Lightning Strikes Thirce in the Rose Garden Tonight
Reviewed: Eric Clapton at the Rose Garden Arena July 28th, 2004 * Portland, Oregon *
By: Todd ToJo Johnson, I.M.C. (Independent Music Critic)
They say that when you’re about to be struck by lighting, the hair on your arms and the back of your neck stands up straight just prior to the jolt. On Wednesday night, I finally understood how this might feel, when the first bolts of pure guitar lightning hit me right between the eyes, as Eric Clapton poured on the electricity in the opening strains of Let It Rain . Looking more like the guy sitting next to you, in jeans, short sleeves and blue Nike’s, Clapton threw bolts of lightning from Crash 3 – his so-named Fender Stratocaster like Zeus standing on Mt. Olympus, towering over his delighted audience below. Seated just 3 rows from the right side of the stage, we had a perfect view of the rock-and-roll storm bringer known to many fans as simply E.C. Like a thunder-boomer rolling through the Cascades on a hot summer’s night, E.C. (Electric Conduit?) and his stellar band drenched the eager Portland audience with a torrential downpour of hits, rarities and blues tunes spanning more than 37 turbulent years. Sliding appropriately from Let It Rain into the Muddy Waters classic, Hoochie Coochie Man , everyone in the Rose Garden knew that this was going to be a very special night for Slowhand fans of all ages. Seemingly staying course with the precipitation theme, Clapton and Company continued to douse the house with the Dylan nugget Walk Out In The Rain from his 1978 Backless album. In a beautifully orchestrated version, the female vocalists let loose a flood of honey-coated harmonies, saturating the song with a hint of gospel-tinged righteousness. Backed by the best tour band in years, Clapton shared both the stage and the spotlight with Doyle Bramhall II on rhythm and co-lead guitar; long-time (and ever smiling) bassist, Nathan East; power-house drummer Steve Gadd; and not one, but two great keyboardists Chris Stainton on the ivories and the incomparable living legend, Billy Preston, on the beloved Hammond B3 organ. Completing the octet with Sharon White and Michelle John, the two gospel-inspired divas on back-up vocals, the night’s musical baptism was underway. Clapton clearly showed why he is regarded by many as the greatest rock guitarist alive today, and possibly ever. With deceptive ease and fluidity, he and the band flowed effortlessly from the gritty blues of Waters, Dixon and Johnson, into the smoky jazz-tinged strains of I Wanna Little Girl , finally slipping into the funky syncopation of Marley’s classic I Shot the Sheriff . It was during this song, deftly reworked by Clapton with a groovier hook and truly ethereal riffs, that I was struck by the second Zeus-bolt of the night. As many times as I have heard this song performed, both studio and live versions, I was simultaneously shocked numb and completely electrified during this totally recharged performance. Applauding, whistling and howling with a wild fervor, the 3-generation audience responded with loudest ovation of the evening, clearly sharing their passion for the music and appreciation for their guitar hero . It was here that Clapton’s crew pulled the electric ship into port and alternately set sail on a five-song acoustic set, featuring the classic blues of E.C.’s personal guitar hero, Robert Johnson. With a reverent I’d like to thank Mr. Robert Johnson for these , Eric, Doyle, Nathan and Chris sat down and delivered up fiery acoustic versions of Me and the Devil Blues , They’re Red Hot , Milkcow’s Blues , Possession Over Judgement Day , and the set topper, Kind Hearted Woman . Somewhere, the blues gods were certainly smiling. With that, the acoustic spinnaker was reeled in and the motor cranked back up, with the full band taking the stage to rev up another lost treasure from Derek & the Dominoes days, Got To Get Better In A Little While . Churning the audience into the second frenzy of the night, Clapton and Bramhall equally trading riffs and grins, the stage was set for a stormy ride back to shore. Evoking images of menacing black clouds and heavy-hearted