Former caterer to the rock legends, supporting star of the "Cowtown Ballroom" rock doc and friend of the blog Penny V and her husband and fellow music-fanatic, Mark, went to Omaha to see Clapton/Winwood on Saturday. Here's their thoughtful, detailed review and some photos.
Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood shared the stage Saturday night in Omaha half way through their 14-city tour. The Qwest Center looked about 65 percent full (17,000 capacity).
Sections in the giant building were bare, so consequently the Qwest Center personnel were quietly upgrading ticket holders to better seats to create the illusion of a much fuller room. All one needed to do was to tell a building attendant that you didn’t like your seat and they would happily relocate you. (Now we know the secret.) Icons of this stature don’t like looking into empty seats.
The five-piece Clapton/Winwood band, and two female back-up singers took the stage around 8:25 pm to an older crowd buzzing with enthusiasm. Well-known session man Chris Stainton of ‘Mad Dogs and Englishman’ fame was on dueling Hammond Organ and electric keyboards. Willie Weeks on bass, added this gig to his diverse list of former bands, that would include ‘The Who’ & James Taylor. And on drums, the powerful Abe Laboriel, Jr. who has played with the likes of Sting and Paul McCartney. Michelle John and Sharon White provided silky backing vocals.
The set list only deviated slightly from previous nights on the tour and their sold-out three-night engagement at Madison Square Garden in the fall of 2008; opening with ‘Had to Cry Today’ a familiar Blind Faith standard.
Steve Winwood strapped on his lime green Strat for the first two songs before moving to his signature Hammond B3 on ‘After Midnight’. He was on to piano for the next several songs with Clapton at center stage. The words effortless and smooth come to mind. A seemingly endless depth to the talent onstage was set off by a relaxed appearance, both men dressed in casual shirts and jeans.
They kept the audience captivated for a good two hours, though it didn’t seem that long. The band themselves seemed in a trance and didn’t address the crowd until after the eighth song, ‘Tough Luck Blues’, one of only a few blues tunes. Winwood warmly thanked the audience for coming out, but Clapton remained silent except when he sang with enough full-throated elegance to match Winwood. They never did introduce the band.
Sound in the large venue was crisp and clear, emanating from four curved stacks of twelve speaker cabinets flying above the stage. The stage set was a stunning use of draped curtains, columns of light tresses and a row of 12 digital light panels across which, during the acoustic set, sprawled a giant close-up of Clapton’s intricate guitar work.
Highlights of the 20-song set ere ‘Forever Man’, the acoustic ‘Layla’, ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’, and a hypnotic ‘Voodoo Chile’ featuring Clapton’s complex guitar against Winwood’s spine-tingling work on the Hammond B3 (which incidentally, he contributed to the original Hendrix version). Plus, Winwood did a haunting version of Ray Charles’, ‘Georgia On My Mind’ and you could’ve heard a pin drop. The moment was lost on some of the audience who shifted restlessly toward the concessions area.
The band left the stage after ‘Voodoo Chile.’ For the encore they busted out ‘Cocaine’. At this point the audience was on their feet and the smell of herb wafted through the arena. Chris Stainton performed a keyboard solo that took hold of the tune and left Winwood, Clapton, and Weeks grinning with disbelief.
The old Traffic classic ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy” was the parting number and it always serves as a reminder of how great Winwood is on lead guitar, trading off on an utterly transcendent progression that took us out of the room. No disappointments here. The only thing better than seeing Steve Winwood or Eric Clapton separately, is seeing them together.
Setlist: Had to Cry Today; Low Down; After Midnight; Presence of the Lord; Sleeping in the Ground; Glad; Well Alright; Tough Luck Blues; Pearly Queen; No Face, No Name, No Number; Forever Man; Georgia On My Mind (Winwood solo); Driftin’; How Long; Layla (acoustic); Can’t Find My Way Home; Split Decision; Voodoo Chile; Encore: Cocaine; Dear Mr. Fantasy.
Nice review.
"The Qwest Center looked about 65 percent full (17,000 capacity)."
What did tickets cost?
Posted by: bob | June 22, 2009 at 05:37 PM
Hmmmm, Omaha gets Winwood and Clapton in concert and we don't. Wow....Just like the Royals and the Chiefs, our city's standing is beginning to drop into the basement. For shame!
Posted by: Banana Bombpop | June 22, 2009 at 06:56 PM
I have an email pal in Boston that's DYING to catch this tour. Setlist looks GREAT! If the Qwest Center was 65% full, the promoter still likely lost money - hear these shows are very CO$TLY! I refuse to bother with CLAPTON solo, but if he's touring with WINWOOD (or ever again CREAM), then I'm there!
