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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Antispam question: What's Mr. Lee's Firstname? Answer: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message: * HTML is OFF * Forum Code is ON Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by Cal Jam[/i] [br]I don't expect everyone to read this ramble, but I had to get it down in words: ___________________________ When I first saw this gig advertised, I was almost put off by the ticket price. In the end, I stayed in on New Years Eve, and spent the money here instead. Definitely the right decision. Dear Mr Fantasy was a charity tribute gig to song-writer/singer/drummer/environmentalist Jim Capaldi, best known as the founder of sixties pyschedelic legends Traffic. He sadly died last year of cancer. So the line-up was sparkling: Steve Winwood, Jon Lord, Pete Townshend, Paul Weller, Joe Walsh, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Bill Wyman, Gary Moore, Simon Kirke, Mark Riviera, various high-quality session players, and the geezer from Dr Hook! Legendary BBC broadcaster 'Whispering' Bob Harris was the host for the evening, introducing various acts and artists, and telling little anecdotes in between. Traffic are one of my favourite bands, so I eagerly anticipated this gig. Paul Weller kicked things off with an excellent version of Paper Sun. The sound quality was a bit ropey at first, but was sorted out from then on in. The Roundhouse in Camden, London, is a fantastic venue for live music. This was my first visit, but is exactly how a good music venue should be. Intimate surroundings, high stage, great acoustics, and plenty of standing room for those who don't like to sit. And Traffic played here in their heyday, so plenty of history too. After Weller exited, there were a couple of Capaldi-penned songs by the session people, including some fantastic singing by the bloke from Dr Hook, Dennis Locorriere, who also produced a harmonica solo to die for, if ever there was such a thing. So far so good. I was really enjoying this. But it took Joe Walsh to provide the first real "magical" moment of the evening. Singing Capaldi's Living on the Outside, he produced some absolutely fantastic beefed-up guitar sounds, that just erupted from the stage. He was backed up by Jon Lord, whose Hammond (surely the instrument of kings) was humming furiously. To hear a Jon Lord solo in a rock environment again was akin to hearing Ritchie Blackmore strap on a strat. I could feel the adrenaline gush from the pit of my stomach through my shoulders, and up through my outstetched arm that saluted the return of Jon Lord to the Hammond. Memory fails me as to what happened next. I was on a high. You can't be expected to remember it all. I think Bill Wyman was on stage at some point. I remember Simon Kirke sang a great rendition of Whale Meet Again. Yusuf Islam also appeared, and sang a gorgeous Capaldi-penned tune. Absolutely fantastic. Another highlight. Then a little break. 10 minutes or so. Time to talk excitedly to the people next to me about Walsh's and Lord's fantastic guitar/organ interlude. After the break, the crowd got what they wanted. Steve Winwood came on stage with his band and proceeded to play a set of Traffic classics. This was just sensational. I never expected to see Traffic songs performed live, let alone by Steve Winwood. Here was a master on stage singing and performing some of the greatest songs he ever wrote and recorded. The sweaty, smokey sounds of Winwood's Hammond Organ filled the air, while his flautist and saxophonist played some glorious melodies. Rainmaker and Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys were just perfection. The jazzy-tinged, psychedelic swirls of Winwood's organ sending goosebumps dancing across my arms. Light Up or Leave Me Alone, a Capaldi special, was raw and funky, with extended jamming, while Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring was fabulous. As for the version of Dear Mr Fantasy, there are moments that will live with you forever. This was the absolute highlight of the evening. Winwood swapped Hammond for guitar, and absolutely nailed the track. Singing like an angel, and playing like a demon, this song was worth the admission fee alone. Music was made for this. He is an incredible guitar player. After Winwood's band left, Paul Weller sang a magnificent version of Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush and Gary Moore came on and played some blues tune. He was excellent, though perhaps a little too loud. His heavy blues wailing threatened to spoil the more mellow moods that the Traffic songs had provided. Joe Walsh and Jon Lord then combined again for the magnificent 40,000 Headmen (with some stunning Walsh guitar in the outro), and Paul Weller took over vocal duties for Pearly Queen. Lord produced several more magical solos during the remainder of the evening, especially on Rock n Roll stew. Amazing. Then Jim Capaldi's brother comes on stage and sings a song that is just great. He doesn't look like a rock n roll star but he posesses a great voice, not disimilar to his late brother. Pete Townshend then makes an appearance on an empty stage, armed only with an acoustic guitar. A heckler interrupts his story with a cry of "Get on with it!", to which Townshend calls him a "C***", much to loud cheers. As far as I'm concerned, I love anecdotes in between songs. Especially at tribute gigs! Sheeesh! So anyway, he plays a rusty version of No Face No Name No Number. He admits beforehand it may not be fantastic, but he loves the song and wants to play it. It still sounds great! Townshend's "rusty" is another man's career. The gig finishes with a lovely rendition of Love Will Keep Us Alive, that was a hit for the Eagles, but was written by Capaldi. Everyone joins the stage for this one, and play together for a final swansong. The image that was hung above the stage all evening, of Jim Capaldi banging his drums, with a manic smile and a glint in his eye captured perfectly the spirit of the man himself. The music below captured perfectly the legacy that Jim has left. God bless him. [/quote]   Check here to include your profile signature. Check here to subscribe to this topic.