If you've been a reader for a while, you already know that Clapton is
my hero. He's been a part of my musical consciousness for 40 years,
and I go see him whenever I can. Tonight was one of those nights; he
and old Blind Faith bandmate, Steve Winwood, stopped in Houston for one of their 14 performances around the country.
Back in the day, Clapton earned 2 nicknames; one was Slowhand for his blues based technique that included long sustained notes, distinctive tone, and deceptively little movement of his hands. The other was God for his seemingly supernatural abilities. At concerts, the crowds would shout "Let God play!" when they wanted him to play another solo. Well, little has changed. Even with all the technology heaped on the stage including digital reproduction, high tech video and LCD screens, Clapton still has that same style and tone coming from the Strat, the vintage Fender Tweed amp, and those hands.
Tonight, he and Winwood naturally shared the stage with a familiarity of long time colleagues, moving easily between old Traffic, Blind Faith, and solo pieces. The show was mellow with fewer big hits and more obscure and blues pieces. It was sweet. The staging, with large LCD screens showing extreme close ups of their hands as they played, was fascinating.
Here's In the Presence of the Lord from the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007 with Clapton and Winwood. They played this tonight:
Once again, a thoroughly enjoyable show.
Back in the day, Clapton earned 2 nicknames; one was Slowhand for his blues based technique that included long sustained notes, distinctive tone, and deceptively little movement of his hands. The other was God for his seemingly supernatural abilities. At concerts, the crowds would shout "Let God play!" when they wanted him to play another solo. Well, little has changed. Even with all the technology heaped on the stage including digital reproduction, high tech video and LCD screens, Clapton still has that same style and tone coming from the Strat, the vintage Fender Tweed amp, and those hands.
Tonight, he and Winwood naturally shared the stage with a familiarity of long time colleagues, moving easily between old Traffic, Blind Faith, and solo pieces. The show was mellow with fewer big hits and more obscure and blues pieces. It was sweet. The staging, with large LCD screens showing extreme close ups of their hands as they played, was fascinating.
Here's In the Presence of the Lord from the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007 with Clapton and Winwood. They played this tonight:
Once again, a thoroughly enjoyable show.
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