History at the Garden

Tomorrow night, two legends will team up again to bring back a little musical magic from the past. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, half of Blind Faith, will reunite for the first of only three shows together. All three shows will take place here in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Show one will be tomorrow (Monday, February 25) followed by the second show on Tuesday and the third and final show on Thursday. It should be something special to see these two play together again and I am looking forward to catching the first show tomorrow night. The beginnings of this three show reunion go back to last year’s Chicago Crossroads Festival in July. Steve and Eric enjoyed playing together so much, they decided to do it three more times and chose the Garden as the place it should happen. Of course, Eric and Steve were two of the members of the legendary Blind Faith, a band that was together for less than a year. In early 1969, Eric Clapton, just out of Cream, teamed up with Steve Winwood, who was fresh out of Traffic. They recruited former Cream drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Ric Grech, who was a member of Family. They quickly recorded an album (Blind Faith) and set out on the road. Their first show was a free concert at London’s Hyde Park on June 7, 1969. On July 12, they played their first U.S. show at Madison Square Garden. On August 24, they had played their last show and by October, their breakup was official. Now, 39 years after Blind Faith’s formation, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood join together again at Madison Square Garden. It should be a terrific night.

Check my next blog entry for my review.