weather, Clapton and shipmates delivered a wickedly twisted Have You Ever Loved A Woman , eliciting howls from the gals and knowing-nods from the guys as testimony to the emotional depths of this true blues warhorse. It was during this song that Billy Preston unleashed his power and prowess on that well-traveled Hammond organ. With a mesmerizing solo, Preston provoked the only standing ovation of the night in the MIDDLE of a song! This was quite deserved, and the joy on his face reciprocated the elation of his fans. Rounding the point, the lighthouses (or were those Bic lighters?), beckoned the crew homeward, desperately seeking that holies of grail, Clapton’s classic rock staples. Taking the rudder, Clapton steered head-on into a trio of George Harrison (and wife) inspired 70’s hits Badge , Wonderful Tonight and the quintessential rock-and-roll lament, Layla . With the riff heard round the world , Clapton hit me with his third lightning strike of the night, sending high-voltage shivers from the top of my neck to the core of my spine. This was it, the REAL Layla , the seminal air-guitar of all Clapton wanna-bees that ever shamelessly stroked those invisible strings on ghost guitars in homage to their leader. THIS was Clapton; the man, the legend, the six-string deity and the conduit of every charged particle of euphoria sweeping over the animated and adoring masses. Beaming back at his devoted throng, Eric and Doyle lit into J.J. Cale’s infamously themed staple, Cocaine . With the rabid crowd repeating the well-known chorus, the female back-up faction warned in refrain, that dirty Cocaine . With a wry smile just before closing his eyes, tilting his head back and literally ripping the notes off the face of his Fender, Clapton showed me The Blur . The Blur is what was used to describe Clapton’s peer-appointed nickname, Slowhand . Legend has it that upon seeing young Eric play, The Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky, called him ’slowhand because his hand actually blurred from playing notes and chord so fast that they eye could not see. Tonight, like the fabled green flash on the horizon of a South Pacific sunset, I witnessed The Blur . (Or possibly rock-and-roll’s version of Operation Shock and Awe.) With that, E.C. and crew left the stage with a crowd determined to bring them back with sheer enthusiasm. With the band now augmented by Robert Randolph and his 13-string pedal steel, they returned to deliver got a supercharged encore of Cream’s classic Sunshine Of Your Love and Muddy’s feverishly pitched Got My Mojo Working . With young Randolph trading slide licks with both Clapton and Bramhall, and the band in full-steam-ahead mode, no one dared leave the revival tent before witnessing the miracle bond between this man and his guitar. As the sparks cooled and thunder in the dome subsided, I thought to myself how lucky it was to be hit by this lightning… . and live to tell about it! Epilogue: As we left, exhausted and satisfied, I overheard a 14 year old behind us, talking to his father. He said: ’dad, when did you say we could go pick out that guitar for me? And a new legend begins… ? [b:20671d4fdf]Opening Act:[/b:20671d4fdf] Robert Randolph & The Family Band [b:20671d4fdf]EC’s Band Lineup:[/b:20671d4fdf] Eric Clapton – Guitar, Vocals Nathan East – Bass Steve Gadd – Drums Doyle Bramhall II – Guitar, Vocals Chris Stainton – Keyboards Billy Preston – Keyboards, hammond organ Sharon White – Background Vocals Michelle John – Background Vocals [b:20671d4fdf]Setlist: July 28th, 2004 * Portland, Oregon:[/b:20671d4fdf] 01. Let It rain 02. Hoochie Coochie Man 03. Walk Out In The Rain 04. I Wanna Little Girl 05. I Shot The Sheriff 06. Me and the Devil Blues 07. they’re Red Hot 08. Milkcow’s Calf Blues 09. (If I Had) Posession Over Judgement Day 10. Kind Hearted Woman 11. Got To Get Better In A Little While 12. Have You Ever Loved A Woman 13. Badge 14. Wonderful tonight 15. Layla 16. Cocaine [b:20671d4fdf]Encores[/b:20671d4fdf] 17. Sunshine of Your Love (with Robert Randolph) 18. Got My Mojo Working (with Robert Randolph) – said PanicPusher on Jul 07, 2004
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