An awesome concert from Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood

I'm going to have a difficult time writing about what transpired at the concert. Why? Because it clearly doesn't do justice to the fantastic, superior music I heard on June 17, 2009. As I write this, I realize sometimes the best gifts are the ones we give to ourselves. For my Christmas of 2006, I gave myself the Led Zeppelin DVD of them performing in concerts from 1969-1979. Frankly, I have a very difficult time thinking of a better Christmas present I ever received. Well, it wasn't the best. That would be the money my dear parents give me before every Christmas. The concert was exactly one week after my 46th birthday. What a sweet present it turned out to be. Chicago is only 1 of 14 places the Clapton/Winwood concert will play!! Clapton/Winwood set list Wednesday at the United Center

1. Had to Cry Today (Blind Faith)
   1st impressions: Winwood and Clapton both playing guitar. Why the hell is Winwood wearing a white T-shirt underneath (Winwood is no nerd, but the picture of him above in that same t-shirt does look a little strange, doesn't it?!?) Don't you get hot playing in a rock n roll concert, you know those bright lights and all the activity? Well, he is 60, and older people like that sometimes dress warmer than someone younger (poor circulation and all). Winwood sings great! How the fuck does he hit every single high note when he's in his 60s? Must take great care of his vocal cords (no smoking??). Everyone knows how great Clapton is on the guitar, and everyone knows what a great keyboardist Winwood is. Not enough people know that Winwood plays some very good guitar, TOO! The notes I wrote on this song state that there is some "heavy riffing" on this song - just the way I like it!
2. Low Down (J.J. Cale)
   Damn! Another song I don't recognize! I didn't know the names of 7 of these songs until Greg Kot put this HEAVEN-SENT SET LIST ON THE WEB!!!!!!!!
3. After Midnight (J.J. Cale)
   Yes, finally a song I recognize!! Is this going to be like the studio version (the best one that expresses pure, unadultrated joy)? Or is it going to be like most of his concert versions where he sings the song with all the confidence of a man that's going to get laid at "midnight"? It's more like the usual concert version. The studio version has a faster tempo and this seems a little faster. "After Midnight" goes right into song #4 which I also recognize.
4. Presence of the Lord (Blind Faith)
   This is a song that Clapton wrote when he discovered and purchased his first house, Hurtwood. I don't really care for the harmonizing that they do, which isn't sung together but is some sort of muddled, echoish "call-response". This is only 1 of 2 disparaging things I have to say (& the only musical criticism) about this very hallowed and unforgettable concert!
5. Sleeping in the Ground (Sam Myers/Blind Faith outtake)
   Another song I don't recognize. But here's the magic of an Eric Clapton concert that I soon discover. Clapton is a blues master! He has every right to draw not only from his very formidable catalog of songs he's built up for over 44 yrs., but he's a bluesman, so he can draw from these blues songs like this one and song #s 2, 8, 9, 15, & 21. The irony is that Winwood's and Clapton's respective discographies are large, so by choosing blues numbers (which is a solid choice) they can't play as much from each other's catalogue.
   I was planning on getting an accurate set list whether I got it from the web or not. One method I planned on doing was writing down the lyrics of songs I didn't know. Then I would match them up with the lyrics sheet on the web. The lyrics to this song is a common blues theme of the double-crossin' woman cheating on her man. & Winwood sings, "I would rather see you 6 ft. in the ground!"
6. Glad (Traffic)
   What an awesome SWEET SURPRISE!!!!!FUCK YEAH!!! Not a Clapton song at all, but a song Traffic did w/o David Mason. One of my favorite songs by Traffic, and the very reason I bought the album it's on, John Barleycorn Must Die. Clapton's guitar substitutes for the saxophone very nicely. They don't play the final section of the song, but that's ok. I heard that Clapton told Winwood that he would pick the Winwood songs Clapton liked the most, and Winwood would pick out Clapton's. If that's the case, Clapton hit gold w/ "Glad".
7. Well Alright (Buddy Holly/Blind Faith) - back in mid 1990s, I went to Traffic's last concert tour. They had released the album Far From Home. During the concert, they played this song, and Winwood was playing lead guitar. It was the first song ever that made me realize, "Damn, Steve's not only great on the keyboard, but good on the guitar too!" This concert, Clapton plays the guitar solo.
8. Tough Luck Blues (Big Maceo)
   Didn't know this song but was aimin' to find out what it was. I wrote the lyrics on this one too. "It's too bad!", "I used to have a car & painted white & black" "I used to smoke cigars".
9. Pearly Queen (Traffic)
10. Crossroads (Robert Johnson)
    One of my favorite Cream songs and the only Cream song played in the concert. But it's fantastic blues, so a good choice. Wouldn't mind hearing "Sunshine of Your Love" but hey, who am I to be pickin Clapton's set list?
11. There’s a River (Winwood), slow ballad song
12. Forever Man (Jerry Williams/Clapton)
    DEFINITELY ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONCERT! I was just pining for Clapton's guitar solo that starts w/ a beautiful long, sustained Bflat. When I heard it, it felt like euphoria washing over me. This is another instance where one chooses from the other's catalogue. To Clapton's surprise, Winwood chose to include in the set list "Forever Man". It was "surprising" b/c Clapton had not played that song in concert for years. Great choice!
13. Georgia on My Mind - Winwood solo (Hoagy Carmichael)
    Winwood is alone on stage. He very humbly thanks everyone and tells us how much he enjoys playing in Chicago. This is a little bit of a contrast to the very reticent Eric Clapton whose talking is a quick, high-pitched "thank you" after each song. I'm not complaining! The music is "front and center" of this very masterful concert.
14. Driftin' Blues – acoustic (Charles Brown)
    Don't know this song, but know that it's from Clapton's awesome album From the Cradle (which I proudly own). He's all alone on the stage.
15. How Long Blues – acoustic (Leroy Carr) This is also a From the Cradle song.
16. Layla – acoustic (Derek and the Dominoes)
    They play the acoustic version of this song, not the studio version. So, it's like the album Unplugged. Winwood plays guitar on this song for the 1st time since the 1st song of the concert.
17. Can't Find My Way Home -- acoustic (Blind Faith) Wnwd on guitar again
18. Split Decision (Winwood)
    Great choice of a song from Winwood's solo career! Clapton plays a great guitar solo making it a highlight of the concert.
19. Voodoo Chile (Jimi Hendrix)
    By far the longest song of the night, didn't even know the name of the song until Winwood sang the chorus. Another thing many people don't know is that Winwood played organ on the original version of the song done by none other than Jimi Hendrix. Clapton makes it 2 IN A ROW for ass-kicking, sweet-soaring guitar solos! I think I died and went to heaven!
20. Encore Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson) Easily the most crowd-pleasing song of the night. 3 things come together to make the crowd so happy. Obviously, people wanted Clapton/Winwood back out playing music after they left the stage the 1st time. So when they did come out, everyone was happy. 2ndly, people were elated to see the great, legendary Buddy Guy, and finally, people were flattered at hearing a song that is so clearly a tribute to my great city.
21. Drowning on Dry Land (Al Jackson) Buddy Guy does a masterful version of playing to the crowd and "acting" humble when he talks about what his dad told him, then when he's about to sing about what his mom told him, he said something like, "I tell you what she said, and then I'll quit." We didn't want him to quit on June 17. When the lights first went on after this concert, you could hear a very clear groan from people who did not want this night to end. I was definitely one of them. It's got to be a pretty fuckin' uplifting concert if you spend over $100 to be there and believe that it's money WELL SPENT!

