Cool Bunny

Last Monday evening we went to see Cream play at Madison Square Garden.   Normally I hate the Garden as a venue because the sound quality sucks (putting it politely).    But after waiting forty years to see Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker perform I was prepared to go anywhere for the opportunity.  Heck, an airplane hanger would have been ok.

They were great.    Not as "pedal to the metal" as in the old days, and little of the extended improvisatory jams they were once known for.   Perhaps a little slower than back then....but then aren't we all?    Yet they made up for it with the maturity and talent that has grown greater over the years.  Ginger Baker is now in his late 60s yet he is still a powerful, creative drummer.   And to play a ten minute drum solo (one that actually had more rhythmic and melodic quality than most drummers achieve in a lifetime) after having already played for nearly 90 minutes was nothing short of amazing.   Jack Bruce, recovered from serious illness, was in great form, his voice powerful and his playing solid.    And Clapton, well, it's been many years since Clapton really had to stretch out on his guitar but when it's just him and a solid, driving rhythm section, there's no way to avoid it.   His playing was strong, lyrical, and better than anything I've heard him do in nearly two decades.

Yes, it was worth the wait of forty years, and no, this wasn't just some dinosaurs in purple spandex leotards trying to make one-more go-round on the sentimental circuit.  The music still holds up, their playing and interaction was intense, and there was nothing tired or lame about it.