Eric Clapton and his music

Бэджик на концерт.

Посмотрел я пиратское видео с последнего концерта и могу сказать, что это ГОРАЗДО интереснее, чем официальный ДВД. Драйв присутствует!!!

На последок, еще впечатления очевидцев......

24.10.2005 im Madison Square Garden, New York

1. I'm So Glad
2. Spoonful
3. Outside Woman Blues
4. Pressed Rat and Wart Hog
5. Sleepy Time, Time
6. Tales Of Brave Ulysses
7. NSU
8. Badge
9. Politician
10. Sweet Wine
11. Rollin' & Tumblin'
12. Stormy Monday
13. Deserted Cities of the Heart
14. Born Under a Bad Sign
15. We're Going Wrong
16. Crossroads
17. Sitting on Top of the World
18. White Room
19. Toad
20. Sunshine of Your Love

The Madison Square Garden show opening night started around 8:35. It was raining in Manhattan. Fans strolled in late while I had run from my hotel just across the street 30 minutes early so I wouldn't miss anything. I wanted to stroll around The Garden.

MSG is pretty big compared to the regal Royal Albert Hall. This would be a different set of shows if for any other reason the sheer crowd sizes. It was bound to get loud and it did. There would also be a few surprises from Cream tonight.

Would they change the set order? Surely they'd do the same tunes but this set of shows could command more since this would be the first shows in the country that made them great. The San Francisco scene of '67 with it's free love, and drugs would turn Cream into a jam band with solo extensions that are sheer legend.

The ticket prices were so much more expensive here with a max price of $354.50. That's about a 50% increase over the £125 at Royal Albert Hall (about $225). With the service fees added in - $390.15. All three shows would cost over a grand. That's serious money. Cream had to do more for the MSG crowd.

I'll tell of the changes and high points of the show.

The set was the same with "I'm So Glad" as the opener and much better than any of the RAH shows. Jack and Eric both gave it so much more power. Ginger had the amps up louder, or so it seemed. The acoustics were good at MSG much to my relief. They had my full attention with the way the show started. The audience was louder and looser than the British but that's not always a good thing. Way to many people stayed standing for entire songs blocking the views of people behind them. We Americans have our shortcomings I'm afraid. A few bad apples do spoil the bunch.

"Spoonful" confirmed this would not be what I'd seen in London. They were trying harder to please and it showed. I knew now it was worth all the bucks and time to do this again. Jack ripped the vocals but Clapton took it to a much higher level here. .. and this is the first night! I didn't put a clock on any of the tunes but "Spoonful" was about the same if not a bit longer compared to May.

"Pressed Rat & Warthog" had Ginger nervous now. He is rushing the lyrics too much. He even sounds confused and embarrased when trying to plug the concession stand at the end. "I want to inform you that Pressed Rat has reopened his shop, and is selling things with Cream written on them". Always a gas to hear Baker do this Wheels classic. Clapton introduced him much like he does on the DVD (Friday show-last show from RAH).

Here comes my favorite... "Sleepy Time Tim"e and they are doing these tunes better and better. I have to think if they keep this up with the reunion concerts we'll see a Cream that won't look anything like what we saw in London. Clapton kicks ass on his soloing here. Just incredible. The audience was "getting it" too. Long standing ovation after his solo. I was feeling good.

Are you ready for THIS? Same set so far right. Wrong! Instead of "N.S.U" after "Sleepy Time Time" the guys goose us with "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (!!) and the crowd went nuts. This was my first time to hear this tune live from Cream and it was so sweet. I can't tell you anything special about it since i was so stunned a new song was thrown into the set. I just know I liked it.. more on this tune for the next review on Tueday show.

Back to the normal set with "N.S.U." then the rest. The show would turn out to be a much better sharper presentation. Baker stepped it up a bit but Eric and Jack trying to do something more. Jack is kicking his leg out on some notes. He did this sparingly in London but this time he'is even jumping up and down just a bit. He looked so much more healthy from my view.

