Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood in Concert at Madison Square Gardens

Night 1: February 25th

Together again after ~40 years.

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood initially collaborated in the late 60s through the formation of a group called Blind Faith. While highly successful, the band stayed together only for a short time, long enough to launch one album and a tour and to create an appetite for a new sound: the fusion of blues and rock music.

As an audience, we were then starved for years, until we received another taste of the duo during the 2007 Clapton and Winwood collaboration at the Chicago Crossroads Guitar festival. And now, in 2008, there is finally more food to satisfy the craving. The superstars granted us a spectacular 3-night showdown at the Gardens in New York in late February.

Despite all the anticipation, the night started out on a slightly embarrassing note. Steve Winwood was on the piano and another guy was playing back up guitar. The guy on the guitar was really good. A few of us commented that said guy looked a lot like Eric Clapton. But of course it could not have been him…nobody puts Eric in the corner (shameless quote stealing from Dirty Dancing)! A while later, when this guy on the guitar started doing solo pieces, someone said that the backup guitarist got a great promotion. We all chuckled. How embarrassing for us, self-proclaimed fans, to realize that the guitarist was indeed Eric Clapton. Oops. We quickly and quietly got over our gaffe, and enjoyed the superb show.

It was wonderful to see such talented musicians, in no-frills attire, completely relaxed, sharing stories, and laughing, as they alternated between solo and combined segments. Clapton and Winwood performed hit songs from their own repertoire as well as from other greats. Winwood, on the piano, rendered a powerful vocal performance of “Georgia on My Mind”, and if you closed your eyes, you could almost think that you were listening to Ray Charles. Clapton displayed his skills on the guitar across many songs, including, “Presence of the Lord” and “Kind Hearted Woman Blues.” The Clapton/Winwood duo continued to rock the house for several hours, and we left the concert well-fed that night.

Today though, we are again hungry, and longing for the date and time of the next meal. Eric, Steve – we hope it will be soon.