The Old Testament followed by the New (also written some while ago you will recall). For once there was hardly a vacant seat by half past seven when the lights went down for the support act.
Support! The way the base of a pyramid is to the top-most stone I suppose, less prominent but rather important. Muddy Waters was announced as 'the Father of the Blues'. Shuffled on with a body wracked by age and British ague and a spirit shining youthfully through his hooded smile of innocence and ex-perience intermingled. Then he played music like nobody up here had heard for years.
Low-down bare blues. Real slow. Primitive and supremely sophisticated at the same time. "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mean Mistreater", "Screamin' and Cryin'", boasting, moaning. Love, pain. All time past and gone. Perched on a stool enigmatic as a Buddha. The kind of 'philosopher' who, like the Old Testament, would tell you 'an eye for an eye' and 'turn the other cheek' both at once and so strongly you'd be convinced they were both right and not know where you were except alive.
Well - impressive. And musically falling into none of the empty mannerisms that imitators, black and white, have often hoped was blues or soul. No sandpaper-throat histrionics for Muddy. His voice was beautiful, deep and powerful, dealing in nuance and subtle modulation rather than any more obviously heart-rendering tactics.
That made it the more riveting when, for "Mannish Boy" he stood up and started to spit out the fierce self-assertion of the song with even a few cautious gestures of the hips towards the funky chicken.
Meanwhile his guitar work sounded quite extraordinary to me - it transformed the band who had boogied through a couple of undistinguished R&B routines before his entrance. No fancy picking but he hit lead lines and rhythm chords with an Asiatic tone, an almost brutal approach which produced a suc-cession of leaping surprises in those familiar songs.
Having played a lot longer than planned in his condition Muddy did "Mojo" as a rapturously received encore, then had his overcoat on before he'd even reached the wings. The stage was set for the young(er) Master who would seem to have booked himself a severe case of the 'follow-that' for the rest of the tour. But it was soon clear that for Clapton, Muddy's presence wasn't just a challenge and a typically honest acknowledgement of his sources: it was a policy statement.
He has returned to the blues and, in most respects that means he has returned to himself. His regular line-up since 461 Ocean Boulevard has now been stripped of both lady singers and, most significantly, second guitarist George Terry leaving a quartet with Carl Radle (bass), Jamie Oldaker (drums) and Dick Sims (keyboards and not adapting too well to the flexibility of the cut down band!).
He emphasised his point by opening with "Layla", which like "Badge" later on, suffered from the absence of a guitar partner. Then he cut straight into one of the set's major successes, "Worried Life Blues", sung with a straight conviction.
"Wonderful Tonight" unexpectedly achieved a certain sincere dignity (shallow as it will continue to appear among so many great songs) though the two other selections' from Backless were lacking in flavour of the material the band has really soaked itself in for several years.
But one number in mid-set transcended quality musicianship and the encouraging sight of the man clearly enjoying health and, confidence. That was "Double Trouble": On the vocals he leant his head back and started to burn. Then he embarked on a guitar improvisation of sustained staggering imagination and beauty. No screech and kerrang, it was all melody, a gold thread unwinding. Essentially moody, he may play for you a whole set at that heat or, I suppose, blow the show completely.
But I wouldn't miss him if I were you. All the way through to when he's 64 I wouldn't miss him.
Musicians
Eric Clapton - Guitar & Vocals
Dick Sims - Keyboards
Carl Radle - Bass
Jamie Oldaker - Drums
... plus
Luther 'Guitar Junior' Johnson - Guitar *
Jerry Portnoy - Harmonica *
Opening Act
The Muddy Waters Band
Set List : 25 November 1978 - City Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
01. Layla
02. Worried Life Blues
03. Wonderful Tonight
04. If I Don't Be There By Morning
05. Double Trouble
06. I'll Make Love to You Anytime
07. Badge
08. Key to the Highway
09. Cocaine
10. Blues Jam #1 *
11. Blues Jam #2 *
12. Crossroads
