Cultural Opportunity Two-Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Buddy Guy

Last night my family and I went to the United Center to witness two musical legends in honor of my dad's birthday. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood reunited from their old Blind Faith days put on an amazing show. As a bonus, Buddy Guy even made a surprise appearance in the finale! I was amazed by how cool these dudes are. The crowd consisted of mostly older people

still smoking the ganja), but my younger brothers and I had a great time listening to these classic works of art. Steve Winwood is phenomenally talented on the Hammond organ, and has a very distinct voice that blew my mind. Clapton showed the younger generation that no one can touch his feel and soloing power. I love this genre of music and these two are simply the best. There was little interaction with the crowd or pizzaz, because these guys are all about the music. The set list included some obvious favorites such as "Layla" and "Glad", but also included some covers of "Georgia on my Mind" and "Vodoo Child". The drummer, pianist, bassist, and back up singers were great, but Clapton and Winwood stole the show. The two's corroboration was as good as anybody could ask for, but Chicago-blues pro Buddy Guy stopped by and took things to a whole new level. I am so lucky to have seen these three greats before they are forgotten due to the rise of autotune and the synthesized "music" of the younger generations. Five songs in particular are noteworthy for the poetic elements they contain. 1. Crossroads by Robert Johnson tells of a man stuck between good and bad, success and failure, here and there, and the gray area between any two places mentally, emotionally, or physically. 2. Glad by Steve Winwood simply says: So glad, I'm so glad, sometimes I'm glad to be alive."-pretty self-explanatory. 3. Drowning on Dry Land performed by Buddy Guy is a beautiful look at life stuck in a rut. 4. Driftin' is a tale of a man who lost his woman and purpose in life. 5. Vodoo Child by Hendrix is a great song, "I stand on top of a mountain, and chop it down with the edge of my hand" speaks for itself.