The highly anticipated reunion concert series began last night, opening with "I'm So Glad", and the full gamut of Cream classics, including an encore of "Sunshine Of Your Love".
The interesting thing about last night's photo of Cream is the difference in instrumentation from Cream's classic period. Clapton of course was known for Gibson guitars through Marshall amplifiers, with the tone controls rolled back for what became beloved by guitarists and aficionados as the "woman tone". Clapton (at least in the above photo) is playing a Stratocaster, which has pretty much defined his tone since 1970 (to the chagrin of Cream and Bluesbreakers fans). Sources indicate that Clapton used his Cornell amplifier for the gig.
Update: A review from the Telegraph says:
When I first heard that Cream were getting back together for a series of concerts at the Albert Hall, I called out across the arts desk: "I have to be there."
This, surely, was the mother of all reunions, the great sixties super group back together on stage 37 years after they called it a day - and in the very same concert hall where they performed their farewell show in 1968.
I had good reason to stake my claim to that precious reviewing slot: Best of Cream was the first album I ever bought, a precocious teenager hooked on the British blues boom of the sixties, but this one was personal.
Along with the excitement came the nagging worries. The three members of Cream are all now in their sixties. Drummer Ginger Baker has an arthritic knee. Bassist Jack Bruce has had a liver transplant. Would it be a night to recapture the magic of their famous semi-improvised jams, or would it be turn out to be an embarrassment, three wrinkly old rockers desperately trying to recapture their glorious youths?
Well, it didn't exactly hit the ground running. Having been greeted with a huge roar of affection from the crowd, they limbered up with the lightweight I'm So Glad. Eric Clapton rattled off a so so solo. Bruce sounded tense.
Song two, the slow, slinky blues of Spoonful, was more encouraging: Bruce's voice started to show some grit, the music began to click. Clapton's solo here was sharper, fiercer, more fluent. Strange, though, to see him as just one third of a band, rather than as the star of the show.
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Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
super PT, thanks, great pics!
2 - godoggo
I just want to know one thing: Did they use any feedback? I love feedback
3 - Darryl Genis
I flew from Santa Barbara California USA to see last nights (and tonights) show(s).
The Cream played brilliantly. Some of what they did was as good as ever, some was arguably better. A few moments were weaker. But consider the alternative: It could have ended up just another Clapton show, only this time with with a two man back-up band.
Jack Bruce carried his end with fine vocals, bass, and the intermitent harmonica, and he kept any bitterness to himself.
Ginger Baker proved he is still one of the greatest drummers alive.
I'm glad I came. Just seeing them on stage again after 37 years literally brought tears to my eys. Hearing them play at times affected me just as strongly.
Tonight's show is just hours away, and I can't wait.
4 - The Proprietor
The Cream 2005 Reunion site confirms that a DVD of the reunion is in the works, with an October release date.
Apparently Clapton played the entire show with a Stratocaster, no Gibsons were used at all (indeed no indication from any reports that there were any onstage), however, Jack Bruce used the intriguing choice of a Gibson EB-1 (a solidbody violin-shaped bass that's rarer than hen's teeth).
And for those who enjoy snarky reviews, check out this pompous twit at the Guardian....
5 - darryl genis
Just got out of tonight's (May 3, 2005) show. It was even better than the first show last night. Bruce and Baker were just as good, but Clapton was way more into the Cream style of soloing. That's not to say the first night was bad - it was great. Just this was even better. If they keep it up, by friday, they will be better than they were in 1968!
6 - Lono
for anyone interested about the guitar controversy... Clapton switched from the Gibson SG to the Fender Strat as an homage to his friend Jimi Hendrix after he passed
7 - The Proprietor
I wouldn't necessarily call it a guitar controversy, but the fact is that a Stratocaster played through an amp that is essentially a clone of a classic Fender circuit (some folks say Bassman, others say 50s Twin) is going to have a different tone than a Gibson with humbuckers played through a Marshall amp. Eric gets a very nice tone indeed with the Strat and the Cornell, but it isn't the classic Cream "woman tone" (Gibson with humbuckers, neck pickup with the tone control rolled back, Marshall plexi head).
FWIW, the SG was only briefly part of the Cream arsenal. This page is a pretty definitive history of Eric's guitars during the Cream years, and "Sunny", as the "Fool" guitar is more properly known, was dropped in favor of a Gibson Firebird I by May '68, and Eric switched to a Gibson ES-335 (the famed red '64 model, now owned by Guitar Center) for the final tour. Most observers are of the opinion that "Sunshine of Your Love" was recorded with the ES-335. Eric used Les Pauls for the early part of Cream's existence.
8 - Sam
You lucky beggars!! Enjoy the show!! I was stuck at work here in Boston, but listened to Freah Cream all day long. I sure hope they release a DVD of the shows. And...to hell with that Guardian twit!!
