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Steve Winwood | 10.02.03 | Fillmore Auditorium | Denver, CO
Steve Winwood's lengthy tour rolled up to The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on the 2nd of October, splitting time with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Winwood boasts one of the more impressive resumes among musicians today: a career spanning 40 years in the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith before venturing out on an extremely successful solo career. His current tour was propelled by the release of his latest album, About Time, which hit store shelves in June of this year.
Winwood's diverse taste in music ranging from rock, r&b, folk and jazz to world music is reflected in the array of sounds created by the band. The set started at the stroke of nine with a rousing ten-minute rendition of "Pearly Queen." At this point, the Fillmore was packed and the crowd had begun to settle in for the evening. The band then pulled out "Different Light" and "Ciganos," two tracks off the recent studio effort. Throughout the tunes (and the whole show for that matter), there was an unrelenting, uplifting rhythm created by the band. While they seemed to play relatively simple rhythmic patterns, the difference between the group and other acts is that these guys are good. When they would lock into a nice-sounding groove, without exception one member of the band would step out and nail home a solo to top off the song.
By now, most of the audience was enjoying the sounds coming off the stage, but were lingering in pensive anticipation for some vintage Winwood. Relief came in the form of "Can't Find My Way," the Blind Faith classic from 1969. While he didn't have Eric Clapton standing to his left this time, Winwood gave some room for guitarist Jose Neto to shine as the band turned in a triumphant version of the song. After satisfying the classic rock-purists in attendance, the band gave another 1-2 punch off the new album with "Final Hour" and "Silvia." When the band remained onstage, it became evident that the show would not stick to Winwood's standard two-set performance, but rather would come in the form of a single extended set.
For the "second half" of the set, the crowd was treated to a number of classics starting with Traffic's "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring." By this time, the band was feeling at ease with both themselves and the audience, and felt free to "let loose" into more involved jams.
By Tony Stack |
The next song sent shockwaves through the Fillmore: "Back in the High Life," one of his more commercially-successful tunes. The band did not disappoint as Winwood led them through the song with impeccable vocals and a passionate performance. As if that weren't enough, the band decided to round out the evening with the crowd-pleasers "Dear Mr. Fantasy," and "Low Spark." It would be remiss to not give credit to Neto, who turned out a couple of the more incredible guitar solos these ears have heard, as well as saxophonist Randall Bramblett who stole the spotlight for several minutes as the night progressed.
After two hours, the band finally left the stage, leaving only one question: How the heck could they top that with an encore? The answer revealed itself as the band came back onstage with some friends from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The crowd absolutely erupted as everyone realized what was about to transpire. They opted for a cover of Timmy Thomas' 1972 song "Why Can't We Live Together?" that is prominently featured on Winwood's "About Time." From the start, the additional horns packed a powerful punch to the overall sound coming off the stage. While such spontaneous collaborations often require time for the musicians to "find" one another, the two bands gelled together seamlessly, which accentuated their versatility and overall musical prowess.
As a nightcap, the band churned out the 1967 classic "Gimme Some Lovin'" by the Spencer Davis Group. Even though it was a Thursday night, and even though the crowd was slightly older than many others that typically see live music on a weekday, virtually no one had left the auditorium. Neckties were loosened as the general admission crowd spilled onto the dance floor for the last song of the night. The band provided the perfect excuse for business professionals to engage in a bit of rump-shakin' with the patchouli-scented factions of the neo-hippy coalition. Bottom line: damn near everyone agreed it was an incredible show.
Don't be fooled: this isn't the more commercially-appealing light-rockish Steve Winwood from the 1980s that your parents listened to. Winwood has undoubtedly benefited from his variety of experiences, and has assembled a top-notch crew of musical conspirators to accompany him on tour. While the band keeps its setlist fairly standard for most shows, each performance manages to retain its uniqueness with the intensity the band brings to each song. The night turned out to strike a perfect balance between the newer material and the decade-old classics that sparked Winwood's rise to prominence. Steve Winwood has truly come full circle and finds himself "Back in the High Life" again. The lyrics are indeed prophetic: "All the doors I closed one time will open up again. I'll be back in the high life again: all the eyes that watched me once will smile and take me in." Its "About Time" they did.
Nathan Rodriguez
JamBase | Colorado
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