Posted by: Bubba | June 23, 2009 at 04:37 AM
I had tickets in the lower bowl, $97.00 each. A buddy of mine sat in the upper deck, those seats were $67.00 each. No idea what floor seats cost. In my opinion, there was a lot more than 65% capacity, but I did see some empty seats here and there, mainly in the upper deck.
Posted by: onthemark | June 23, 2009 at 09:19 AM
Holy hell, 70 to 100 dollars for a show, lame, I dont care who you are, thats crap, maybe, maybe if Pink Floyd was still around, with all the members, maybe it would be worth it, the final show, reunion with Waters, crazy lights and lasers, that would be worth it, but come on, 100 dollars, these musicians need to wake up and think about the fans and not there bank accounts. Garth Brooks did it right, fair price and low ticketmaster charge, god bless him. And why would this show be in Omaha, usually the smaller cities like Omaha get the second leg of the tours not the first, oh well, at a 100 dollars a pop I would have skiped it anyway.
Posted by: Scott | June 23, 2009 at 09:32 AM
The tickets ranged from $65 to $150. Our friend who lives in Omaha bought our tickets a month in advance at the box office to avoid service charges. So when we got there they wouldn't scan.
I guess that was intentional so they could upgrade us to better seats. We were told that the $150 tickets just weren't selling, so they were trying to get people into them.
I read today that the attendance was 11,500, so maybe it was a little better than I thought. But still not close to sold out as in NY. I don't think they've been selling out in other venues either.
Posted by: Penny | June 23, 2009 at 10:08 AM
$100 is actually pretty typical Scott and somewhat reasonable in comparison to the $150 - $200 that other acts of this caliber are charging. I agree though that it has gotten out of hand but I think it's mostly due to promoters who are charging what the market will bear as opposed to the performers.
I didn't make the Omaha show unfortunately. However, based on Penny's nice review, it looks like they omitted their rendition of Buddy Miles' "Changes" as well as "Tell The Truth" which they perfomed in DC. Too bad. Those are both very strong numbers. I'll take those over an acoustic "Layla" and "Cocaine" anyday.
Posted by: NEW | June 23, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I know its typical, its also sad, my gf bought tiks to coldplay, upper level seats were 75 dollars, i believe Eagles tiks were 75 to 150 as were Elton John and Fleet Mac. I saw Floyd for 35 dollars in 95, that was a deal, I think we as fans will have to boycott some shows, some big big shows for anything to change. I'm okay with paying 100 or more for a festival where I can see 10 to 20 bands but 150 for one band, thats insane! These musicians have enough money, not saying they should be doing free shows but bring the price down a little. Truth is, nobody should be asking for more than 50 dollars for a show, maybe 65 for a front row and include the fees in the advertised price, tik master and live nation are such crooks, god help us all if they merge, sorry for the rant.
Posted by: Scott | June 23, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Scott, the 80s called, they want you to come back
Posted by: Joe | June 23, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Ideally we could go back to where we saw 3 bands for $8! However, my time machine does not travel back to the mid-70's (those were the days kids!) And to be honest, I am not sure just how much say the artist has in setting the ticket price. There are just so many things that go into putting on a concert anymore. But, I have to agree with Scott, something needs to be done, getting to the point where I am passing up some concerts solely due to the cost. I hate it when that happens. And it doesn't help matters when Ticketbastard throws another 25% 'convenience fee' on top of the ticket price. Other than that, I got nuthin...
Posted by: onthemark | June 23, 2009 at 12:45 PM
I went to the show as well. I paid $67, plus service charge, for tix in the first row of the upper deck. I thought the show was WELL worth the $$. The highlights for me were: Tough Luck Blues (trading solos between Clapton, Winwood and the other keyboardist), Voodoo Chile and all of the Blind Faith songs. Overall, a great show well worth the drive up North. (btw... when the tix first went on sale, they did have some upper deck seats available in the $45 price range, pretty reasonable for two legends.)
Posted by: who-fan | June 23, 2009 at 01:09 PM
Don't poke fun at Scott, NOT every music fan can afford to shell out $70 to $100 per ticket. I do REMEMBER catching PINK FLOYD in 1988 for a bargain of $25 and again in 1994 for $35 - both times were very affordable (considering). Think FLOYD might play an occasional gig from time to time AFTER a certain amount of time goes by since RICK WRIGHT'S passing. ROGER WATERS should maybe consider rejoining.
Posted by: Bubba | June 23, 2009 at 02:40 PM
I don't disagree with what some of you have said about the high cost of concerts these days but when you factor in inflation, wouldn't $25 in '88 or $35 in '95 be somewhat similar to $67 in 2009? Just sayin'.
Posted by: pellboy | June 23, 2009 at 03:08 PM
If the 80s called, and invited me to relive them, I would go back and rock the 80s so fast, that it would spin your head around.