Cream jams are known to occur mostly on "N.S.U.", "Spoonful", and "Sweet Wine". On this nights "Sweet Wine" they got the CLOSEST to a total improvisation of any of the times I've seen them up to now. Eric and Jack were playing a sort of boogie jam directly in front of Baker and they were synced up hard. Everybody around me was getting in to this boogie groove. I've never heard then produce this exact sound on any recording. Then Jack just put it to a halt much like he did on "N.S.U.'s" in London and it was so sad to have this end. They were so in to it and tight but there is a schedule to keep tonight. So many numbers to play and not enough time to really really give it a stretch.

When it came time for "Stormy Monday" I was in shock with more aggressive changes he used to swing into what has to Clapton's best song of the evening. He ripped it hard. He was hitting the strings harder and putting even more passion into the vocals. Again ....this is the first of three shows! Way lay ahead can only get better.

The guys seemed to coast on "Born Under A Bad Sign" which was a surprise. Clapton came alive on the solo but the rest was pedestrian pace. "Sitting On Top of The World" is my only disappointment since I want to get Jack off that harp and back to pounding the Warwick. "White Room" made the crowd go bonkers but I know "Toad" is next so that's all I can think about. "White Room" was done with the same formula as before.

Ginger Baker - "Toad"

What happens here is what happens in dreams for a Ginger Baker fan like me. He extended "Toad" way longer with his solo section at about 10 minutes and he was on the Toms for much of it. I like it. I like it a lot. On the DVD interviews he speaks of how he likes it better when there are more people. He says he is more relaxed when playing for more people. Ginger Baker plays better with more people! He was so powerful and this guy is almost 70 years old! I can't wait to see this again Tuesday.

Encore with "Sunshine Of Your Love" but I'm still on a high from "Toad" and I've seen this presentation four times already so I know a bit too much of what to expect. They ripped "Sunshine Of Your Love" at the end with a fast and furious jam. They did the bows and they were out.

Review--------
Cream was much looser than the Royal Albert Hall shows. They rocked.........Clapton was using overdrive and distortion quite nicely. Clapton's Strat was sounding pretty muscular and although I would have preferred to have seen a Gibson leaning against a stack of Marshalls, when I entered the arena, I really can't say that they were missed. EC made ample use of the wah-wah which, for me, was noticeably absent from the London-DVD. The first time he used it was when they added "Tales of Brave Ulysses" to the set list. He simply walked up to the peddle and stomped on it sending out the loud intro to "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and just brought the house down. Another point of disagreement with the review, at the end of "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", I heard Eric say, "Never before done on this stage," I don't think he would have said "Never before done onstage," since they did play it live in the 60s.

One humorous moment occurred when Jack and Eric were expecting to go into "White Room" but Ginger kicked off "Toad"....Eric and Jack looked at each other in wonderment and Eric threw out his arms, facing Ginger, as if to say "What gives?" Ginger realized something was wrong and trailed off, at which point Jack stepped up to the mike and said, "Ginger Baker, drum solo!"

I thought the RAH arrangements had a slower tempo. I think they are more comfortable with each other and sped up the tempo as well, it sounded less rehearsed and more organic ... all in all a great night. Cream was tight and Clapton was on fire!

Review------

When they came out, everyone in Garden got to their feet and gave them almost a 5 minute standing ovation. I saw Eric and Jack exchange knowing looks as
if this was exactly what they expected. They jumped right into "I'm So Glad". I can't recall the entire set list - probably pretty much the same as RAH. Standouts for me were "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Badge", which they and the audience had a lot of fun with. I think thry may have played the best version of "Stormy Monday" I have ever heard EC do. Very energetic - clearly have gotten over any tentativeness - seemed very comfortable with each other - sure of the material - seemed to be having a lot of fun - especially Jack who smiled constantly.

