Long time, no blog (part two)/ aka "Clapton is God"

So the last post was about adventures in San Francisco on June 28. The next day, June 29, I was back in the Bay Area to make good on this year's Father's Day gift to my dad.

I took the day off from work so that we could hit the road as early as possible. Our first stop was McCovey's Restaurant in Walnut Creek. Owned by San Francisco Giants legend Willie McCovey, it is a fabulous restaurant for baseball fans, and a must for Giants fans. The atmosphere is casual dining, surrounded by baseball memorabilia. Somehow, I always get seated at the "Pete Rose" table. The restaurant is laid out like Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T Park, with red brick walls and booths designed to resemble baseball gloves. It's really fan-flippin-tastic! The food is basic homestyle comfort food at reasonable prices. I ordered a BBQ plate with beef brisket, pulled pork, beans, cole slaw & potato salad. We watched the Giants game on the big screen. Good times.





After dinner we headed to the Oracle Arena in Oakland to see Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood in concert. I'm not really a fan of Winwood... I remember a couple of hits he had in the 80s. I never knew that he and Clapton were in a band in the 70s called "Blind Faith." We were really there to see guitar god Clapton. I've seen a lot of classic British rock acts live over the years: McCartney, Elton John, The Who. McCartney & Elton are very well-produced, kind of sing-along greatest hits spectacles. Who concerts (well, only Roger & Pete now) are high-energy and very LOUD.

This concert was a very subdued, all-business affair. In fact, I've never been to a concert where the headliners bantered with the audience so little. The only words Clapton spoke were, "Thank you!" and "Steve Winwood, everyone!" When the set started, they just walked on stage, and started playing. He doesn't prance around the stage, or windmill like Townshend. --I'm not saying that isn't enjoyable-- He is the consummate professional. He just plays the music. The most movement on-stage was his near constant, yet still subtle, foot-tapping. He just stands there, and makes his guitar sing. He plays with effortless ease. As the graffiti that began to spring up in Tube stations around London in the 1960s once proclaimed....Clapton is God.

I'll be honest, I didn't know much of the set list. I'm sure many of the songs were from their "Blind Faith" days. The songs I did know: After Midnight, Forever Man, Cocaine, and Layla (acoustic). My dad can now die happy-- he got to see Eric Clapton play "Layla" live.

~Lizzie~

Here's a video I found on YouTube. No, our seats were not nearly this good.