July 31, 2007
Crossroads Guitar Festival Photos and Review - Part 2
I make it back in time for Willie Nelson and his well worn acousic guitar to hit the stage. He does a variety of his standards such as "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" before he summons Sheryl Crow on stage for a duet on "On The Road Again". Not much into country either but when Willie is on stage, you have to pay attention.
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Los Lobos made the best out of some sound problems and David Hidalgo did a great job with "Chains of Love" before ending the set with "Mas Y Mas".
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As fast as they were going throught the acts, I thought we would be leaving about 8PM. Then Jeff Beck appeared and the full sets begin. I have never seen Jeff in concert, missing him at the Crossroads in 2004 due to bad weather at the end of night. Having listened to a few of his CD’s, I was quite amazed by the dexterity he handles a guitar. It was one of the highlights of the show for me as he worked from one jam to another without vocals and his band kept pace with nary a hitch. Ending his set an hour later was the Beatles’ "A Day In The Life" and this day was getting better with each passing moment.
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The biggest buzz in the crowd was about the bass player for Jeff. Nobody knew her identity in my vicinity and the general consensus was she had to be the daughter of Jeff or some member of the band as she was too comfortable on stage with these talented guys. She looked to be about 14 and it took a Google search and a bit of patience to find out this young lady is 21 years old and goes by the name of Tal Wilkenfeld. She is a native of Australia and now living in New York City and has also played with the likes of Chick Corea, Allman Brothers Band and Susan Tedeschi. It won’t be the last time this kid is on stage with the big boys.
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Eric and his touring band are up next and they delight the crowd with improvs and jams that sometimes seem to be a bit long-winded. It was the Derek Trucks show for a while as the cameramen seem to spend more time on him than Eric, but the trio of those two and Doyle work well together on "Tell The Truth" and "Queen of Spades".
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Robbie Robertson made a quick showing, paying tribute to Bo Diddley with "Who Do You Love" and then goes toe to toe with Derek on "Further On Up The Road". I had heard of Robbie before, but had to delve into a bit of research when I learned he was added to the schedule. In semi-retirement since the mid-70’s when The Band broke up, his appearance was too short-lived.
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According to Eric, it has been 25 years since he and Steve Winwood have shared the same stage and by audience reaction, this was a marriage that many were waiting for. Steve started out on keyboards for "Presence Of The Lord" and "Can’t Find My Way Home" from back in the Blind Faith days of he and Eric’s youth. Steve then showed off his considerable talent a bit more by grabbing a guitar for "Dear, Mr. Fantasy" before closing out the set with "Cocaine" (odd choice while raising money for a rehab center) and reaching further back in time for Robert Johnson’s "Crossroads".
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People left in droves after the Winwood-Clapton reunion but the "Bluesman of Chicago" via Louisiana, Buddy Guy, was due to close this one out and he did it usual Buddy style. After warming up the remaining crowd by himself with "Damn Right, I Got The Blues", he brought Eric on stage for "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Love Her With A Feeling". He then motioned for the rest of the crew as Jimmie Vaughn, John Mayer, Hubert Sumlin, Johnny Winter and Robert Cray came out for "Sweet Home Chicago" as each took their own turn at solo as Buddy was directing traffic. The duo I was hoping for with Buddy and Jeff Beck never materialized, but maybe at the next Crossroads that will come to fruition.
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12 hours after we first arrived, Ernie, Craig, Al and I are wondering around like lost puppy dogs trying to find a cab ride back to the hotel. After a bus ride to Midway Airport and a wait in line that never seemed to end, we finally find our way back downtown around 1AM, still yacking about what we liked and the parts we could have done without. But by popular vote, it was a sure better than spending it our respective "Cubicles from Hell".
Going to this event sums up why I love live music.
- Always expect the unexpected.
- You meet people who crave live music as much as you do
- You see musicians who not only love their craft but have tremendous affection for each other.
- You see collaborations you will probably never see again.
- You witness young talent you had no clue existed.
Overall, certainly worth the 90 bucks for a ticket, but worth more than that in terms of experiences…………..
Filed under Crossroads Guitar Festival by Mel
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