Too bad for you sad young dorks who missed the greatest party of all time. Keep dreaming that twittering and Myspaceing make up for the fun we had. Dang trhe Lone Star was a blast, and the ywere not as pissed off at DUIs....
PS
facts be known the late 70s kicked ass, and the early 90s were pretty good too...ah heck the 2000s have been pretty good too, but law enforcent, road blocks, and cameras and the rest of the BS dampens the mood, not to mention the greed W influenced.
oh well...keep on keeping on, but given the chance, I would relive the 80s in a heartbeat.
Posted by: RattAndRoll | June 23, 2009 at 03:29 PM
I get the impression that most of us out on this blog are not sad young dorks Ratt (sad older dorks is more like it). We just decided to move on with our lives. You didn't play Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, did you?
With that said, $25 in 1988, adjusted for inflation, would be around $50 now. However, top acts are now commanding $100, $150 and up for top tier seats so yes, ticket prices have risen disproportionately. I wish I could find the article but it was saying how ticket prices in the 70s and early 80s were based on the Bill Graham model of keeping prices reasonable but still allowing for a profit. Since then there has been shift where promoters will charge whatever the market will bear. What's worse is that, with the advent of corporate sponsorship, promoters like Clear Channel aren't even taking much of a risk for the money that they make. I swear, the evilness of Clear Channel and Ticketbastard makes Al Queada looks like a bunch of cub scouts.
Posted by: NEW | June 23, 2009 at 03:45 PM
"Uncle Rico" I frickin' LOVE it!
I think you're spot on about "what the market will bear" when it comes to ticket prices for "heirloom" acts - and I think a lot of who's "bearing" it are maybe the ones who weren't so much there the first time but have the cash to pay for the "experience" now - even though it's become so completely sanitized with VIP this and VIP that (crap there's even VIP at festivals where they put you up in a hotel and bus you into a special section for the big acts that us pedestrians camp out to see)- kind of sucks, but money talks - and if the JoCo crowd didn't shell out for the big $ tix, the shows wouldn't be through here at all. And there's no such thing as the good old days and there never were!
Posted by: neighbor | June 23, 2009 at 04:48 PM
happy to say I dont know what the Napoleon Dynamite referance means, have seen parts of it, but it was too lame to care. the actor is lame, the movie was lame, anyone who quotes it must be lame too, oh well.
Posted by: RattAndRoll | June 23, 2009 at 04:54 PM
Agreed Neighbor. For example,I was looking at tix for the Rothbury Festival and there were these VIP Camping tix that were $869! This is for a supposed premium camping location plus festival entry. We are talking about CAMPING here. My friend called Baseline ticketing and asked if the campsite included a couple of hookers. You can go to BVI for the weekend for that price.
Hey Ratt, I think I have a Members Only jacket up in the attic. You interested?
Posted by: NEW | June 23, 2009 at 05:08 PM
Ratt, I caught you a delicious bass...
Posted by: The Liger | June 23, 2009 at 05:17 PM
Hey Ratt, you got any skills "You know, like nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... ?"
btw - RATT w/Billy Squire at Starlight was awesome! What was that, like 85 or 86?
Posted by: neighbor | June 23, 2009 at 07:20 PM
onthemark is right - the artists don't have much involvement in determining ticket prices. they have a performance fee and a rider that the venue/promoter works with when setting the ticket price.
an artist like carlos santana, for example, commands a fee of $150K for a two-hour performance. that's in a festival setting. it could be different for a venue like the Qwest Center or the Sprint Center. think of what clapton/winwood might cost.
the amount of seats available is also a consideration, as is a promoter's ability to block-book the act with another venue/promoter in a nearby market. that's just a sampling of the steps that go into putting on a show of this caliber.
Posted by: andrew | June 23, 2009 at 08:07 PM
The 80's called ... what the, how did I get lumped into the 80's, I was born in 79, so I can say I saw the 70's ... although I dont recall anything and it would have been the after party anyway, if anything I am 90's and if they called yea I would go back. I was to young in the 80's to fall in love with music. The 90's had a lot to say when it comes to music, since then the net has opened so many doors that music is lost, lots out there but you really have to search for it now.
As for the concerts, my point was that artists and friends are asking to much of the fans. I will stick with the smaller venues, Sprint Center has nothing for me, the smaller places have better music, cheaper tiks, you'll be able to see the artist and watch them play and you might even meet the artist. Thanks Uptown, thanks Beaumont, thanks Crossroads, love yea!
Posted by: Scott | June 23, 2009 at 11:17 PM
I would be curious to know about the show sounded in the upper section. I know the Sprint Center suffers in this regard, but I've heard that the Qwest center is better. Overall the buildings seem comparable so maybe KC will start getting some bigger shows back.