Bruce was a revelation to me. I sat (actually stood the whole night - as did a lot of the audience) directly in front of him and it was a wonder to watch him play. Towards the end of the evening he seemed to be having cramps and was stretching his hand and fingers. What was interesting to me is that he often seems to barely touch the strings - just an amazing bass player. I have read the complaints about his voice. I thought he had a few weak moments but all in all he was fine. He was especially strong on "Tales Of Brave Ulyesses" and "Sitting on Top of the World". I thought they were really loud - my eardrums are still numb!

I saw EC use the wah wah pedal several times - lots of solos - some fairly long - at least longer than I have heard him do in some time. In fact EC was absolutley great - working really hard - playing constantly - the only song he did not do justice to was "Crossroads". He seemed to want to get through that one as fast as possible. An incredible sound out of that strat - I wouldn't believe a strat could sound so - full - okay - muscular! I have seen EC live over and over again for over 30 years. One of the things I find disapointing is that the last few years, when he does a solo - brief as they tend to be - he repeats himself - even from song to song. But not tonight - he was very creative - even did some jazzy things - really interesting playing - and very expressive - right on - every minute - eyes closed - head back - all night - best I have heard him in a long time - hard to believe this man is the same guy who made "Back Home".

Last time I saw Cream I was 15 years old - today as I drove the mini van to catch the ferry - greying - serious - wrinkles too - I was thinking about the contrast between me then and me now - and figuring that if Cream also wasn't quite what they had been back then - that would be okay - ya know I read all the reviews and comments here about how they were appropriately more subdued now - well - this is a fucking great band - they seriously rock. I was dancing all night - my hands hurt I clapped so much - I admit in my middle age I have become forgetful but I think they are better now than they were - more cohesive - more confident - less of the excess - subdued is not a word I would use to describe the performance I saw tonight.

Performance was filmed too.

Review-----
O.k. boys and girls...
if you don't want to know...
please don't look
tonight was ...
of corse ...
amazing....
same shows as royal albert hall....
with the added "tales of brave ulysses"
anyone missing Eric playing the wha-wha...
was treated tonight to some amazing workout....
the band sounded un-rehearsed but played very well even though there were a few flubs....
much longer solos from the start....
ginger's drum solo after the point in which he starts the swing...
was very much longer than any of the 4 shows in london...
equiptment was the same...
light show the same too...
with the addition of two giant screens on both sides of the stage...
i had an incredible time...
won't be able to sleep...
can't wait to do it again tomorrow & wed.....

-----------------------------------------------
25.10.2005 im Madison Square Garden, New York

1. I'm So Glad
2. Spoonful
3. Outside Woman Blues
4. Pressed Rat and Wart Hog
5. Sleepy Time, Time
6. Tales Of Brave Ulysses
7. NSU
8. Badge
9. Politician
10. Sweet Wine
11. Rollin' & Tumblin'
12. Stormy Monday
13. Deserted Cities of the Heart
14. Born Under a Bad Sign
15. We're Going Wrong
16. Crossroads
17. Sitting on Top of the World
18. White Room
19. Toad
20. Sunshine of Your Love

Review -----

Having sufficiently recovered from my trek to the Big Apple, I'll share my thoughts on Tuesday's show.

First, I was overwhelmed by how well these guys played together. Some things don't come over on audio and video as well as they do in the flesh and the chemistry was awesome. Part of the magic of Cream for me has always been how totally in synch Eric, Jack and Ginger were, perhaps best reflected in their ability to all be soloing simultaneously. The magic's still there.

They cranked for almost two hours without a break and played flat out most of the time. Eric took some mindblowing solos, "N.S.U." and "Stormy Monday" stick in my mind but they are not alone. He was in rare form, playing with an intensity and passion that I've only occasionally seen in recent years. The boy's still got it.

