Albert Lee has been called “the ultimate virtuoso” by Eric Clapton, which is a sentence worth pausing on. Clapton is not a guitarist who hands out superlatives. Lee came up in 1960s London alongside Jimmy Page, relocated to the United States, and spent the following decades in the company of people who recognized what he was: The Everly Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Crickets through their post-Buddy Holly years, Earl Scruggs, Brad Paisley. He is a double Grammy winner. Among working guitar players, his standing as one of the fastest alive is less a compliment than a straightforward description. On January 12, he plays Funk ‘n Waffles.
About the Show
The visit is part of Lee’s Lay It Down tour, built around his 2024 studio album of the same name. The record was cut at London’s Konk Studios in March 2023, a return to live studio recording that Lee has described as “a love letter to some of Albert’s favourite artists and biggest inspirations,” combining cover interpretations with original compositions. Clapton has called Lee’s gifts “extraordinary”; Emmylou Harris has reflected on her own time performing alongside him. Dave Edmunds, similarly, has noted that what makes Lee unusual goes beyond the guitar: the singing, the songwriting, the keyboards, along with a humble and approachable character that sits at odds with the scale of the résumé.
The January 12 date in Syracuse falls between Rochester (January 10) and Pawling, N.Y. (January 14), with two closing nights at New York City’s Iridium on January 22 and 23. Lee performs with his signature Ernie Ball Music Man guitar alongside Ali Petrie on keys, Iain Petrie on bass, and Tim Hillsdon and Ollie Sears sharing drum duties. Opening the night is The Cryers, a NJ/NY-based alternative rock band active since 1991, whose rotating lineup has included Steve Holley, formerly of Wings. Promoter Sid Bernstein once called them “Magical!”
Venue & Logistics
Funk ‘n Waffles, at 307 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse, is a bar, restaurant, and music room that holds 200 people. For a guitarist whose collaborators have included Clapton and Harris, that room size is the appeal — the kind of booking that doesn’t come along often in central New York. Doors are at 6:00 p.m., show at 7:00 p.m. The event is 18 and older.
Tickets
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