Hey, kids! Last night's Eric Clapton concert was pretty fucking awesome. Can I start though by saying, "Ace Parking, Go suck a bag-a-dicks!" 15 bucks to park at the iPayOne (no shit I paid) Center. Tickets were already 50 bucks at the cheapest. Our seats were in the very top row on the right side (Clapton's left). I was happy about them because the sound was good and the view couldn't really be obstructed.
The show started off with the Robert Cray Band opening up. They were pretty cool. It was just some good old straight blues. I didn't catch the whole set because they started promptly and I entered tardily (real word?). I thought Robert Cray was somebody else (namely, a white guy), so I was pleasantly surprised. He finished up and it was just a matter of time...
After about 15 minutes, the lights went down and it was G-O-time. Clapton comes out with his trademark black and white Fender Strat! He wore a black, short-sleeve button down shirt, jeans, and sneakers (just like me!). He was also sporting a good amount of stubble.
Sidebar: I've always been of the mind that Clapton looks coolest with his trademark beard. Let's face it, the man has no chin. Legend that he is, he kind of resembles a shell-less turtle. In his elder years, he shaves. I say, "Don't. Just Rock."
So he starts off by playing some songs I don't know by name. Very bluesy, so good-times. Then out of nowhere he breaks out Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing." Blowin' my mind, sir. This version goes on for at least 7 minutes because there are 2 guitarists (besides Clapton) who get their own solos. Each song lent itself to this pretty well. Clapton's version obviously lacked the psychadelic aspects of the song but brought in plenty of blues goodness to more than make up for it.
After that, J.J. Cale came out for like 5 songs. He and J.J. recorded the most recent Clapton album entitled, "Road to Escondido" which is ironic because Escondido was about 40 minutes away. J.J. Cale is an old dude and he looks a lot like Chong to me. They played songs off the album, including my current profile song. The highlights were when the broke into "After Midnight" and then capped their "mini-set" with "Cocaine" (the song, they didn't drop and do lines off the stage). It was pretty cool. All these songs felt like some dudes just jamming. I wish I could do that stuff.
So Clapton took back sole focus and played some more blues songs that I can't name but thoroughly enjoyed for all the above mentioned reasons. Meanwhile, to my astonishment, time was apparently flying. He went on at 8:30 and it was now 10pm. But the ultimate combo was about to be thrown...
Clapton walks toward the side of the stage and starts playing a riff that I immediately recognize as the intro to "Wonderful Tonight." I start screaming! It was beautiful, man. The song already is but to hear the man who felt it, wrote it down, and stringed it out perform it, is like being in the presence of the supernatural (no, not Santana, he wasn't there). I think I might be in-love with this song.
As if I couldn't feel any better, Clapton walks away again and I hear the riff. Yes,THE RIFF. LAYLA! I'm going nuts. Hollywood's going nuts (I went with Hector "Hollywood", I see I failed to mention that). We're all going nuts. It's better than sex! And to my surprise, there was a slight pause and then they played THE WHOLE PIANO PART! You could've drilled to China with my nipples. And this concludes the show. Or does it???????
Clapton walks off and so does the rest of the band and we, the crowd, are going apeshit. He really makes us work for our encore and we are more than happy to. So the band makes their way back on-stage and out comes Clapton and Robert Cray as well. They break into "Crossroads" with Robert Cray singing. It is phenomenal. There's not a dry seat in the house. Clapton eventually reclaims the mic, does a verse, and then he and Cray duet the last verse and chorus. Then it's ring, ring, ring, ring, ring... ring... ring... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing... ring! And the last notes are played. Clapton says thanks and walks off with an arm around Cray.
Meanwhile: Hollywood had taken off for the bathroom at the start of the encore. He'd had about 6 beers. We meet up after most of the crowd is gone and his hat is gone. He tells me that, instead of the bathroom, he went down to where Clapton was going to walk and waited. Then when they all came off stage, Hollywood was yelling and Clapton waved, and in typical Hollywood fashion, he threw his hat at the rock legend. It hit Clapton in the shoulder, he promptly picked it up, offered it to his background singers (classy, I think), and when they declined, he dropped it on the floor. And he was gone.
I'm stunned as always by this story. But most of all, I was stunned and awed by Mr. Eric Clapton. I have been a fan and I will continue. Now I have a memory, a live one, that I can carry and an sweet story to tell. Thank you, Sir.
And now for a little treat for you, my kiddies! Here's a little something I brought back for you. Enjoy it as much as I did (despite picture unclarity).
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