here's what a man who knows more about music than I, Greg Kot, is from the Chicago Tribune. I am putting quotes so that the reader knows exactly what was said by Mr. Kot.

Concert review: Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood (and Buddy Guy!)
at United Center
By Greg Kot
"Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood shuffled on-stage Wednesday at the United Center like a couple of golf buddies in loose-fitting jeans and untucked shirts. No introduction, a couple of waves, a brief smile, and then they got down to business.
When the concert ended more than two hours later after a satisfyingly intense exploration of most facets of their careers, together and apart, they ceded the stage to a man who inspired them both: Buddy Guy. Without introduction, the shaven-headed Guy radiated testosterone and charisma, and Clapton and Winwood traded a knowing smile as the master in their midst tore into his solos with a violence that was jarring.
The performance capped a night in which Clapton and Winwood renewed their vows to a style of music-making that is no longer particularly in fashion, a style of in-the-moment interplay that has been replaced by more choreographed brands of entertainment. But on this night, it was a love that burned, to paraphrase an old Peter Green classic cut in the mold of Chicago blues.
A few years ago, Clapton was coasting as a live performer. The nadir was his defanged version of "Layla," a song once so intense it approximated a sob. Now it had been reduced to a cabaret parody. Clapton was touring with a big band of competent pros but nobody who could really push him, and he turned in rote versions of his hits.
But then at his 2007 Crossroads Festival at Toyota Park in southwest suburban Bridgeview, he looked and sounded renewed, in no small part due to the brief but intense cameo turned in by Winwood.
That energy translated to the stage Wednesday, with Clapton and Winwood fronting a relatively small, no-fuss, five-piece band abetted by two backing singers. The musicians were in excellent form, particularly drummer Abe Laboriel, who kept the rhythm oil flowing and stretched out with orchestral flair as the longer pieces ebbed and surged.
The headlining duo opened by looking back 40 years to "Had to Cry Today," the first song on the first and only Blind Faith album, released in 1969. That was to be the only album-length studio collaboration between Clapton and Winwood in their long, much-acclaimed careers. Upon returning to it, they clung to every note with tenacity. Clapton took the first solo, then went toe-to-toe with Winwood on the second, and things were off to flying start.
Winwood had his piano-pounding romp on "Glad," with Clapton’s guitar mimicking the original saxophone fills by Traffic’s Chris Wood, and got his Ray Charles fix (via Hoagy Carmichael) with a solo "Georgia on My Mind." Clapton indulged his obsession with the J.J. Cale shuffle ("Low Down," "After Midnight" --- though, thankfully, no "Cocaine"), ‘80s blues-pop ("Forever Man"), and the obligatory lounge version of "Layla."
They were at their best putting their stock in Blind Faith: a yearning "Presence of the Lord," split open by Clapton’s wah-wah-pedal guitar solo; a celebratory version of Buddy Holly’s "Well Alright"; and an acoustic "Can’t Find My Way Home" with Winwood’s still pliant voice turning it into a hymn.
Above all, there was the common vocabulary of the blues, from an acoustic version of Charles Brown’s "Driftin’ Blues" to Jimi Hendrix’s intergalactic "Voodoo Chile." The songs became vehicles for extended interplay, Winwood primarily on Hammond organ while Clapton leaned into his solos with purpose. There was no preening, just graying, grizzled grown-ups re-devoting themselves to their life’s work. It was inspiring to see, a throwback to an era when young manhood in Britain was defined by how well a singer or guitarist could emulate the scarifying spirit of Chicago blues.
And then, Buddy Guy showed up. Not to be outdone, he tore through "Drowning on Dry Land" with a mixture of eerie poise and lion-like ferocity. School, even for sixtysomething British rock legends, was still in session."