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I can’t find my review of Clapton at the Boston Garden, but I recall that his playing was technically amazing but lacking in passion the particular night I saw him. So why did I schlep to NJ to see Clapton and Winwood this week, on a school night yet? Because I read Clapton’s autobiography and started listening to his whole body of work and “discovered” Blind Faith and early this year a US tour with Clapton and Winwood was announced and NJ was the closest show to Boston and I had no choice but to go.

So Wednesday morning I left home at 10am and fetched up at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands sports complex with brother Seth around 6pm, both of us completely exhausted, me from my trip down, him from a work deadline. In the two hours before the concert started, we chatted about music whilst strolling around the complex cautiously eyeing the indigenous peoples (so the evening was already a total success in my book).

When the band took the stage, Seth goes, "is that scruffy-looking guy in the untucked shirt Steve Winwood?" to which I respond "which scruffy looking guy in the untucked shirt?" Seth says, "they couldn't dress up for the show?" We both crack up. I love my brother. We didn’t know ahead of time if it would be Winwood opening for Clapton, how much they’d play together, etc. Seth is more of a Winwood/Traffic fan, whereas I was there for Clapton and Blind Faith. Fortunately, we were both satisfied: the two men played together the entire night, with Winwood backing up Clapton tunes on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Clapton backing up Winwood tunes with guitar and vocals, and, of course, enough Blind Faith tunes to make everyone very happy. Playing with Winwood really brought out the juice in Clapton: in addition to his always-incredible guitar technique (unbelievably, jawdroppingly fast and facile), his playing sounded happy and passionate and soulful and connected. Winwood was having a great old time and didn’t leave the stage once until just before the encore, for a total of nearly three hours of fantastic music.

There were a lot of smiles, onstage and off, that night at the Izod Center.

Thanks to the internet, here is the set list (editorial comments mine):

Electric:
Had to Cry Today (the crowd, including me, goes wild)
Low Down
After Midnight
Sleeping in the Ground
Presence of the Lord
Glad
Well, Alright
It's Too Bad
Tell the Truth
Pearly Queen
No Face, No Name, No Number
Forever Man

Solo Winwood (aka the rest of the band takes a quick piss break):
Georgia on My Mind

Acoustic mini-set:
Driftin'
Nobody Knows You (love this song- only discovered it this year)
Layla (I’ve grown to love the acoustic version; Winwood played guitar solo at the end)
Can't Find My Way Home (Blind Faith heaven)

Highly electric:
Split Decision
Little Wing (Clapton really showing off, playing licks too fast to hear)
Voodoo Chile
Cocaine

Clapton, Winwood, and the band leave the stage.

Insane, extended, LOUD standing ovation, totally deserved.

I let Seth decide whether we should stay for the encore, as he was driving, and we were both dead tired. Seth said, “I gotta know what they were holding back!” We waited, and were rewarded with

Encore:
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Verdict? Totally worth the trip. And that’s saying a lot.