What goes around comes around. If the group’s van wasn’t quite a Transit, accommodating all the gear for a Premiere Division act in a single artic would have been unthinkable a few years back. However, with – what I assume was - a fine ‘house P.A.’ and lighting rig, and a few well-mic’ed small amps, I suspect Clapton’s roadies had nothing bulkier than a couple of Hammonds and the associated electric furniture to shift. Amongst the inventory were a couple of brand-spanking but basic-looking Strats – the sort of guitar Keith Richards wouldn’t be seen dead with – a pale blue one and a sunburst.
These were put into use at 8:30 on Tuesday evening before a capacity 13,000 crowd at Birmingham’s NEC, when the group opened with a blistering Had to Cry Today, with Steve in fine voice and the pair of them looking and sounding in extremely fine form for the start of their tour. Moving on, the karaoke monitor came in handy for Steve, as he shared vocals with Eric for Low Down. Sadly I’ve no equivalent to jog my unreliable memory as I write my notes – so please excuse me if I stick with the highlights!
The pace is accelerated a wee bit for After Midnight, with Steve on Hammond by now, although it dropped a notch to segue into Presence of the Lord, which to my mind seemed a tad bit more staccato than usual during the solo …like Rock n’Roll Stew …it doesn’t quite flow the same. Not a criticism, just an observation. Next, back to a more basic chug-along Shape I’m In, and then into the surprise from the first reunion tour, Glad, where as before, Chris Stainton came out on top points with his synth solo which I suspect might have acquired a little more edge. Not quite a segue, but without pause we’re into Well Alright, performed pretty much ‘same as the record’, with the exception of the backing vocals courtesy of the two bonnie ladies whose cheery faces we in Row 8 could just about see over the top of Steve’s grand piano.
Eric then lead his blues band into something new to me, apparently Tuff Luck, a 1940s song by Big Maceo Merriweather about getting car repossessed and all the usual stuff. The coalition then swung Winwood-wise with Pearly Queen, and back again to stage right with Forever Man. Then, the surprise of the evening, with some familiar chords that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, Midland Maniac, would you believe! Although doubtless new to many of the audience, it again went down well – it almost seemed like a mini-opera …a real tune, especially when followed by the very basic Going Down.
Solo spots up next? The spotlight turned to Steve, still at the Hammond, while Eric – still on stage – took a seat, and for the first time there was a little ‘patter’ as Winwood said how nice it was to be back in his old stomping ground, and hoped we liked the next number which took them – and hopefully us, back a few years. A finely-executed Georgia followed, perhaps sounding a bit like the end of the pier show with Steve Gadd on brushes, but testimony to the catholic musical embrace of these guys, going from fast-paced hard rock to soft ballad. No fag break for anyone during the next number either, as the acoustic guitars came out for Drifting Blues, How Long and Layla, with Steve playing lead on the latter. The acoustic set was rounded off with Can’t Find My Way Home.
With Steve back on his organ, and Eric back on Strat (the blue one or the silvery charcoal grey one …I can’t remember …and he seemed to keep changing his mind!) the eighteenth number was Split Decision, sounding pretty much as it did the last time round – which was just fine by me. And then – Voodoo Chile. Clapton started off the vocals convincingly enough, but left all the stuff about ‘arrows made of desires from Jupiter’s sulphur mines’ and ‘liquid gardens in Arizona’s new red sands’ to Steve. Those lyrics always seem a wee bit tongue-in-cheek coming from him, but the music certainly wasn’t to be taken lightly. How could Steve top Eric’s blistering guitar on that one? Er – effortlessly, of course! Wow!
Penultimately, Steve’s back on his feet with his sunburst strap-on, while Eric leads his band through Cocaine. Ladies aside, throughout, the band do their job without any signs of the obvious enjoyment Steve’s sidekicks seem to express. I couldn’t criticise them, although when Chris Stainton took another solo spot with mega crescendo his piano sounded like something obtainable for under a tenner from our local car boot sale. Two hours after kick-off, the band left the stage for a few minutes while the crowd created a suitable racket, and then it was back for Dear Mr Fantasy. How could you top that? It’s maybe possible …I must have a word with Stephen Hawking.
In summary, an excellent show. If pushed, I would concur with Barry that it might have been nice to hear Low Spark – at the expense of Going Down and maybe one of the more routine blues numbers – but overall, a big fat 10/10 in the ‘delighted customer’ satisfaction survey from me and everyone else there, I would imagine.
STEVE MILNER
01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence Of The Lord
05. Shape I'm In
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tuff Luck
09. Pearly Queen
10. Forever Man
11. Midland Maniac
12. Going Down
13. Georgia
14. Drifting Blues
15. How Long
16. Layla
17. Can't Find My Way Home
18. Split Decision
19. Voodoo Chile
20. Cocaine
Encore:
21. Dear Mr. Fantasy