Disclaimer: the author is a big Steve Winwood fan
This is a beautiful venue, hidden away in the Danbury, CT campus of WCSU. It's set on a hill side, completely surrounded by trees, that gradually slopes down to an open stage in front of a lake. The only place I've seen that it vaguely resembles is Frost but this place is much smaller and far more bucolic. No security, you can bring in whatever you want, we had 3 six packs and were probably on the light side compared to most. $25 lawn seats. Even the parking ticket we got was $15, a bargain at twice the price as someone said.
I don't know what it's like to be Steve Winwood, there must be one or two things that suck about life but it looks pretty good from the outside: Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, Traffic, big $ solo career, Traffic again, this tour (a retrospective with songs from all previous incarnations). Written a bunch of classic songs, looks 20 years younger than he is, piles of money, plenty of adoring fans, a smoking new band, life could be worse.
Great first set, opened with Pearly Queen as always, Empty Pages, Can't Find My Way Home (boy did that get the audience love fest going-hugs all around), Glad/Freedom Rider, a bunch of great new songs. As I said, a completely new band from 2003, young gunslingers on guitar, percussion and drums and a pretty grizzled looking sax/flute/keyboard player. There was no bass player, whomever was on keyboards played bass on the foot pedals so for most of the show Winwood was playing 3 of the 7 instruments (including vocals). Could someone enlighten me as to how this is done? I know the Doors did it and I saw Spirit pull it off about 10 years ago but I've never understood how this is accomplished.
Second set opened with a 15 minute instrumental and a couple of other new songs, then a Rainmaker with a 10 minute Jeff Beck style fusion jam tacked onto the end then Higher Love. Next we were forced to endure Low Spark with the final solo an epic guitar journey that started with rippling flamenco runs (the guy on guitar switched from acoustic to electric sound at will) through rock and roll chords/heavy metal to a wonderful feedback and organ duet with Winwood back into the chorus. Another new tune, then Winwood took up the mandolin for a ringing version of Back in the High Life Again. I never thought much of his post Traffic solo work but you cannot sit there and watch him go after these tunes with all his heart and not be moved. From there Winwood on electric guitar for a very rocked out Dear Mr. Fantasy and then back to organ for I'm a Man. First set was 7:30 to 8:30 and second set 9:00-10:45.
Encore was Crossroads and Gimme Some Lovin ("Hey!"). Don't miss this guy if he comes to your town, after I post this I'm going to see if he's playing anywhere else around here. As my buddy put it, childhood prodigy to mega rock star to better than ever.
We were children once, playing with toys.