Jack and Ginger were also playing (and in Jack's case, singing) balls-to-the-wall. I worried a couple of times that Jack might have a stroke he was going so full out. I was glad to see him lean against a stool during his extended harp bits. I have never been a big fan of extended drum solos, but watching Ginger perform "Toad" in the flesh reaffirmed what a tremendous drummer and musician he is. Being able to watch him on the overhead projection screens gave me a much greater appreciation for his talent.

The last time I saw these guys was November 3, 1968 at the Civic Center in Baltimore, almost 37 years ago. The power and the majesty is still there.

Review------
Just got back from the show...

Was it just me, or was the guitar louder tonight? Were the solos more "together" tonight? Was that drum solo in "Toad" even tighter than the night before??

It looks like after the opening night jitters, the boys came in like gangbusters. I swear, the guitar amp was turned on louder, or EC just played with more conviction. The notes coming off the guitar were more crisp, more sustained.

A few highlights: EC took charge tonight. A dosage of selfishness was in him this evening (which is good)... he took more time with his solos and really bent those strings. Every song, he delivered a better solo than the last.

"Crossroads": Much better pace than last night (the pacing last night, compared to tonight, was more like a waltz). Either Ginger Baker or EC started the beat fast, and the song sounded better because of it. I'm glad they picked up the pace... EC has been doing it as a slower blues tune in recent years. As well, the two solos were head and shoulders better than last night. The best "Crossroads" I've seen live.

"Toad": Like "Crossroads", there was much better pacing of the drum solo tonight. Ginger was CLEARLY in a good mood and had his groove on. He kicked started "Crossroads" and put that song into another gear, and he just went to town with the "Toad" solos.

Crowd: A tad more subdued tonight. The people on the floor (where I was) was more or less on their feet the entire night. I was disappointed in the people in the lower ring... 95% of them were sitting down the entire show. Show the boys some more respect... you guys got a hell of a show; they played so much better than last night.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

26.10.2005 im Madison Square Garden, New York

1. I'm So Glad
2. Spoonful
3. Outside Woman Blues
4. Pressed Rat and Wart Hog
5. Sleepy Time, Time
6. Tales Of Brave Ulysses
7. NSU
8. Badge
9. Politician
10. Sweet Wine
11. Rollin' & Tumblin'
12. Stormy Monday
13. Deserted Cities of the Heart
14. Born Under a Bad Sign
15. We're Going Wrong
16. Crossroads
17. Sitting on Top of the World
18. White Room
19. Toad
20. Sunshine of Your Love

Review---

Tonight Jack and Ginger played their best of all 7 shows. Jack's voice was amazing. He played with fire, improvising with great runs and notes. Ginger, holy crap! Can you beleive how well, fast, syncopated he was tonight? I can see the rust falling away with each of the 7 shows. Because he plays drums I think the progress as the concerts went on, shows the most, to a layman like myself. Just Great!

Clapton....He has redeemed himself to me. Please no yelling. The last time I can say I liked him in concert, was on the "Journyman" tour. And that was only glimpses of what I got to see in these shows. He IS good...no doubt about that now! I heard three different times, that this was the best rock concert the persons speaking said, they had ever attended.

I feel almost complete in my rock n' roll concert attending career. I have not seen Hendrix live. I went to Woodstock I...but my friend's older brother drove, and he had to be at work on Monday....so no Hendrix.

Cream...I still can hardly believe I had the pleasure of seeing them live. Thank you all for all the insights, humor, great boots. As my new friend says "G-d saved the Cream"

Review----

As some of you may know, I was there Monday night and it was evident to me that prior to Monday's show, these guys had not played together since the last show at RAH. It was sloppy and there was a lot of conversation between the three of them in between songs, like they were trying to get it together.

Tuesday, according to some of you, they were better. I wasn't there.

Well, tonight, I have to say that after two rehearsal shows, they finally pulled it all together. Ginger was tighter and displayed a little more speed than in Monday's show, Clapton seemed to reach back, given the song's time constraints and smoked a few good leads, and Jack kept going back to his amp and cranked up the volume. It was a pretty good show in my opinion.

