Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
London Wembley Arena
21st May, 2010

View: stage-right

With his old Blind Faith compadre, Steve Winwood, Slowhand strolled to the mic so casually that he missed the first syllables of After Midnight, but made up for it with the first of several spindly solos. The old Blind Faith chestnut, Presence Of The Lord, with traded vocals, still sends shivers down the spine, and the jazzy instrumental, Glad, has one of those piano riffs that gave drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Willie Weeks and keyboardist Chris Stainton a chance to shine. There was a nod to Buddy Holly with a rollicking Well All Right, and Winwood conjured up the ghost of Ray Charles during Georgia On My Mind, before an acoustic section featuring the obligatory Layla. Their extended take on Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile meandered, even if Winwood’s Hammond organ solo recalled the contribution he made to the original. Yet, they drew the best out of each other when trading guitar solos, during J.J. Cale’s Cocaine. Indeed, unbiased observers may say Winwood’s trademark soulful wail and mastery of the B3 means he has the edge over Clapton. As if to prove the point, their sole encore, Dear Mr. Fantasy, was another Traffic evergreen.

Reviewed by Pierre Perrone
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