Roger Waters Live At The First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre

Last night I attended what was without a doubt one of the greatest concerts of my entire life- Roger Waters performing "Dark Side Of The Moon" in it's entirety, as well as a handful of other classic Pink Floyd tracks. The show was scheduled to begin at 8 but by 8:30 he had yet to take the stage. The anticipation within the crowd was growing more intense by the minute. By the time the lights did finally dim the excitement in the air was palpable and as if on cue, the appropriate stench of ganja smoke began to overtake the crowd. The smiling, bass wielding Waters and his ten piece band hit the stage to overwhelming applause as they launched into the classic "Wall" track, "In The Flesh". It was a positively triumphant opening and seeing Waters spit out that ever so sarcastic second verse was a concert experience I shall never forget! From there he donned an acoustic guitar and led the crowd through a mass sing along on another classic "Wall" track, "Mother". The eerie "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" followed, with footage from the "Arnold Layne" promo video providing the atmosphere on the gigantic video screen behind the band. Appropriately enough the mammoth video screen showed a bittersweet montage of the late great Syd Barrett during the Syd-inspired "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". Two more "Wish You Were Here" tracks came after that- an excellent rendition of "Have A Cigar" and a rousing version of the hugely popular title track, during which the crowd's singing threatened to drown out Waters himself.

These first six songs rank amongst the finest opening to any concert I've ever witnessed. They were worth the price of admission alone but Waters was just getting warmed up! The crowd's enthusiasm did wane a bit during "South Hampton Dock", "The Fletcher Memorial Home" and "Perfect Sense" but a brand new song entitled "Leaving Beirut" came next, and everybody hooted and hollered in appreciation as the blatantly anti-Bush lyrics appeared on the video screen along with some comic strip style illustrations. I've read about some booing in other cities but I didn't detect any boos last night here in Chicago. The first set ended with an absolutely spectacular rendition of the "Animals" track "Sheep". It was at this point in the concert that the infamous inflatable pig saw the light of day, this time baring scrawled messages including "don't be led to the slaughter" and "impeach Bush now". Had the concert ended right then and there I would have went home very satisfied, but the main course was yet to come....

After a brief intermission Waters and company reemerged and launched into one of the true bona fide masterpieces of the rock era- "Dark Side Of The Moon". I must give kudos to Waters' ten piece backing band which featured not one, not two, but three guitar players- former Clapton sideman Andy Fairweather Low, Snowy White and Dave Kilminster. Kilminster handled the Gilmour vocal parts, and did a great job of it. The band also featured two keyboard players, three female backing vocalists and a sax player. These guys reproduced "Dark Side" absolutely NOTE FOR NOTE, and the quadrophonic sound system was extraordinary, with the samples of clocks, cash registers, spoken asides and laughing madmen seemingly floating through the air around us. Of course, the classic rock radio staple "Money" brought the crowd to it's knees, but the highlight for me had to have been "Us And Them", one of my all time, all time favorite songs. I'm not ashamed to say seeing it performed live was so surreal, so positively otherworldly, that it had me weeping like a baby! After "Brain Damage" and a majestic take on "Eclipse" the band left the stage to deafening applause. They quickly reemerged for an encore and launched straight into "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives" and "Another Brick In The Wall". The crowd didn't so much as sing along during the "Another Brick In The Wall" refrain. They positively shouted the lyrics and before long I found myself doing the same. "Vera" and "Bring The Boys Back Home" followed and then came the show stopper, an absolutely epic take on "Comfortably Numb". I became so overwhelmed with emotion I couldn't help but sing every single word at the top of my lungs. It was a truly transcendent ending to the evening.