Except for one thing. I now know why Clapton stays glued to his spot in front of Baker, in between the two monitors: it's so that Clapton can bring that guy back when he wanders off. I swear to God, fucking Baker went off on his own, badly, on at least three songs - "Outside Woman Blues", "N.S.U.", and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" - and it was evident that he was somewhere else in time and space. The guy needed a freaking road map to get back to where he was supposed to be and Clapton, on three separate occasions, turned around and shook his head at Baker trying to rein him in. It was as if he was saying: "hey, we're not up to that part yet". And Clapton was not smiling.

In fact, there was very little of the team mates huddling betwen songs as we saw on Monday. At one point , as Clapton approached the mike to say thank you after "Badge", Jack cut right into "Politician", so Eric backed off the mike and never got to speak.

I had a great time at the shows. They could have been better, but tonight's show, if it is truly the last time we'll ever see these guys, was a good way to end it.

Review------
Oh, man. After being at MSG for Nights 1 and 2, and seeing the progress made in those shows, I was expecting either more, or more of the same.

There was so much promise in the air: EC finally took charge on Night 2, delivering spirited and passionate solo after solo, freeing himself from his modest confines, and trying to leave Ginger and Jack in his dust.

There was so much anticipation: it was their last (?) show, Little Steven was there, Billy Joel, Lenny Kravitz... all the musical stars were here to watch their swan song.

High (low) lights: Clapton... he didn't play badly, but the person on the stage tonight was clearly different from the guy who plugged into his amp yesterday evening.

Let's face it: For the most part, Cream lives or dies by Clapton. You ask any casual person what they think about when they think about Cream: they think about loud, improvisational jams. True, bass and drums are integral parts of that 3-part formula, but it's the guitar and guitar player that leads the charge. It's the element most people gravitate toward, it's the clearest, loudest, and most distinct instrument. If the guitar and/or the guitar player falters, the rest of the formula will not work out. The '60s Clapton enjoyed taking long improvisational jams, bending those strings, straining for the feedback, pushing himself further and further. In order to keep up with EC, Jack and Ginger had to naturally push themselves even further. This dynamic of EC being selfish with the solos forced the rest of the band to play even louder and more creatively; thus, creating a phenominal live act.

So, when Clapton shows up to gigs like he did last night, JB and Ginger must kick it up an notch, which takes Cream to another level. Oh, how great it was last night.

Oh, but, not tonight.

Tell-tale moment: I knew we were in trouble during "Spoonful" (Song #2!). EC just finished his solo and was waiting for JB to start up back into the vocals. Instead of beginning the vocals after the guitar break (which had been done on every performance this tour), JB hangs back and plays an *extended* (not so grand) solo. EC is looking around just gently strumming his chords waiting for JB to wrap up. I was close enough to see EC sigh multiple times during the bass solo.

You're playing your last concert, two songs into the show, and you're sighing?? You certainly don't want God on your bad side... 40 days and 40 nights of unspirited guitar playing ahead!

I may sound extreme, and to give EC credit, he did come back with his sporadic fireworks. But, he clearly wasn't in the mood as he was in last night. Toward the end of the set, he was just phoning it in (i.e., compare "Crossroads" last night to tonight... no comparison).

JB and certainly Ginger (whose performance I think kept getting better and better after each show) rose to the occasion. But, the guitar and its player drive the success of a band's live performance, and EC wasn't all there tonight.

Oh well, I went to all 3 shows... saw the excitement and felt the anticipation of Night 1, was transported to another realm with the playing and effort delivered by EC and the boys on Night 2, and saw perhaps Cream's last performance (from the first row!) tonight. All in all, I think it was money and time well spent.

Review-----
Compared to the RAH shows, during tonight's show at MSG Cream jammed more, listened more to each other, weren't as tight and were generally more fun to see and listen to. All three of them played more creatively and seemed more willing to stretch out and get creative, even if once in a very long time they made a mis-step.

