Rare live treat as rock royalty reunited

Eric Clapton and

Steve Winwood

LG Arena, Birmingham

Two of British rock music's hierarchy rolled into Birmingham last night for the first leg of their European tour.

For Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, it represents the closing of a circle that began 40 years ago, when they first collaborated in arguably the world's first supergroup Blind Faith.

That band was short lived, but the musical meanderings of these much acclaimed musicians over the next four decades was played out to a near-packed LG Arena. They started the show with toe-to-toe guitar solos from Blind Faith's Had To Cry Today. Then it was Clapton's homage to J.J.Cale with Low Down and After Midnight.

Handsworth-born Winwood said it was good to be back on his old stomping ground, before taking centre stage with what has become his trademark song Georgia On My Mind, a song I first saw him perform with such wonderful maturity in Stafford when he was just 15 with the Spencer Davis Group.

This was a far more relaxed Clapton than his last visit to the city, when he seemed somewhat bored with the whole thing. Here was a man at one with his world and his musical cohort Winwood, exchanging frequent smiles and nods of approval and appreciation.

The acoustic part of the show gave the audience time to draw breath as the two of them sat down with guitars and gave us a beautiful, stripped down version of Clapton's anthem, Layla.

Then it was back to more familiar territory as Eric made his Fender Strat sing to a familiar tune with an extended version of Voodoo Chile.

The encore was left to highlight Steve Winwood's time with Traffic, and featured his stunning guitar solo on Dear Mr Fantasy.

By John Hackney