After Waters reunited with his old bandmates for Live 8 last year, I, like most Floyd fans, was really hoping they'd embark on a reunion tour. Of course, that didn't end up happening, but this current Waters tour is the next best thing. The contempt for portions of his audience that partially inspired "The Wall" is long gone. He was clearly enjoying himself last night, going from one corner of the stage to the next, all the while manning his bass and smiling warmly at the gathered masses. He could even be glimpsed happily singing along to the parts of the songs where his band members took over the lead vocals. I get the feeling that this tour is in part an effort on Waters' part to reclaim his portion of the Floyd legacy. He's even stated publicly that he would be open to a Floyd tour. It's actually Gilmour who's said he's not interested. Perhaps one day they will finally bury the hatchet and embark on one more trek around the world. If not, at least I was able to witness an amazing concert very much in the classic Floyd mold in terms of scale and spectacle, by the man responsible for so much of their creative output. And that's a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life....

Here's the complete set list-

In The Flesh
Mother
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Have A Cigar
Wish You Were Here
South Hampton Dock
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Perfect Sense
Leaving Beirut
Sheep

Speak To Me
Breathe
On The Run
Time
The Great Gig In The Sky
Money
Us And Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick In The Wall
Vera
Bring The Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb

Eric Clapton Live at The United Center

E.C. pictured on opening night of his current tour.

Last night I went to see my main man, the one and only Mr. Eric Patrick Clapton at the United Center here in Chicago. It was only my second time seeing him so I was quite excited! And did he ever deliver, peeling off solo after solo of magnificent beauty! It was breathtaking! Prior to the concert I attended an exclusive fan club listening party for his forthcoming album "Road To Escondido", a collaboration with singer/songwriter J.J. Cale. What follows is my review of both the listening party and the concert itself, originally written for whereseric.com and the ecaccess message board. Enjoy!!

Last night I attended the fan club listening party for "Road To Escondido" (due out on November 7th) prior to the concert at the United Center and I'm pleased to report this is one helluva album folks! Unfortunately, they were having some trouble with the sound system which wasn't really fixed until at least midway through, but we were still able to get the basic feel of the songs themselves and I was particularly enamored with the first two, "Danger" and "Heads In Georgia". "Danger" reminds me an awful lot of the kind of Cale-influenced material E.C. did in the seventies and "Heads In Georgia" approaches near psychedelic territory with it's hypnotic groove. From that point on the album features many thoroughly enjoyable songs built on Cale's trademark laidback boogie, some very tasty guitar work by E.C. and Derek Trucks, and the gospel infused organ work of the late, great Billy Preston. Highlights include a great take on "Sporting Life Blues" (which features a superb E.C. vocal and solo), "Three Little Girls" (written by Clapton for his three young daughters), the seventies style twin guitars on "Don't Cry Sister", and of course the very last track and first single "Ride The River", which finds Clapton workin' his old "Journeyman"-era chorus pedal and wah-wah combination to great effect! All in all, I think "Road To Escondido" holds up alongside Clapton's greatest work and will do quite well. His vocals and guitar work are such a natural fit with the songs of J.J. Cale you just can't help but wonder why they haven't worked together before!

By the time the listening party was over it was almost 7:30- time for Robert Cray to hit the stage. Me and my friend wanted to step outside and have a smoke or two before settling down in our seats. Once we got back in we grabbed some beer, got ready to find out seats and before we knew it Cray's set was over! It must have been really short 'cause I thought for sure we were going to be able to catch the second half. Knowing that Clapton would be bringing him back out for "Old Love" and "Crossroads" I wasn't that worried about it. By the time we finally did find our seats located in row 21 of section 2 (mainfloor, centerstage) it was almost 8:30. The lights dimmed right at 8:30 or so and this seemed to catch A LOT of people off guard. E.C. hit the stage dressed in his usual concert attire (designer shirt, baggy jeans and sneakers) to thunderous applause. He launched into "Pretending" and my heart soared! Unfortunately, a lot of people around me we're still making their way to their seats during the first couple verses which somewhat dulled the experience. By the end of the song everybody was settled and we were off and running with "I Shot The Sheriff". As anybody who saw E.C. in '04 can tell you his magnificent, elongated solos on "Sheriff" were the highlight of that tour, and he delivered once again with an absolutely jaw dropping display of nimble fingered fret work and piercing bends! The old Dominos tune "Got To Get Better In A Little While" was such a crowd pleaser last go around that he's kept it in the set for this tour and they delivered a ferocious take on it last night! During the breakdown section I saw an absolutely shit eating grin on Mr. Clapton's face. It was a priceless moment. From there we were treated to a spectacular rendition of "Old Love" during which E.C. with head back, eyes closed, and fingers way up high on the fretboard, nailed some of his sweetest guitar playing of the night. Hell, some of the sweetest guitar playing I've ever heard! I couldn't help but think to myself during his extended solos on "Sheriff" and "Old Love" how crystal clear the tone of his guitar is even in the murky audio environment of the United Center. That stinging vibrato of his cuts through all the reverb like a knife! And for the record, I quite enjoyed Tim Carmon's synth solo. After "Old Love" came impassioned takes on "Everybody Oughta Make A Change" and "Motherless Children", a song I was very much looking forward to hearing in concert.

