Eric Clapton

I went to the Eric Clapton concert March 5th in Vegas. MGM Grand Casino to be exact.  I had never seen Clapton before so I was pretty hyped up to listen to him wail. And he did by the way. But who would have thought at a Clapton concert the piano player might have stolen the show.  

Chris Stainton, from England is the guy. He was incredible. Here’s the background on him. He played with Joe Cocker in the 60’s. He was on the Mad Dogs and Englishman Tour.  In 1979 he began playing with Clapton. He’s also the guy that did the piano work on the Who’s Quadrophenia album. Pretty impressive. 

Then there was the drummer. I’m a drummer but nothing like this guy. Steve Gadd is solid. At age eleven he played with Dizzy Gillespie. Frank Zappa even lampoon him because he was one of the highest paid sessions drummers around. He has played with everyone. Recorded on over 2000 albums, including one of my favorites Aja by Steely Dan.  

Clapton showed us why he is the greatest. One word,  perfection. Not a note or a beat was overused or out of sync. He did an extended guitar solo in “I Shot The Sherriff,” and two classics, “Cocaine” and “Crossroads.” Surprisingly, he never talked to the audience. I found out afterward that’s how he is, quiet. Lets the guitar do the talking.