Anybody been to the Clapton - Winwood shows?

[AZPEARTPORTNOY]

I'm going to see Clapton and Winwood tommorrow night here in Glendale. Just wondering if anyone has caught their show yet and how good was it? I know their only doing sixteen shows in the U.S. so I'm pretty excited to check this out, I haven't seen Clapton since the Journeyman tour.


Ken

[TheEqualizer]

I have not been to the show (I think they play Vegas this weekend), but I have heard a few recording from the tour and they have been pretty good. In my opinion, the shows are better than the MSG shows from last year. In particular, I liked the Chicago show from I think June 17. It is an odd show since they do not play either Cocaine or Dear Mr. Fantasy. Instead, Buddy Guy joins them for two songs at the end, including Sweet Home Chicago. Actually, the set list from Chicago is odd, as it also excludes songs like Tell the Truth. If you like Abe Laboriel, Jr., you will like the shows. I think having Abe instead of Steve Jordan (who I do like) really improved the show.

Hopefully TOWOS will post, as I think she saw them recently and is an authority on the matter.

[TheEqualizer]

Correction, I don't think TOWOS has seen the show yet but will shortly.

[AZPEARTPORTNOY]

Thanks Eq, I was really hoping Steve Gadd was going to be with them on this short U.S. leg as he had been the drummer for the previous shows in the U.K. I've never seen Steve play live but have always wanted to, but oh well....It's Clapton and Winwood that's enough for me.

Ken

[TheEqualizer]

Now you have me tempted. The show here in LV is not sold out. Hmmmmmmmm.

[AZPEARTPORTNOY]

I should clarify here for ya Eq, Abe Laboriel Jr. is playing drums for Clapton, not Steve Gadd. After reading what I wrote, I never mentioned Gadd wasn't on this leg of the tour, sorry.


Ken

[TOWOS]

I'm going to the Oakland show on Monday night...Will keep you posted: I'm already lining up my little blue pills! !

BTW, Nick Perry has seen I think the Wachovia show and was really impressed by it!

[policerule]

[quote="TOWOS"]Will keep you posted: I'm already lining up my little blue pills! ![/quote]



You kill me.

[TheEqualizer]

Going off on a tangent, I love Steve Gadd but man his playing with Clapton a few years ago was DISAPPOINTING. However, I really do not think that it was really Gadd's fault, but I think he was brought by Clapton's general lacklusterness at the time. Luckily, it seems like Clapton has rebounded big time.

[TOWOS]

[quote]You kill me[/quote]

Awww, no, not my intention. I am only slowly killing myself!
Kind of Pissed Off because Tell the Truth is one of my absolute favorites and it's off the setlist, but hey, I never saw Clapton, so it will be a treat anyway....

[njperry]

I did indeed see a performance on the tour, Washington DC June 13.

I loved it.

They didn't play Tell the Truth though when I saw them.

They played a booming electric version of Crossroads which they hadn't played the night before.

Here is my review I posted in the other concerts thread

[quote="njperry"]Last night (June 13), I saw Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. I was a GREAT show.

They played 4 songs from their 1969 collaboration in the short-lived band Blind Faith, several songs from their respective pasts (SW Traffic songs such as Dear Mr. Fantasy, Glad and EC songs such as After Midnight and Layla), some blues classics (although blues classic and EC's past discography are closely related), and a couple of Hendrix covers, Little Wing (which EC covered decades ago) and Voodoo Chile (which Winwood had played on in the original Jimi version).

Winwood played both guitar and keyboard. There were many highlights. The acoustic versions of Layla and Can't Find My Way Home, both of which had Clapton and Winwood on acoustic guitars and the far from acoustic versions of Dear Mr. Fantasy and Presence of the Lord stick out.

My seat wasn't as good as when I saw the Police in the same venue in December 2007, but I didn't pay as much or care as much.

The only drawback to the show was the annoying people behind me who kept chatting during the show, especially during the Winwood tunes and one of the groups shouting the lyrics he knew and a few he didn't.

I think some Nutters have tickets for later shows in this short 14 city tour. I think you will greatly enjoy it.[/quote]

[AZPEARTPORTNOY]

Holy crap!!! You are in for a great time Towos, freakin' amazing. SPOILER ALERT!!!! The highlights for me were, Forver Man - one of my favorite E.C. songs of all time. Can't Find My Way Home - acoustic. Glad - great jam. Well All Right - really got the audience going. Split Decision - a real highlight for Winwood.