Then came time for the semi-acoustic sitdown set. The "Unplugged" style renditions of "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "Running On Faith" seemed to really bring the house down, and Derek Trucks delivered on all the hype surrounding him with his ever so distinctive, soaring slide work. From there we were treated to a really hard charging take on "After Midnight" (another song I was really lookin' forward to hearing last night) during which the rhythm section of Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan surely earned their money, and the extended blues workout on "Little Queen Of Spades". E.C., Derek and Doyle Bramhall all took their turns soloing, with each solo seemingly better than the last! The 70's concert staple "Futher On Up The Road" was next and before we knew it, it was time for "Wonderful Tonight", one of the greatest love songs ever written in my humble opinion. The couples in the crowd pulled each other a little closer and I'm sure many tears were shed. Then came the moment surely everybody was waiting for- the immortal opening riff to "Layla". The crowd went beserk and with a three guitar, two keyboard line up, the band was able to do justice to the original multi-layered studio recording. Clapton and Trucks' guitar interplay during the piano-led coda was sublime! The "Layla" outro went straight into the opening chords of "Cocaine" and Clapton and company delivered a hard rockin' extended take on this classic that I much prefer to the original studio recording.

From there the band left the stage and the lights dimmed again. After a couple minutes of absolutely ecstatic applause they re-appeared with Robert Cray in tow and launched into "Crossroads". This was an absolute guitar orgy with Clapton, Cray, Bramhall and Trucks all delivering some top notch fretwork! A "guitar orgy" would be a fitting term to describe the entire concert with so many great extended solos from Clapton and company. It was surely some of the greatest guitar playing I've ever witnessed and surely one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Great band, great setlist.... What more could you possibly want? And yes, Clapton is STILL God! :)

Here's the complete set list....
Pretending
I Shot The Sheriff
Got To Get Better In A Little While
Old Love (with Robert Cray)
Everybody Oughta Make A Change
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
Further On Down The Road
Wonderful Tonight
Layla
Cocaine
Crossroads (with Robert Cray)

Layla

It was on this date back in 1970 that Eric Clapton recorded the song now considered to be his masterpiece the world over, "Layla". It's well known the song was inspired by Pattie Boyd, wife of Clapton's good friend George Harrison. And most of us are well aware that "Layla" features the guitar prowess of not only Clapton himself, but of the late, great Duane Allman as well. Today I'm going to take you a little deeper than that. Much deeper in fact, into the creation of what surely is one of the all time greatest classic rock anthems....

Eric Clapton first met George Harrison in December of 1964 when The Yardbirds were among the opening acts for the Beatles' annual Christmas concerts held at the Hammersmith Odeon Theatre. A mutual respect between the two guitar players was formed on that day, but it wasn't until late 1967 that their friendship really began to blossom. They first worked together on Harrison's film score for "Wonderwall" (Clapton played guitar on the track entitled "Ski-ing"). They grew tighter throughout the late sixties, and they continued to work together on occasion. Clapton famously layed down the solo on The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and the two wrote and recorded Cream's "Badge" together. By the time they collaborated on "Badge", both men had long grown weary of the bickering and in-fighting taking place amongst their respective bands. "Badge" was released on Cream's "Goodbye" album in March of '69. By May of 1970 The Beatles had also ceased to exist, and Harrison was beginning the sessions for his debut solo album, "All Things Must Pass".

