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As one legend began his penultimate fade, another emerged onstage at Madison Square Garden, bathed in a soft white light like a savior from above, helping to keep the mighty blues torch burning on. The news the night before was hard to ignore, especially if you know anything about blues music. John Lee Hooker, one of the genre’s pioneers, died. But at the risk of sounding cold, this is no eulogy for the dearly departed. I hate to admit it, but my hopes were set very high for this show due to the (un)timely passing of Hooker and it being the last date of Eric Clapton's North American Tour, Part I. He just absolutely had to honor his fallen friend, right? How could he ignore it? In typical Clapton fashion, though, he dodged predictability. Completely.
Playing a straight two-hour set, the song choice varied little from previous shows. But even if Eric Clapton is retiring from world tours, Slowhand showed no signs of slowin’ down, ensuring the all-ages crowd that each would get what they paid for as he burned through many stages of his musical life.
Starting off solo, a man armed only with his Martin acoustic, Clapton finger-picked his way through a lengthy, but sweet intro until "Driftin’" emerged, turning this arena into a dirty ole Southern juke joint. Clapton’s highly capable band-mates (Andy Fairweather Low- guitar, Nathan East- bass, Steve Gadd- drums, Paulhina DaCosta- percussion, David Sancious- keyboards, and legendary veteran Billy Preston- organ) helped their leader groove into the Carib-tinged “Reptile” from this year’s album of the same name.
George Harrison’s rocker “Got You On My Mind” really started the house a-shakin’, only to be brought way back down again by the requisite, and highly untimely, “Tears In Heaven.” Arguably Clapton’s most recognizable tune, it was a splash of cold water just when things were just starting to heat up. Busting out “Bell Bottom Blues” next felt like a knee-jerk reaction to the disappointment. While the bookend choices were welcome, the book held up in the middle was laborious; a lot like summer traffic on the Garden State Parkway-- go-stop-go.
Turning, finally, to his trusty Stratocaster, the next round of tunes were soul-heavy. Reeling off a trio of “My Father’s Eye’s,” “River of Tears,” and “Going Down Slow,” in succession, allowed Clapton to reveal his oft-forgotten gospel-like voice while the band dished out more than one Motown-style breakdown. Returning to his bread-and-butter, the solo welded into “She’s Gone” was perhaps the most jaw-dropping workout of the evening. And as the tune began to morph, it changed direction running head-on into “I Want a Little Girl,” possibly honoring the recent birth of his daughter, Julie Rose.
Employing a slide for J.J. Cale’s reworked “Travelin’ Light” EC finally got down to business. With no less than three incredibly tight breaks, the entire band was in total sync, listening to and feeding off one another. “Hoochie Coochie Man” kept the crowd on its feet and wouldn’t let go as “Five Long Years” brought them to the tips of their toes. Anything to get a glimpse of their hero doing what he does best: blasting away at his signature brand of blues. It is clear to see why the moniker Slowhand fits so well; he doesn’t even touch the strings and magic easily flows. But it was Preston that wowed them with a raucous, full-body attack on his organ, roaring through a low-down dirty solo.
Rounding out the night was a mostly greatest-hits package kicked off with a very standard “Cocaine.” Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, though, was a jammed-out, energetically rebuilt version of the prom standard, “Wonderful Tonight” and had otherwise deaf ears suddenly perked. “Sunshine of Your Love” never gets old, but wasn’t given any special treatment. A stellar encore choice blew the dust off an old, inspirational “Wizard of Oz” tune, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Granted it seems an odd choice on paper, but when Eric Clapton lays down smooth jazz riffs this perfect, it’s hard to argue.
Ultimately, the show was a mixed bag, forcing a very mixed reaction. While the best moments were at times other-worldly, some song choices seemed disjointed, giving the show a somewhat staccato flow. The second half of the night was clearly the best. On that portion’s own merit, it proves that the three-time Hall of Famer is ready to take his throne atop Mt. Olympus as the reigning guitar god. Breaking from the world’s road will let a new generation fill his big shoes, much the way he filled the likes of John Lee Hooker’s.
Scott Caffrey
JamBase Tri-State Correspondent
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