer among others and take pace in Bridgeview, IL. Following the festival, Clapton will be visiting four other cities in the Midwest, kicking things off in Milwaukee, WI on June 28 and wrapping up in Clarkston, MI on July 3.

The upcoming dates will be featuring the same backup crew that in recent month has backed Clapton: bassist Willie Weeks, drummer Steve Gadd, keyboardist Chris Stainton and backup vocalists Sharon White and Michelle John. Doyle Bramhall II, longtime second guitarist, left last year and reformed Arc Angels along with Tommy Shannon and Charlie Sexton.

Last year, Clapton tour with Steven Winwood. In addition he toured with Jeff Beck, fellow legendary guitarist, earlier this year. Recently he announced he will be teaming with Roger Daltrey, Who frontman, for a run of outdoor shows in late 2010. Concert dates haven’t been announced yet.

The latest album from Clapton, “The Road to Escondido,” was released in 2006. It reunited him with J.J. Cale, his hero, who wrote two songs that helped to define the solo career of Clapton’s, “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.”

According to organizers, Clapton’s performance is slated to take place at Marcus Amphitheater at 7:30 pm on June 28. The winner of 18 Grammy awards, Clapton is well known for hit singles such as “Tears in Heaven,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “Cocaine,” and “Layla.”

Roger Daltrey from the Who will be opening for Clapton.

Tickets will be going on sale at noon on April 10. Purchases can be made via Ticketmaster ticket centers or online as well as Marcus Amphitheater’s Box Office.

Summerfest this year will be held June 24-July 4.

The festival will run all day and benefit Crossroads Centre Antigua. Featured performers include ZZ Top, Vince Gill, Steve Winwood, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, BB King and The Allman Brothers Band.

The contest is hosted by Reverb Nation and Guitar Center, partners of Ernie Ball. To enter musicians will need to go to playcrossroads.com and register. A profile can be created and a bio, photos and one to five MP2 files can be included. The winner will be receiving round trip airfare and hotel in Chicago along with a performance slot of 30 minutes on Ernie Ball Village Stage. Robert Randolph and Joe Bonamassa will be also be holding master class sessions on the stage. The winner will also be receiving a full endorsement from Ernie Ball Music Man,which is a Premier Guitar feature, along with Guitar Center prizes.

Brian Ball from Ernie Ball Inc said, we are very honored being associated with Crossroads Guitar Festival and Eric Clapton. It’s very important to us to support the charitable efforts of Eric Clapton and Crossroads Centre. We are very excited to offer an unsigned band the opportunity for playing live along with the legendary guitar players at the festival.

Fans will also have a chance for helping to select the winner. They can go to playcrossroads.com and vote for their favorite musician. The panel of judges, which will consist of contest sponsors and representatives from Ernie Ball, will be reviewing the top 500 artists and bands that have the most votes. The winner will be selected by the judges based on songwriting, authenticity, originality and musicianship.

The first contest winner for Ernie Ball Play Crossroads was Tyler Dow Bryant, who was a sixteen year old prodigy then. He performed at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, the last to be held. He went on to play with Dickey Betts, Alan Haynes, Wes Jeans, Sean Neff, Donnie and Don Nelson, Steve Lukather, Albert Lee, Brent Rowan, Chris Duarte, Edie Brickell and Paul Simon.

Set to take place at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL on June 26, the festival will also be featuring Doyle Bramhall II, Jimmy Vaughn, Robert Randolph, Keb’ Mo’ and Robert Cray among others.

Clapton said I was able to realize a big dream of mine with the Crossroads Festival by gathering together a group of amazing and talented musicians all on one stage to perform. The performers of Crossroads are all musicians that I respect and admire.

Tickets for the festival will cost $100 plus applicable fees and parking. On February 20 they will be going on sale via Tickermaster via their website phone line and retail outlets as well as the box office of Toyota Park.

Proceeds from the 2010 festival will go to benefit the Crossroads Centre, an Antigua substance abuse rehab center that was founded in 1998 by Clapton. Additional information regarding the organization can be found at the website for Crossroads Centre.

Clapton, in other news, is preparing for several co-headlining shows with Jeff Beck. This weekend will kick things off with a London two night stand. In February and March Clapton will be out on solo concerts across the US.

After Clapton finishes off his four city stint with Beck in mid February, he will be setting out on his solo tour beginning in Pittsburgh on February 25. Clapton is currently scheduled to perform in almost one dozen Southern, Midwestern and Eastern cities through mid March. Each night Daltrey will be opening the show.

Backup musicians for Clapton on stage will include Steve Gadd, drummer, Willie Weeks, bassist, Walt Richmond and Chris Stainton, keyboardists, and Sharon White and Michelle John as the background vocalists.

The solo outing of Clapton’s with Daltrey will all be based in the U.S. His outings with Beck will take Clapton to London, England as well as Montreal and Toronto in Canada. The pairing o f Clapton and Beck follows the joint performance earlier this year that they gave at a show at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. It was the first ever that the two had co-headlined together.

Clapton earlier in the year toured with Steve Winwood, another rock legend and former band mate with Blind Faith.

The latest album for Clapton, “The Road to Escondido” (2006) paired him with J.J. Cale, his hero, who wrote two of the songs that have helped to define the solo career of Clapton’s: “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.”

Clapton and Beck were band mates with the Yardbirds during the 1960s. Beck replaced Clapton as lead guitarist after Clapton left the Yardbirds in 1965. Clapton and Beck will perform at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 18. They also have two dates in Canada: on February 21 they will play in Toronto and on February 22 will be in Montreal. On February 13-14 the pair will perform a pair of shows at O2 Arena in London.

Toronto show tickets will go on sale starting at 10 a.m. on December 4. Montreal show tickets will first be available at noon on December 5. Details on ticket sales for the Madison Square Garden performance still have not been released.

Earlier in the year Clapton and Beck shared top billing at a show at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. It marked the very first time ever that the duo had co-headlined at a venue.

Beck said through a press statement, earlier this year Eric and I performed together in Japan. We had a blast. We’ve been in contact on a regular basis since then and discussed doing a show that was similar for our fans. I am really looking forward to our shows in 2010.

Clapton said, I always have thought of Jeff Beck as one of the very best guitar players. He is a really great guy, gifted musician and friend. In Japan we had a great time. It seemed only natural that we should play together again.

Last October at the 25th anniversary shows for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held in New York, Beck performed in place of Clapton who had to cancel due to his recovering from having gallstone surgery

The website for the event has reported that Beck and some other special guests will be sharing the stage along with U2, Metallica and Aretha Franklin on Friday October 30. On October 29, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, among others, will be performing.

According to a Foundation press release, proceeds coming from the shows will be used for creating a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and Museum permanent endowment. The shows will be led by Joel Gallen, producer and director for the regular induction ceremonies for the Hall as well as MTV Movie Awards over the last decade (1996-2005).

A total of four hours worth of show highlights will be selected and used for a special that will be broadcast next month on HBO. Curates for the concerts will include a creative team of super stars, including Robbie Robertson, former Band member, Jann Wenner, Rolling Stone publisher, and Tom Hanks, actor, to narrate rock and roll’s story through filmed segments and live performances.

In addition to the two concerts in October, the anniversary celebration has also been recognized with the release earlier this year with a deluxe DVD along with a book. In September “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The First 25 Year,” book hit store shelves. In August the nine boxed DVD set containing highlights from induction ceremonies from the past was issued by Time Life.