Live from Madison Square Garden

Personnel: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Steve Winwood (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chris Stainton (keyboards); Willie Weeks (bass instrument); Ian Thomas (drums).
Audio Mixer: James Towler.
Recording information: 02/2008.
Photographer: Danny Clinch.
When their hugely influential groups (Cream and Traffic, respectively) disbanded, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood made rock history when they joined forces in the short-lived Blind Faith in the late 1960s. Forty years later these legends collaborated again, selling out a trio of dates at Madison Square Garden, the results of which are captured on this dynamic double-disc set.
The set list includes material from the catalogs of Blind Faith, Traffic, Derek and the Dominos, and Clapton's solo oeuvre (including the J.J. Cale-penned classics "After Midnight" and "Cocaine"). Two Jimi Hendrix covers appropriately evoke the bygone `60s era, but the mode here is more laid-back and polished than fiery and psychedelic. That's not to say that Winwood and Clapton, who shine equally on these cuts, don't charm with their familiar skill and finesse. The result is 21 tracks-worth of classic rock pleasure.