After the arena lights are extinguished to signal the start of the show, the camera follows Clapton as he walks out on stage with his Fender Stratocaster already hanging from his shoulders. Moments later, Winwood emerges from the shadows and is handed his own light-green-colored Strat from a roadie. They kick off the proceedings with the lead Blind Faith album track, "Had To Cry Today," and I could think of no better way to commence this momentous reunion. They perform the entire first side of that legendary album, as well as a song that would later appear on the 2001 expanded, deluxe edition, "Sleeping In The Ground."
Frustratingly, there is interview footage interspersed between each and every song performance. Yet it's within these clips that we learn how Clapton and Winwood had already decided to cover the Buddy Miles song, "Them Changes," two days before they learned of his death, and without even knowing he had been seriously ill. It ends up being a more timely tribute than they could have ever imagined.
Clapton's oft-maligned '80s hit "Forever Man" is a real treat here, with Slowhand laying down some of the most passionate singing and guitar work he has done in a long while as Winwood contributes some marvelous organ and background vocals to the mix. Clapton returns the favor on Winwood's "Split Decision," by tackling all of the fuzzed-out guitar parts that Joe Walsh had performed so brilliantly on this mid-80's pop-rock gem.
There are no less than four Traffic songs performed, and they provide a few of the concert highlights. The absolute showstopper of the night — as it was on the Crossroads 2007 DVD — is the epic classic, "Dear Mr. Fantasy." Winwood steps out from behind the keyboards to duel with Clapton on guitar, both men trading some monster licks back and forth. Winwood may not quite be considered Clapton's peer on the guitar, but here he comes pretty damn close.
The best parts of the show for me, though, are the two Jimi Hendrix covers that led up to the "Fantasy" closer. After a beautifully soulful rendition of "Little Wing," they tear into a 17-minute, tour-de-force rendition of "Voodoo Chile" that features some of the best guitar work Clapton has turned in since the Cream reunion. Winwood's extraordinary Hammond organ playing on these two songs alone show why he is considered one of the best keyboardists in the business. In the interview segment just before this performance, Clapton admits he had never performed "Voodoo Chile" prior and said it felt like "stepping off a cliff" to tackle that one. Wait until you see the results.
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