Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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I saw Clapton last March. There's enough he's not this and he's not that anymore that my expectations were low going in. My initial impression 2 hours afterward was negative, but as days and weeks went on, it changed to a postitive one. He's 68 years old, it's not Cream and he has professional hired guns whose best qualification is that they are yes men and women that know their place. He won't be alive and touring forever, and I'd never seen him...so there's that. Doyle II was almost unnecessary, except to provide a sexy falsetto as Jack Bruce's part on the Cream songs.
At 36, I was one of the youngest there. When I stood up to leave at the first scheduled encore and turned around to notice it wasn't over, I think Mrs. STDC and I were the only ones standing and were instructed by our nosebleed section peers to sit back down like the other 20,000+ had been for the last hour and a half.
But my purpose of this post was not to say what Clapton is or isn't or what he used to be, or how well he played rhythm to Paul Carrack singing Tempted or How Long (in the encore, mind you), it's to give my 2 cents on the attention given to the opening act. The Wall Flowers.
With what may be their twilight years, IMO, they were treated like red headed step children by the tour. They are certainly capable of playing their hits and the "Oh I didn't know that was their song(s)" good enough, or maybe like a rushed version of the original. The sound? How about a 2nd independent sound board with one engineer directly behind his royal majesty's. Hammond B3/FenderRhodes thingy that pads chords, loud and clear. Hammond B3/Fender Rhodes chord padding operator's background vocals, loudest thing on the stage. Kick drum and bass muddy and inarticulate, check. Vocals, rhythm, and lead guitar, what's that? It was clear by watching them, their monitors or in ears must've been great as they had no trouble playing together and were on the same page musically. The FOH told a different story though. I said to the wife, "If it's like this for Clapton, we're outta here."
It occurs to me, a tour manager/coordinator, there's a laundry list of questions they ask that these must be at the top of:
1.) Who will do it for next to nothing?
2.) Who needs us more than we need them?
3.) Who won't want to play with our toys?
4.) Who can we tell what to do?
This is how you get Kool and the Gang opening for VH, even how you get DLR playing with Eddie.
At 36, I was one of the youngest there. When I stood up to leave at the first scheduled encore and turned around to notice it wasn't over, I think Mrs. STDC and I were the only ones standing and were instructed by our nosebleed section peers to sit back down like the other 20,000+ had been for the last hour and a half.
But my purpose of this post was not to say what Clapton is or isn't or what he used to be, or how well he played rhythm to Paul Carrack singing Tempted or How Long (in the encore, mind you), it's to give my 2 cents on the attention given to the opening act. The Wall Flowers.
With what may be their twilight years, IMO, they were treated like red headed step children by the tour. They are certainly capable of playing their hits and the "Oh I didn't know that was their song(s)" good enough, or maybe like a rushed version of the original. The sound? How about a 2nd independent sound board with one engineer directly behind his royal majesty's. Hammond B3/FenderRhodes thingy that pads chords, loud and clear. Hammond B3/Fender Rhodes chord padding operator's background vocals, loudest thing on the stage. Kick drum and bass muddy and inarticulate, check. Vocals, rhythm, and lead guitar, what's that? It was clear by watching them, their monitors or in ears must've been great as they had no trouble playing together and were on the same page musically. The FOH told a different story though. I said to the wife, "If it's like this for Clapton, we're outta here."
It occurs to me, a tour manager/coordinator, there's a laundry list of questions they ask that these must be at the top of:
1.) Who will do it for next to nothing?
2.) Who needs us more than we need them?
3.) Who won't want to play with our toys?
4.) Who can we tell what to do?
This is how you get Kool and the Gang opening for VH, even how you get DLR playing with Eddie.
