Clapton And Winwood In NYC

A couple of days ago Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood announced that they will be playing 3 concerts together at Madison Square Garden in February 2008. This is a pretty intriguing collaboration. Obviously their impromptu reunion at Clapton’s 2007 Crossroads Festival inspired the desire to continue working together to some degree.

Everyone familiar with their previous work together in Blind Faith knows the band imploded before it ever had a chance to reach its full potential. Blind Faith initially began as a vehicle for Clapton and Winwood to channel their creative energy into something different, something organic. It had nothing to do with ambitions of fame and money. Both were looking for a new creative outlet after having recently split with their respective former bands, Cream and Traffic.

A period of inspired jamming and writing sessions was followed by a visit from Clapton's former Cream band mate, Ginger Baker. Winwood was fascinated with the idea of working with the highly respected Baker – Clapton however was very ambivalent about the prospect. However, his desire to continue working with Winwood was enough to allow Baker to join their musical experiment.

Once word hit the street that these three star Rock musicians were forming a band, the concept of the “supergroup” was born. Suddenly, this innocent musical venture between Clapton and Winwood with no agendas turned into burgeoning money-making machine for record labels, promoters and managers. The band suddenly was booked to play a massive festival gig at Hyde Park for 100,000 people with a major U.S. tour lined up to support their self-titled debut album, “Blind Faith.”

Clapton has never made any secret that his heart was no longer in Blind Faith once the initial premise of the group was lost due to the over-exposure and excess of the commercial sell-out mentality that was quickly established by the music industry executives. Blind Faith simply got too big, too fast. They never had a chance to naturally evolve, experiment and explore all the music possibilities in front of them. The band barely lasted 6 months.

Still, their debut album is a classic. It was assembled somewhat quickly in the sense that it was premature. The band was still developing and creating, but the pressure to deliver an album became a business priority and they ultimately pulled together what they could from their jam sessions. From the guitar layered wizardry brilliance of “Had To Cry Today” to the soaring “Presence Of The Lord” to the beautiful acoustic melodic “Can’t Find My Way Home,” there was a lot of depth on the album. One can hear the potential the band had. Universal’s deluxe edition of “Blind Faith” gives an even greater insight into the band’s creative process and musical virtuosity.

Fans that are able to go to the Clapton/Winwood shows at Madison Square Garden are probably in for a magical concert experience. Winwood has returned to his musical roots during the past 5 years and has gone through a creative rebirth so-to-speak. Clapton is playing as well as he has ever played. There is no doubt that playing with a musician of the caliber of Steve Winwood will bring out the best in Clapton. Just look at the initial Cream reunion shows from the Royal Albert Hall stand in 2005 – Clapton was pushed by Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker and played with a fire and intensity not always there. Having a chance to hear these two seasoned musicians revisit not only the Blind Faith catalogue, but possibly elements of Traffic, Cream and other areas from their expansive musical careers is a special opportunity that does not come along too often.

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood were shortchanged the first time around. In fact, one could argue that the music fan was also shortchanged. These are two incredibly gifted musicians that highly respect each other. They created something natural and real nearly 40 years ago, but it was derailed by outside influences. Maybe this time around it will last a little longer. Granted they are only booked for 3 gigs, but who knows, maybe it will be such a fulfilling ride that they extend their collaboration. If you are in NYC in February - do what you can to see one of these shows.