« Dennis Miller Concert Review | Main | Fun with Flogging »
October 9, 2006
E.C. was here
There was nothing surprising about Eric Clapton’s concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday night and that was a good thing. When you have Slowhand out on stage with a backup band of seasoned veterans and young hotshot guitarists, the only shock would have been if it was anything less than terrific.
Seeing Clapton wail away on his guitar is always impressive, but throw in his frequent collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, 37, and slide guitar whiz Derek Trucks, 27, and you have a night of pure heaven for lovers of the six-string.
In the Associated Press interview with Clapton, which ran in Saturday’s Connecticut Post, he said he felt that, at 61, he’s “definitely on the decline,� but if he is, it wasn’t evident Saturday night in the second of his two concerts at the casino.
What was on display were the talents of three enormously gifted guitarists and all three had plenty of solo moments in the spotlight, often in the same song.
From the night’s first tune, “Pretending,� Clapton generously gave Trucks and Bramhall ample time to strut their stuff and they didn’t disappoint.
It was the third time I saw Trucks perform in the past few months – The Derek Trucks Band was on the bill at the Dodge Music Center in Hartford at this summer’s concert featuring Tom Petty and The Allman Brothers, of which Trucks also is a member – and I’m still in awe of his playing. As talented as he is, Trucks manages to add just the right amount of fire without overdoing it, an affliction many young guitar-slingers have.
Bramhall is more in the traditional blues mode and he is no stranger to Clapton fans, having worked with him on his 2004 tour and on his past few albums. Interestingly, Bramhall also spent time as the hired gun for ex-Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters, a spot Clapton held on Waters’ Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking tour way back in 1984.
Two of the night’s songs, “Old Love� and “Little Queen of Spades,� were less like songs than mere stepping-off points for extended jams with everybody on stage showing what they could do. Also in Clapton’s band was the stellar rhythm section of drummer Steve Jordan and bassists Willie Weeks, keyboard players Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon and backup singers Michelle John and Sharon White.
And if Clapton, Trucks and Bramhall weren’t enough, opening act Robert Cray joined the fun for “Old Love,� a song he co-wrote with Clapton for 1989’s “Journeyman� album.
As good as it was to watch the three-guitar attack, when Clapton went off on a roll it was mesmerizing. To see him burn his way through Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff� might have been worth the price of admission alone.
A highlight of the concert for me was to hear the song “Motherless Children� performed live as that has always been a favorite of mine and the crack band assembled – and Trucks in particular – brought it to a whole new level.
And how’s this four-song stretch that ended the concert: “Let it Rain,� “Wonderful Tonight,� “Layla� and “Cocaine.� (“Let it Rain� replaced “Further On Up the Road� in the only change in set lists for Clapton’s two shows at the Mohegan Sun.)
As if it isn’t enough that Trucks shines with The Allman Brothers in the role originated by the late great Duane Allman, he also handled Allman’s parts from “Layla� with equal skill.
The concert ended, as do most of Clapton’s, with a run through Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads� and Cray once again joined in the festivities, as if three great guitarists weren’t enough.
The Robert Cray Band opened the night with a 35-minute set and, again, it was everything you’d expect from a veteran talent. His smooth, soulful blues music was the perfect warm-up for Clapton. If you’ve never seen Cray and his band, I suggest you pick up the recently released two-CD “Live from Across the Pond,� which is a solid overview of Cray’s career and captures him in his element – the stage.
The set list
Pretending/I Shot the Sheriff/Got to Get Better in a Little While/Old Love/Anyday/Motherless Children/Back Home/I Am Yours/Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out/Running On Faith/After Midnight/Little Queen of Spades/Let it Rain/Wonderful Tonight/Layla/Cocaine
Encore: Crossroads
Posted by Sean on October 9, 2006 6:57 PM
