Baba O'Reilly Meets Slowhand

On Monday night, hubby and I had the great joy of being able to see two legends in concert - Roger Daltrey and Eric Clapton. Hubby says it was the best show he has ever seem, and I have to agree it is definitely near the top of my list, too.

The show took place at the RBC Center - home of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack. The stage took up a good portion of the oval shape floor. We had great seats - row N on stage right about 3 sections from the stage. Those seats were worth every penny.

The show started promptly at 7:30pm (gotta love the more seasoned musicians - no need to stroke the ego by having the crowd wait). Roger Daltrey and his band (which includes Pete Townsend's brother, Simon) started the crowd rocking with a favorite from The Who "I Can See for Miles." Hubby and I were lucky to see Daltrey in another venue in October. His set list was a condensed version of that show, and just as fantastic as it was. He did several Who songs as well as a few bluesy covers and his own music. It was an absolute treat to be able to see him again. My hubby is a huge fan, and to see Daltrey twice in 5 months was just great. He finished with Baba O'Reilly, which is now on my short list for greatest song ever written, and the whole arena was on its feet. I have never seen an opening act receive a standing ovation, but it was no ordinary opening act.

Clapton took the stage about 20 minutes later. Again, no making the crowd wait. He said very little to the audience over the course of the show, but his guitar sure did speak. He is probably the most amazing guitar player I have ever had the pleasure of seeing and hearing. It was wonderful just to watch his hands. His voice sounded great - just like the new Cream of Clapton CD I purchased. His set focused mostly on the blues side of his music. I never realized just how much the blues influenced Eric Clapton. I know the blues brought about the birth of rock and roll, but I had always associated Clapton more with rock. I was glad to be introduced to these other songs. He did play some favorites - I Shot the Sheriff, Layla, Wonderful Tonight, and Cocaine. He closed after a single encore song - Crossroads.

It was just a fantastic show. I cannot say enough about how wonderful it was. I feel truly lucky to have been able to see these two legends in concert. The talent, both from years of experience and natural born, was great to see. Even over 60 years of age, these two men can put on one heck of a show. The younger guys should take note.

Photos courtesy of John Rottet, newsobserver.com

Up next - George Thorogood and The Destroyers