Posted by: Mark V | June 23, 2009 at 11:42 PM
No, I think it was Ratt with opener Bon Jovi - it was at Starlight in July, 1985. Ratt is coming to the Crossroads with Extreme - so I heard.
Posted by: Mike Reed | June 24, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Yeah, I catered that show at the Starlight. When Bon Jovi were young pups. Did an overnight to Salina and did it again.
Posted by: Penny | June 24, 2009 at 12:29 AM
Sounds like a good time. Penny your reveiw is fabulous. Thanks for the journey.
Posted by: Joan Clark | June 24, 2009 at 06:43 AM
Man, you guys had me thinking those little decorative stamps I licked in the parking lot at that show did permanent damage! I checked the concert archives at therattgang.com and found that while, indeed, RATT and BJ played at Starlight on 07/22/1985, around a year earlier, on 08/27/1984 RATT and Billy Squire played at Starlight as well.
Posted by: neighbor | June 24, 2009 at 08:53 AM
Scott, I totally agree on the reasonable prices at smaller venues vs. larger venues. Personally, I would take the Beaumont off your list and replace it with Knuckleheads but that is just me.
Andrew, I'm thinking the fee that artist charges is a drop in the bucket to the overall gross. Take ACDC for example. Using your Carlos analogy, that would equate to maybe $18 or $19 of the ticket cost for a Starlight performance. I imagine ticket prices would be much higher than that, no to mention concessions and merchandising.
It appears there are a lot of people besides the artist making lots of money out there.
Posted by: NEW | June 24, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Now I remember - in 1984, Ratt opened for Billy Squire. World has sure changed a lot since then.
Posted by: Bubba | June 24, 2009 at 02:30 PM
I seem to recall a very good run of shows in 1984 at Starlight. Personally, the Ratt/Squire bill was not a show I was interested in. But, I do remember a good show by Chicago... I know, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I think the highlight of the summer was Elton John's two night stand in July. The first night opening of Funeral for a Friend with the skies cloudy and overcast with a sligh fog was one of the coolest show openers I have ever seen. Seemingly on cue, the next song I recall was Rocket Man and the clouds parted during the song. After that song, Elton made the comment that Starlight may have been one of the most beautiful venues he had ever played. And it didn't seem like it was the obigatory comment artists make. It seemed very genuine.
Posted by: JO | June 24, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Those Elton shows were in '82, Feyline Summer of Stars. That was my first big season out there and there were so many good shows. If you click on my name below, it will take you to my website and then you can click on 'Articles' and there is a list of all the '82 shows. It only shows Elton on July 6th, but he was there the next night, too. Those Elton shows were amazing out there.
Posted by: Penny | June 24, 2009 at 04:52 PM
1985 at Starlight - Elvis Costello! David Gilmour's solo tour! Awesome!!!!!!!
Posted by: kmoon | June 24, 2009 at 04:56 PM
In 1987, I think it was, I saw MOLLY HATCHET (R.I.P.), FOGHAT and the OUTLAWS for a mere $7.00. Fancy that.
Posted by: Bubba | June 24, 2009 at 06:45 PM
Right you are, 1982. The second night was simulcast on Westwood One Radio
Posted by: JO | June 24, 2009 at 10:06 PM
As an afterthought, you can go to my YouTube page, rockandrollgrandma13, to see several video clips of the show and some others.
Posted by: Penny | June 25, 2009 at 08:34 AM
ah - the simulcast - I remember back in the early/mid 80's one of the KC radio stations simulcast Friday Night Videos - looking back that seems pretty lame, but it changed our house parties on Fridays at the time.
Posted by: neighbor | June 25, 2009 at 08:48 AM
I saw them in Dallas. The AAC was packed and the show was incredible!
Posted by: Gus | June 26, 2009 at 07:33 PM
Saw Winwood and Tom Petty 2 times last year (Hollywood Bowl) very bratty audience who had no clue who Steve Winwood was....then Outsidelands at Golden Gate Park....crazy fun (shame on this 50ish Grandma!)
3 years ago we saw Winwood at the Fillmore (west) I had my chin on the stage. My husband and I are OLD Traffic "fans" "Low-Spark is my prayer,always will be. The "Last Traffic Jam" was such an unbelievable event. Now the DVD shows you how delightful Jim Capaldi really was..Steve is a musical genius and I awestruck by his humility and grace. I don't have tickets for a California show and am sad, but I chased in my ticket chips this year to see U2 in Chicago, never seen them, I hope we made the right choice.
Never been to Nebraska...KEEP fighting for your rights...
Posted by: repunzel | June 29, 2009 at 02:12 PM