Clapton and guests - Hyde Park

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HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9550
edited July 2018 in Music
Just on my way home. Excellent day out. Gary Clark Jr is my new favourite guitarist. Some superb tones from his P90 loaded SG. Steve Winwood was, of course, rather excellent. And Clapton great as always. A bit surprised that EC appeared to be playing a large-headstock Strat which I'm pretty sure is unusual for him.

Not at all impressed with Santana though. Seemed to have one solo which he used over and again, and had a tone which was surprisingly poor considering that he can afford any guitar and amp he likes. 
I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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Comments

  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    Just arrived back at my hotel. Thought EC was on good form.

    Can’t remember who his new drummer is - but he really lifts the band in a way that Steve Gadd never seemed to.
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  • shaunmshaunm Frets: 1591
    Just got back home too and echo both statements above. 

    Santana was not good. Eric was excellent, his tone was fantastic. 

    Doyle Bramhall though, what a player and what a fantastic tone. 

    @richardhomer & @HAL9000 any sunburn lads? Wasn’t much shade was there. Couldn’t have ordered better weather.
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    @shaunm - a Peaky Blinders style cap and factor 50 saved me from anything too bad! I agree about Doyle - it was a Heritage semi through a Two Rock, I think.

    And yes - EC’s tone was great - though I reckon it’s a great example of its all in the fingers. 
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  • shaunmshaunm Frets: 1591
    edited July 2018
    @richardhomer I totally agree, he coaxed an awful lot of sounds out of that strat last night. Very fluid playing. The acoustic set, in those surroundings and at that time of day was perfect though. It worked very well.

    Doyle must of had a fuzz or two on stage with him. He certainly had his univibe. His fuzz tones are as good as I’ve heard. He seems to make it work with just about any guitar/amp combo too. 

    Carlos seemed to be playing by numbers a little bit. I did have a moment of annoyance with him (if you can call it that). Why does he insist on playing things like John Coltrane - Love Supreme? He isn’t really a jazz player and he just smashes through the same solo that he plays on most songs instead of listening to how beautifully Coltrane played the original. 

    I was very impressed with the facilities at Hyde park. It puts Manchester and the gigs I’ve been to at Heaton park to shame.
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9550
    edited July 2018
    @shaunm ;No sunburn here. Mind you I tan fairly easily and have just come back from a few days in Greece where it was 37C so I was quite tanned already. Still covered myself in factor30 before coming out though.

    What does annoy me with these sorts of events is that the organisers won’t allow you to take in food or drink, yet will happily sell you these things (at special prices!) once you’re inside. I can understand that they don’t want glass bottles but that’s about it. I’m not likely to injure anyone with a sausage roll or poke somebody’s eye out with a salad. I’m sure in the past it was ok to take in a picnic just so long as the bag wasn’t too big. Is it just greed? Or are there genuine security concerns?
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • shaunmshaunm Frets: 1591
    @HAL9000 it’s greed. Green man festival in wales does not have any corperate sponsorship and as a result you can take in what you like. 
    £6.50 a beer is what Londoners are used to paying isn’t it? The food was quite expensive but I accept I’m going to be ripped off for that stuff before I set off to alleviate the frustration. 

    Did you check out the other stage at any point?
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9550
    edited July 2018
    shaunm said:
    Why does he insist on playing things like John Coltrane - Love Supreme? He isn’t really a jazz player and he just smashes through the same solo that he plays on most songs instead of listening to how beautifully Coltrane played the original. 

    Exactly what I thought. Coltrane’s Love Supreme is perfection as it is, so why even attempt a different take on it? It’s unlikely to go well.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    edited July 2018
    Carlos’s playing was at its height around ‘Moonflower’ @shaunm - lyrical, melodic, exceptional phrasing and dynamics. 

    Within a couple of albums his tone became thinner/harsher and his melodic instincts seemed to desert him. 

    In spite of having switched to Single Cut PRSs for yesterday’s show, his tone wasn’t close to his mid/late 70s peak. To my ears it lacked high end and was too compressed. And I agree - he’s not a jazz player - his vocabulary is much the same as EC’s - but with the odd 6th & 9th notes added.

    Unfortunately the set felt like a guitar vehicle, rather than songs.  
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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    I'm so jealous
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    edited July 2018
    Carlos’s playing was at its height around ‘Moonflower’ @shaunm - lyrical, melodic, exceptional phrasing and dynamics. 

     
    Absolutely agree. Such a shame that he seems to have lost his way.

    I can live with 'Smooth' and that colloboration album, which probably earnt him a few bucks, but there was a follow-up which was awful.