9 - paul
I wish you had a Email this story feature. I'd like to forward some of your articles to others.
10 - wizardofaus
I managed to get tickets through a friend who knows a guy who has a mate who works at the Albert Hall.
And arent I glad!
It was interesting watching Clapton (who unfortunately the last couple of times I have seen him has been Mr Corporate incarnate) having to follow a bass player while having a drummer kicking his arse. He played all the better for that. According to what I heard, the first night they were really tight - last night they missed some endings, there was confusion about who was singing what in White Room (so no-one sang the 2nd line of the 2nd verse) and it was just............. perfect.
And hearing Pressed Rat and Warthog intoned (well - not even that, spoken) by Ginger Baker. Does life get any better than this?
And no - the choice of guitar didnt seem to make a real difference........the Matchless Amps and Strat combination made a glorious noise, and I have a feeling that any humbucker guitar would have got lost in the thunder that is Jack Bruce.
Roger Daltry appeared to be enjoying it too............ he was sat in the box next to mine.
11 - Reid
Thank you to everyone who attended the concert and took the time to share some of the experience. Just hearing the excellent comments about these momentous occasions brings me closer to the sensation that was surely felt by all of you concert-goers. I especially appreciate Darryl's observations. In the meantime, I'll go back to the CD player and listen to the BBC Sessions.... trks 17 and 18 in particular.
12 - Mike
I saw Cream a couple of times in the sixties. Way back then, it was a matter of queueing for hours hanging on to my last five dollars ticket money and then squeezing into small college halls packed to the rafters. Each concert left a lasting impression. One night Eric's guitar was a little flat and lacking the sparkle of his days with the Bluesbreakers, However Jack's voice was stunning. I will never forget the thrill of the dramatic "We're going wrong" which literally sent shivers down the spine. The second gig was completely different, this time Jack was often off key, but Eric was majestic. I re-watched the Albert Hall video the other day and it was nno comparrison to those fantastic gigs. The whole band seemed to be straining, Jack was completely overdoing the vocals, A disappointment.
37 years later, May 5th, the General Election is in full swing, the tickets were certainly not five dollars. Did I care? I was a guest in a corporate hospitality box, sipping champagne and eating superb food, elbow to elbow with good friends from way back when. It's been a long hard road, but boy am I thankful. Do you know what? This concert was absolutely breathtaking. Three old geezers, their amps and their instruments, playing the music that we alkl grew up on, improvising old blues numbers, as if they were still playing in rooms above pubs ( yes - many of the old blues clubs were just that ). The standout moment? ; "We're Going Wrong" Jack's voice was better than ever. I was worrie that this would be one of those pathetic reunions were the band is augmented by studio musicians who keep the whole thing going, as the old boys cash in a few bucks, but then I remembered that Eric has never put a foot wrong. Each time I have seen him, he has been spot on the money, and this was certainly the case here. "White Room" and "Badge" had outstanding vocals from both the guys. Ginger's solo was mercifully short, but entertaining. The champagne was draine, there were tears, there were hugs. Remarkable.
13 - Roy
The Clapton Strat has a mid boost circuitry, so that the guitar effectively mimics humbucking pickups/Gibsons to a degree.
14 - Jeff Smythe
I wish that I could have been there to see and hear these guys together again. I really hope and pray that a premium quality DVD of this gig will be available soon. The Guardian critc just doesn't get the whole "Cream" experience, but luckily for us my brothers and sisters - WE DO!
15 - czik
One cant help but pay respect to 3 guys now in their mid-to-late 60's who gave their physical All. Producing a nice piece of nostalgia, but musically disappointing.
Bruce once the incarnation of a bass-genius, now barely standing upright after an organ transplant and reduced to an average player, with remnants of acceptable singing & harmonica.
Baker close to 70, once the driving force, now neurologically retarded, plagued by arthritis, unable to follow, lost it more than once in evry title.
And Clapton like a slow-pitched turntable to meet the smallest common denominator.
They played a list of Bruce-compositions, surrounded by some blues-standards. And they scored, like any above average blues-band would have.
But CREAM could not be re-united. Because CREAM wasnt just Clapton + Bruce + Baker (hear anyone of them play with almost any other band and you know)
CREAM was a multiple of that: a phenomenon of 3 musicians at their peak, with almost telepathic understanding of a common goal, on their mission with an unstoppable fierceness, unboundly innovative.
Stangly they DID accomplish something unexpected with these 'Reunion' performances: by singling themselves out after each song, they once-and-for-all-time UNDID the legend: we were not looking nor were we listening to anything even close to CREAM.
No need to remember where you were that day in '05 or '06 when they played at 'Royal Albert' or 'Madison Square'
Because it wasnt CREAM.
16 - NR Davis
Spilled milk worthy of tears?