Pattie Boyd first met Clapton when she and Harrison attended a Cream concert at the Saville Theatre in 1968 (the Saville Theatre was owned by The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein). She later commented on her initial impression of him at the post-concert party, "He didn't talk to anybody or socialize. There was an aura about him that set him apart from the others. Definitely." By the time Clapton started participating in the sessions for "All Things Must Pass" he had developed a serious infatuation with his friend's wife, "I went to Esher several times, and every time I went, after a nice time with George and Pattie, I remember feeling a dreadful emptiness- because I was certain I was never going to meet a woman quite that beautiful for myself. I knew that. I knew I was in love. I fell in love with her at first sight- and it got heavier and heavier for me."

For the "All Things Must Pass" sessions Clapton brought along Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon, a group of top notch American musicians who had recently played on Clapton's own debut solo LP. He and Harrison had first encountered them when they were touring with the husband and wife act, Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. Now they were becoming Clapton's band. And before long they'd be christened Derek and The Dominos.

At some point during the sessions Clapton and Boyd had a short lived affair. When Boyd made it clear she wouldn't be leaving Harrison, Clapton was crushed. It was at this point that he first began to dabble with heroin. Around this same time a friend had given him a book entitled "The Story of Layla and Majnun", a classic Persian tale of unrequited love. The theme of the book resonated deep within' Clapton and it inspired him to put pen to paper.

The sessions for the album eventually titled "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" started in late August 1970. Duane Allman's involvement came about through producer Tom Dowd, who had also worked with The Allman Brothers. Dowd took Clapton along to an Allman Brothers concert where he and Allman met for the first time. After an all night jam session Clapton invited Allman to sit in on the sessions. Allman overdubbed his trademark brand of virtuoso slide guitar on some of the tracks already in the can, and he and The Dominos set out on recording some new songs from scratch, including "Layla". Clapton later remarked, "I just had the main body of the song, and it wasn't enough. It needed an intro, a motif." In fact, it was actually Allman who contributed the immortal opening riff, a sped up version of Albert King's "As The Years Go Passing By". The two guitar gods sat side by side, creating an audio embodiment of Clapton's anguish through track after track of guitar overdubs. "Duane and I played all of it together. We found that whenever we were going to do an overdub, neither of us would do it alone. We'd either do it in unison or in harmony. So we did it all together." The end result was larger than life, but the song wasn't yet finished. The gorgeous piano-led coda was composed by Dominos drummer Jim Gordon, and it was recorded during a later session on October 1st. Clapton and Allman once again set about recording multiple guitar parts including their soaring slide guitars, and the two pieces were edited together. A true rock classic was born.

"Layla" was first released as a single in 1971, and surprisingly, it went largely unnoticed by the general public. It didn't make the top ten until it was reissued in 1972. From that point on it became a staple of FM radio and has been a highlight of Clapton's concerts from 1974 on through the present. The double blow of Pattie's rejection, and the initial commericial failure of the single and album it inspired, sent Clapton reelin'. He became a virtual recluse during the early seventies, holed up in his Hurtwood Edge mansion, strung out on heroin. In 1974 he cleaned himself up and later that same year he convinced Pattie to finally leave George for him. They were married in 1979 before seperating for good in the mid-eighties. Their divorce was finalized in 1988. Clapton and Harrison's friendship somehow managed to survive the whole ordeal. Harrison once famously quipped, "I'd rather she be with him than some dope." The two famed guitarists even continued to record together on occasion, most notably on Harrison's 1987 comeback album, "Cloud Nine", and Clapton's criticially acclaimed "Journeyman" album. A stripped down, acoustic version of "Layla" was a top twenty hit for Clapton in 1992, but he's back to playing the original electric version in concert now. He's been quoted as saying, "I'm terribly proud of that song. To have ownership over something that powerful is something I'll never be able to get used to. I've tried to re-create the sense of that again and again. And it cannot be done. I've realised it's pointless. Just leave it be."