    Go back to you roots, Carlos, and look at what made 'Moonflower' such a brilliant album. And what a band that was, too!

    Glad you guys had a good day and quite a few people have mentioned how good the sound has been at these Hyde Park gigs.
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  • shaunmshaunm Frets: 1591
    @richardhomer & @HAL9000 the bit I found funniest about the Santana set was that he had a hip hop style “Hype man” at parts with the “put your hands in the air” lines. I think they may have misread the crowd with that one. 

    Totally agree about his set being a guitar playing vehicle. But I guess that’s what he and the band is. 

    I love jazz jazz and I think Coltrane Love Supreme is one of the finest pieces of music recorded. I admire Santana’s courage for trying it, I mean Miles used to play with Santana so who am I to judge him doing it I guess. I think Jobo got stick once for saying that he wishes Santana would stop talking about jazz as he can’t even play over changes. It’s very critical but the jazz guys seem to like him. 

    Special mention to the guitar tone of the day Lucas Neilson and that Les Paul Jr. It’s the second time I’ve been blown away with an LPJ this summer. Keith played one with the stones and it was by far the best sound of the night.
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    Any pictures?  I want to see EC with a big headstock Strat.

    I'm assuming from the comments that Santana wasn't the Santana IV lineup?
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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    edited July 2018
    HAL9000 said:
    Just on my way home. Excellent day out. Gary Clark Jr is my new favourite guitarist. Some superb tones from his P90 loaded SG. Steve Winwood was, of course, rather excellent. And Clapton great as always. A bit surprised that EC was playing a large-headstock Strat which I'm pretty sure is unusual for him.

    Not at all impressed with Santana though. Seemed to have one solo which he used over and again, and had a tone which was surprisingly poor considering that he can afford any guitar and amp he likes. 

    Not been impressed with his tone for a long time... And tbh lost all respect for him when Santana and Peter Green shared a stage to play black magic woman... Santana played his version and don't think Peter even got a solo now that's just a slap imho should had Santana singing and peter doing what he does best.
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9550
    Philly_Q said:
    Any pictures?  I want to see EC with a big headstock Strat.

    Actually, any pictures I’ve managed to find show it to be a normal headstock so I guess I was wrong about that. From song angles it just appeared to have that more pronounced curve by the nut.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    HAL9000 said:
    Philly_Q said:
    Any pictures?  I want to see EC with a big headstock Strat.

    Actually, any pictures I’ve managed to find show it to be a normal headstock so I guess I was wrong about that. From song angles it just appeared to have that more pronounced curve by the nut.

    Yeah, I could only find pics of this one, looks like an EC sig in Mercedes blue(?).  It looks a bit like my Strat actually (which does have a big headstock :) ).

    Eric Clapton performs at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park

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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Just watching a bit of someone’s clip on YouTube and realised ( and looking at that picture) Southgate style waistcoat. Bit late now but get in Eric! 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    Just watching a bit of someone’s clip on YouTube and realised ( and looking at that picture) Southgate style waistcoat. Bit late now but get in Eric! 
    Watching that film A Life In 12 Bars, I was surprised to learn he's a West Brom supporter.  I wonder why that is, isn't he from Surrey?
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Philly_Q said:
    Just watching a bit of someone’s clip on YouTube and realised ( and looking at that picture) Southgate style waistcoat. Bit late now but get in Eric! 
    Watching that film A Life In 12 Bars, I was surprised to learn he's a West Brom supporter.  I wonder why that is, isn't he from Surrey?
    Wow, no idea why. Ron Wood (going to mention here that I’m not one despite living in Baggies territory) is, family background apparently, so maybefrom him? This was Eric’s sneaky tribute to them:

    https://i.imgur.com/61rvTgN.jpg
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    edited July 2018
    Just watching a bit of someone’s clip on YouTube and realised ( and looking at that picture) Southgate style waistcoat. Bit late now but get in Eric! 
    When he walked on stage he went straight up to the mic and proclaimed ‘it’s coming home’. He might have ultimately been proved wrong - but the crowd lapped it up!
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  • Jez6345789Jez6345789 Frets: 1756
    Funny about 10 years ago I saw Clapton and Santana in the same week. And as much as I like Eric it’s sort of more by default than rabid fandom in that over the years his music has always been around my life.

    Santana I have always loved that week like this week Santana sound like a box of spanner’s being dropped. Eric had a great band that night and played his arse off.

    which gutted me at the time as I thought yeah Clapton the ticket was a present so thought never seen him. Where Santana I was far more passion to see him play again as not seen him since the70’s 

    hey ho
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