Three years ago, when I happened across EC Access (not to be overly dramatic, but yeah, it sure changed my destiny), I found out that I had just missed Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival by a couple of weeks. I vowed at that time it wouldn't happen again.It didn't.
All that despite the fact that it meant not sleeping for two of three nights involved (and probably not getting enough sleep on the third one) to actually get to and fro the all-day music fest and that I'd have to book-end the trip with two rather hellish days at work. But it's all worth it, right?
Frankly it's all worth it just to see the friends that I made at EC Access. The site has since become a joke, and any benefits that you get from the club on the American side of the pond frankly aren't worth the cost of a year's membership. But I got exactly what I needed from ECA in my short time there -- a group of crazy cool whackos who I have a good time with no matter what we're doing.
So I just had to (and did) know that when I finally got to the hotel we were all staying at in downtown Chicago that no, I wouldn't be allowed to get some rest. And yes, I'd be going along to a club to see Albert Lee and Vince Gill with my compadres.
The club Martyr's was packed to the (Vince) gills, and it was way too hot to stay in there for any extended time. So basically, we spent most of the night sitting outside, chatting amongst ourselves and anyone who came by. See Ritu's photo at left...Our group is ever-expanding, because there are just so many groovy people who love the music. So we got to add the dynamic duo of LuAnn (a.k.a. Stained Glass) and Jay (a.k.a. Fat Fingers) to our ranks this year. And I finally got to meet some of the people I had talked to in my initial days on ECA, like "The Fool" (Rob) and chitownmike (Mike, duh). And best of all, beaucoups hugs and laughs with my girls Sus and Georgette. ... I don't want to leave anyone out ... Pam, Bruce, Renee, the Swedes, Willie, Mark, buttnugget Rooster, Melissa.
For me, going to Crossroads is mostly about these friendships and the laughs and the in-jokes that will last a lifetime, because frankly we won't let them die. Like Ritu stealing her own purse in the VIP lounge, playing lost and found with Rooster and Susan and Pam both taking untimely spills within hours of each other (which would be a lot funnier if Sus didn't actually mess herself up).
But the music, well, that wasn't bad either. So in the Woodstock tradition (OK, it was just last year's anniversary concert, but all traditions gotta start somewhere, here are the high and lowlights).Best Use of God-like Powers: In opening the festival, Eric "Is God" Clapton declared that the rain and storms forecasted all week should stay away. And they did! Not a drop.
Best Intro: Bill Murray did a phenomenal job introducing the acts throughout the day, sometimes costumed up head to toe as the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Holly. In probably his best line of the day, he brought on ZZ Top with praise for them "never buying into the whole goatee thing."
Best Unexpected Pleasure: Stefan Grossman and Keb Mo. We'd been on an acoustic run that was lulling the overheated crowd into a slight state of coma, but when Keb joined Stefan, the result was a sweet little blues stew with echoes of Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. (EC was seen at the side of the stage enjoying it just as much.)
Best Debut by a New Band: Now I thought this category was going to be taken by the new Derek Trucks-Susan Tedeschi band. And they were fabulous, even if the rumored collaboration with Doyle Bramhall II did not develop. The winner was Doyle's own new band Faded Boogie, verrrrrry funky. The set got slowed a bit by Sheryl Crow, whose new album Doyle produced, but guest spots from Trucks, Tedeschi (see next entry) and Clapton livened things up quite a bit.
Best Use of a Non-Guitar Instrument at a Guitar Festival: Susan Tedeschi's voice. Susan kicked major ass (especially Sheryl Crow's). Lest anyone fear, this girl can play the axe too. She basically kicked Sheryl's well-toned ass on that also, as well as quite a few of the guys in tow.
Best Teaming: If the fiance had been there, I'm sure he would have voted for the Robert Randolph-Joe Bonamassa combo, but hey he wasn't, and I'm not influenced by him anyway. So my winners are: Buddy Guy with the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood and Jonny Lang. On the surface, that grouping sounds like it could be: a.) spectacular or b.) a train wreck. It was definitely a. All the songs were winners, but the funkified "Miss You" with Buddy eventually taking vocals was a festival highlight.
Most Awkward Teaming: This was going to be for the cavalcade of musicians (Warren Haynes, Johnny Winter, members of Los Lobos) who gamely rolled in and out during the Trucks-Tedeschi set due to the absence of Gregg Allman, who underwent a much-needed liver transplant, but it's really gotta go to Citizen Cope as part of the Clapton set. If EC came out during CC's set, it mighta worked. Here, it just let the air out of the tires.
Worst Use of the Outdoor Environs: Clapton and Jeff Beck aren't that far removed from their joint tour in which they played several numbers together. The number chosen for Crossroads? Probably the most ill-suited of the lot, "Shake Your Moneymaker," a tight, small rocker better served in a confined space.
Best Use of the Outdoor Environs: Who would have thought that Blind Faith -- the supergroup that was deemed to be overhyped when they formed -- would become this timeless entity? Clapton and Steve Winwood had lots of practice together on their recent short tours, and the material sounded amazing cascading across the cloudy Chicago sky.
Best Use of Props: When Clapton, Winwood and company started "Voodoo Chile," the full moon peeked out from behind the clouds and then darted back in. As wonderful as this song sounded in an enclosed arena, it might have been even more resonant when played to the sky. A perfect song, as evidenced by the fact that the onlookers backstage quadrupled over the course of it.
Best (and Worst) Stream of Consciousness: Don't know if it was the late hour, the heat or his 84 years, but B.B. King was even more off the beaten path than usual when he sat down to mix his storytelling with guitar playing. Just as entertaining were the reactions coming from Eric Clapton (knowing amusement) and the usually non-emotive Robert Cray (borderline horror). Jimmie Vaughan just seemed to ignore it in favor of focusing on his riffs. And we STILL want to hear the end of the story about meeting Eric in a club with Janis Joplin that got interrupted when all the artists came back on stage for the finale. How about as an "Easter egg" on the DVD?
And although this was thought to be the last in a series of three, EC already seems to have misgivings about calling it a day on the Crossroads front. So see ya in 2013!