Ginger missed a few cues and overall seemed less certain of what was supposed to happen when. "Sweet Wine's" reentry was really a mess, but they all recovered wonderfully and the solos and interplay between them made the errors easily forgettable. "Toad" was unbelievably fine but Ginger hobbled off afterwards. He's 67, no?

Ginger vocalizes a lot: grunts, sort of singing along. And when his mic wasn't shut off, we all heard his interesting noises, like before the first verse of "Pressed Rat and Warthog." The techs seemed to be busy behind his kit alot during the first half of the show, so maybe it was a tech problem.

Eric did an Allman Brothers chord change at the end of "Stormy Monday" - my ears weren't ready for it and it sounded real fine. Great solo! Jack played fretless.

In general, Eric played incredible backups when Jack was soloing on Bass or Harmonica ("Born Under A Bad Sign", "Rollin' & Tumblin'", "Sitting On Top of the World"). Steady, full and with interesting fills and variations. And Jack returned the favor by keeping things full and interesting while Eric soloed ("Crossroads"). Jack's harmonica playing was a high point for me. When he played both harmonica and bass together ("Sitting On Top of the World"), all was right with the world. And then Eric played a totally dry (no distortion) solo and it got even better! And then Jack thanked the audience for being there! What could be better?

"Crossroads" was a probably the low point of the show for me - Eric sounded a bit like he thought that he was in front of his own band and not Cream. I wished that he would've let go a bit - it was too controlled and mechanical. (Yawn...)

Really nice emotional take of "We're Going Wrong." Eric's solo was very moving, melodic, melancholy. Ginger on mallets was incredible to hear and watch. I still love that last note on Jack's vocal line!

"White Room" featured Jack's fine vocals on the main verses and Eric's high tenor on the second parts ("I'll wait in this place, where the sun never shines...") - that's the part he usually lets Nathan sing. Then they switched for the third verse - Eric took the first part and Jack actually hit the high notes in the second part. Both of their voices have never been better.

After the "Sunshine of Your Love" encore, Jack threw kisses and waves all around. Lovely man! Eric counted Ginger out of the solo and into the song's closing riff - it went off cleanly.

MSG has never been my favorite concert hall. The NYC crowds are full of talkers, drunks and stoned folks. Beer and cocktails are sold in every niche and corner. You can smell lots of marijuana too. Groups of three or more people get up and walk out of the hall in the middle of songs, then shuffle back into their rows, making everyone stand up. I had talkers to my left and behind me too. Luckily, after a few of the first songs I was able to move over a few seats.
____________________________________________________________________________

'No plans' for fresh Cream shows

Rock guitarist Eric Clapton's reunion with his former band Cream for concerts in London and New York signal a parting of the ways once more, say promoters.

The two concerts saw a return to the stage for the first time since the group broke up in 1968.

Tickets for the events - which took place in London in May and New York this week - sold out in two hours.

Publicist Kristen Foster said the band, famous for songs such as I Feel Free, have no future plans.

Health problems

Clapton, 60, is said to have agreed to play as Cream once more because of the failing health of the other former members of the band.

Despite being together for less than three years, Cream recorded three albums which sold more than 35 million copies.

At the Royal Albert Hall in May, where the group last played in 1968, the audience gave members a standing ovation, as Clapton told them: "Thanks for waiting all those years!"

In Madison Square Gardens on Wednesday, despite their style being dubbed by some US newspapers as "geezer" rock, the band's concert won generally glowing reviews.

Worries that the age and health problems for the three musicians - Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Clapton - were "put to rest as soon as Cream took the stage" wrote Modern Guitar Magazine's Tom Guerra.

!

!

!

!

!

:))))))))))))))))))

Вот уже и ДВД пиратский появился в продаже на ebay...

Значит скоро посмотрим :)))
Картинка хорошая.