One Less Thing To Do Before I Die...
Where to begin? Last night I one of my biggest dreams was fulfilled, one which up until recently I had thought would never happen. If you hadn't guessed, last night I got to see Eric Clapton perform live!!! He clearly is one of the most talented musicians around today.
The whole atmosphere at this concert was unlike any I have ever attended...the majority of the audience was middle-aged, with many a former hippy. It was not one of those wildly energetic shows, but one where you simply sit back in awe of all the talent assembled onstage.
The Robert Cray Band opened the show. Normally, I am rather skeptical of opening bands, as usually I get bored and frustrated waiting for the main show. Tonight was not one of those nights. Robert Cray is an extremely talented blues musician, and I was completely drawn into the music. In addition, he can solo with the best of them (Clapton excluded). I was actually saddened when he finished his 40 minute opening set. There is something about fine blues music that just draws you in until you are completely absorbed in the music. The crowd was appreciative of his talent as well, as the applause and cheering grew louder with each successive song (many of them probably had never heard of the Robert Cray Band). Under normal circumstances, this act would have been a tough one to follow due to the sheer amount of musical talent.
I do not even know where to begin to describe the main event of the night. I did not know it was possible to assemble so much talent in a single band. In addition to Clapton, there was another guitarist, a drummer, an organist, a pianist, a bassist, and two female background vocalists, all with considerable talent. More time was spent soloing than singing by a wide margin, which to me is a sign of a good show. One song lasted for about 15 minutes, as almost everyone in the band was given extensive solos. The organ and piano solos were especially amazing, although the highlight for me was of course the bass solo. For the most part, I did not recognize too many songs, but that was of no consequence. In the middle of his preformance, Clapton did a 'sit-down' set, where he played his hollow-body electric and acoustic guitars, playing some softer traditional blues. He then went on to play about 5 more songs, finishing the night off with 'Layla'.
For the encore, he returned to the stage and played absolutely captivating versions of 'Cocaine' and 'Crossroads'. For 'Crossroads', Robert Cray returned to the stage to share vocals and guitar solos with Clapton for an incredible performance. What a night!
When I stood up to leave after the show ended, I was immediately light-headed and dizzy. At first I thought maybe it was the fact that our seats were so high up, but then I realized it probably had more to do with the thick cloud of marijuana smoke in our area. But other than that, it was the concert event of a lifetime.
The whole atmosphere at this concert was unlike any I have ever attended...the majority of the audience was middle-aged, with many a former hippy. It was not one of those wildly energetic shows, but one where you simply sit back in awe of all the talent assembled onstage.
The Robert Cray Band opened the show. Normally, I am rather skeptical of opening bands, as usually I get bored and frustrated waiting for the main show. Tonight was not one of those nights. Robert Cray is an extremely talented blues musician, and I was completely drawn into the music. In addition, he can solo with the best of them (Clapton excluded). I was actually saddened when he finished his 40 minute opening set. There is something about fine blues music that just draws you in until you are completely absorbed in the music. The crowd was appreciative of his talent as well, as the applause and cheering grew louder with each successive song (many of them probably had never heard of the Robert Cray Band). Under normal circumstances, this act would have been a tough one to follow due to the sheer amount of musical talent.
I do not even know where to begin to describe the main event of the night. I did not know it was possible to assemble so much talent in a single band. In addition to Clapton, there was another guitarist, a drummer, an organist, a pianist, a bassist, and two female background vocalists, all with considerable talent. More time was spent soloing than singing by a wide margin, which to me is a sign of a good show. One song lasted for about 15 minutes, as almost everyone in the band was given extensive solos. The organ and piano solos were especially amazing, although the highlight for me was of course the bass solo. For the most part, I did not recognize too many songs, but that was of no consequence. In the middle of his preformance, Clapton did a 'sit-down' set, where he played his hollow-body electric and acoustic guitars, playing some softer traditional blues. He then went on to play about 5 more songs, finishing the night off with 'Layla'.
For the encore, he returned to the stage and played absolutely captivating versions of 'Cocaine' and 'Crossroads'. For 'Crossroads', Robert Cray returned to the stage to share vocals and guitar solos with Clapton for an incredible performance. What a night!
When I stood up to leave after the show ended, I was immediately light-headed and dizzy. At first I thought maybe it was the fact that our seats were so high up, but then I realized it probably had more to do with the thick cloud of marijuana smoke in our area. But other than that, it was the concert event of a lifetime.
posted by Bassmaster Fehr @ 9:51 p.m.
3 Comments:
At March 30, 2007 5:45 p.m.,
Carmen said…
Wow, Tyler, that's awesome! Now, you can rest in peace...
At April 07, 2007 12:05 a.m.,
shinbone #4 said…
I'm so happy for you... now down to business, what would you like me to sing at your funeral??
At May 25, 2007 9:44 p.m.,
shinbone #4 said…
Tyler - you have totally slacked off on the blogging, what happened?? It's facebook isn't it...
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