Modern Times

It was announced today that Bob Dylan's excellent new album, "Modern Times" has topped the U.S. charts. No small feat for even the most acclaimed singer/songwriter in rock history to pull off in these "modern times". It's Mr. Zimmerman's first number one album since 1976's "Desire" and his fourth number one album overall. I doubt he'd ever admit it, but somewhere deep down inside he must feel gratified.

"Modern Times" is Dylan's first album of new material in five years. His last two albums, 1997's Grammy award winning "Time Out Of Mind", and 2001's "Love and Theft" were widely hailed as a return to form, and Dylan has delivered on the high expectations for "Modern Times". Like "Love and Theft", Dylan produced "Modern Times" himself under the pseudonym Jack Frost. According to Columbia Records it's the final installment in a trilogy alongside "Time Out Of Mind" and "Love and Theft".

"Modern Times" finds Dylan and his touring band mining much the same musical territory as "Love and Theft". It's a positively prehistoric and thoroughly intoxicating synthesis of blues, country, gospel, jazz, rockabilly and Tin Pan Alley style pop that Dylan espouses nowadays. Lyrically, Dylan is concise and to the point. That's not to say the songs on "Modern Times" aren't wordy. They are in the sense that most of the songs feature many different verses, but the surreal imagery and twisted word play of his mid-sixties work is long gone, replaced with a direct and very deliberate use of language. There are a couple typically cryptic lines scattered throughout the album's ten songs, most notably the already infamous reference to Alicia Keys on "Thunder On The Mountain". For the most part though Dylan's new lyrics are as straightforward as they've ever been, and they're all delivered with that impeccable phrasing he's long been famous for.

The album gets off to a rollicking start with the country-blues shuffle of "Thunder On The Mountain". Dylan's clearly enjoying himself here, as he is on the album's other uptempo country-blues numbers, "Rollin' And Tumblin'" (an update on the blues standard of the same name) and the infectious "Someday Baby" (currently featured on iTunes' TV adverts for the album). Track four, "When The Deal Goes Down", is a standout. It's built upon a dreamy foundation of steel guitar and strings and features some of Dylan's most touching lyrics. "Workingman's Blues No. 2" is another standout track. It features a descending chord progression somewhat reminscent of "Forever Young". The album ends in classic Dylan fashion with a near ten minute epic entitled "Ain't Talkin'", in which he effortlessly tosses off verse after haunting verse over a moody groove in A minor. The mood is dark, but the very last chord takes a surprising change from A minor to A major, offering a hint of redemption, the light at the end of the tunnel, if you will. It's a damn fine ending to a damn fine album. An album that holds up alongside some of his greatest work.

I must give kudos to Dylan's touring band, Tony Garnier, George C. Receli, Stu Kimball, Denny Freeman and Donnie Herron. Their accompanient throughout "Modern Times" is masterful. These guys can certainly play, but they know when NOT to play. Every single note is in it's right place, much like Dylan's own impeccable phrasing. The guitar interplay between Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman is rock solid, as is the the rhythm section of Tony Garnier and George C. Receli. It's Donnie Herron who applies the sweetening on steel guitar, violin, viola and mandolin, and he does so with a master's touch. Dylan himself played guitar, harmonica and piano during the sessions.

I find Dylan's late career creative bloom very inspiring to say the least. Over the last couple of years he's collaborated with Martin Scorcese on his "No Direction Home" documentary, published the first volume of his autobiography "Chronicles" (volumes two and three are said to be forthcoming), embarked on a weekly radio show for XM satellite radio, and of course, is still on his "never ending tour", in which he radically reworks a host of songs from his back catalogue night after night. It appears that Bob will "keep on keepin' on" until the day he dies, just like the wandering minstrel, the romantic troubadour he is. We can only hope that day remains a long way away when he still has so much to give....

The other day the Dylan mailing list sent me this link to the video for "When The Deal Goes Down". It was directed by Bennett Miller of "Capote" fame and stars Scarlett Johansson. It looks like it was filmed with an old super 8, or it was made to look that way anyway. It can be viewed here.