There were a couple of things I didn't like but I'm not going to get into that until after Towos see's the show. But, I will say this, you better have sun glasses on for the first couple of songs. Whoever designed the lighting must've forgotten that, you shouldn't blind the audience with insanely bright white lights (that would be a good name for a band)!!!

Eq, you were spot on about Abe, he just brought it and looked like he was having a great time. Although (notice: I have an eight year old daughter) I couldn't get over how much he looked like The Jonas Brothers bodyguard.

Have a great time Towos, you might not need as many of those little blue pills as you think.

Ken

[TheEqualizer]

Nick,
I case you don't have it already:

http://zombtracker.the-zomb.com/details.php?id=31657

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood -Voodoo Children
Verizon Center
Washington DC, USA
June 13, 2009

Disc 1:
Had To Cry Today (fade in)
Lowdown
After Midnight
Presence Of The Lord
Sleeping In The Ground
Glad
Well Alright
Tough Luck Blues
Pearly Queen
No Face, No Name, No Number
Forever Man
Little Wing

Disc 2:
Georgia On My Mind
Driftin'
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
Layla
Can't Find My Way Home
Crossroads
Voodoo Chile
Cocaine
Encore Break
Dear Mr. Fantasy (fade out)

By the way, Clapton torrents are RATIO FREE on Zomb right now. That means downloads don't count against your ratio but when you seed, it will still help your ratio. SWEEEEET.

Also, I did not go to the Vegas show last night, but I hear WInwood played Low Spark of High Heeled Boys in place of Georgia on My Mind. That's always the quandry. I love Low Spark a lot, but I hate to see Georgia taken out.

[TOWOS]

Thanks AZ!!! Abe and Stainton are a bonus...And yes, I AM counting the hours...
As for the blue pills, they merely take away the edge - I learned my lesson in Concord and downed the ante

[TOWOS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV_kQPLIufc

OK it's not Oakland (yet)...But what I saw yesterday was easily one of the best, if not THE best, concert of my entire life (and I have seen many...) So whoever goes to the last show of the tour in the Hollywood Bowl, is in for a night of exceptional musicianship and total being lifted from this world and transported in the aural sphere.

My fingers are bruised from clapping and that says it all. From the beginning the Gods of Rock Blues smiled on us - no traffic (ha) in the commute hour, easy parking despite a full venue and an A's game next door, beautiful airy venue with decent acoustic, great cushy seats for us on the sides (not for the ppl on the floor), clean everything, personnel way nicer than usual.

The crowd for a moment scared me. Geezers everywhere. I felt like a baby, and I ain't spring chicken, but I was wondering how many of these people were at Altamont, Monterey Pop, or to the Blind Faith concerts of 69...
The good thing with a geezer concert is that they are polite, enthusiastic without being obnoxious and their enthusiasm is contagious. And the familiar cloud that was enveloping those of us who were in Concord a year ago rose with the curtain.
First things first the setlist:
1. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. There's A River
11. Forever Man
12. Low Spark of High Heeled Boys - Steve Winwood solo
13. Driftin' - acoustic
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla - acoustic version
16. Can't Find My Way Home
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile
Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy
(courtesy of Where's Eric)
There were 2 or 3 classic blues numbers whose name I don't remember.
The stage was modern, the lightshow suited the mood of the songs, going from blue-violet tones for the chill numbers, to red or supernova incandescent for the highlighting solos.
Most important: THE MUSICIANSHIP!
I have been told that Clapton is erratic live- yesterday he was on FIRE!!!! A living guiturboengine! He made me leave this earth several times, particularly in Voodoo Chile that was IMHO the best number they played.
Steve is a Kaligod with 6 hands, his wonderful thunderous voice, and a grand piano on which he performed some amazing and sometimes atonal-jazz tinged solos, not to speak of the guitarS, but I am biased here, him being my favorite musician on Earth and beyond.
ABE LABORIEL, drummer friends...This guy is the S**T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!He left us speechless for being just perfect for the show, for this band, for playing the numbers just right and for his huge stage Presence.
Chris Stainton - Nothing less of Magic, his solo on Cocaine was all the swooping Quadrophenia rage and more, he alternated his hammering style with Winwood's more butterflies in the stomach touch.
Willie Weeks was overshadowed I must say, difficult to hear him.
Backing singers: discreet and perfect- especially on Can't find my way home.

All in all: They didn't play Georgia. They didn't play No Face. They didn't play Tell the Truth. True.
WHO CARES!
Rob you missed a HUGE concert - sorry about that!


Yours truly